Powering Local Leadership 2019 - Speakers

Lauren Azar practices law in the electric industry, providing business, regulatory and policy advice as well as project development and permitting.

Mandela Barnes is the 45th Lt. Governor Wisconsin – the state’s second-ever Black statewide elected official and first-ever Black Lt. Governor.

Chelsea Chandler was the director of the Academy's Environmental Initiatives from 2016 to 2020. She led the Climate & Energy and Waters of Wisconsin Initiatives, to which she brought her interdisciplinary experience and passion for researching and communicating solutions to environmental challenges.

Tom Content is Executive Director the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, the state’s consumer advocate for residential and small business utility customers since 1979.

Marie Donahue is a research associate at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) with its Energy Democracy and Community-Scaled Economy Initiatives, supporting communities investing in distributed energy and locally owned businesses.

Jane Elder recently retired from her position as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Academy. She brought to the Wisconsin Academy a strong background in public policy leadership, nonprofit management, and involvement in Wisconsin arts.

Deb Erwin is Xcel Energy’s Manager of Regulatory Policy for Wisconsin & Michigan. She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Jeff Feldt is the General Manger of Kaukauna Utilities and has more than 35 years of experience in the electric utility industry. In addition, Feldt serves as the Chair of the WPPI Energy Board of Directors in Sun Prairie and previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Public Power Association (APPA) as well as Chairman of APPA’

Becky Glewen obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN.

Sherrie Gruder, LEED AP, is a Distinguished Sustainable Design Specialist and Energy Strategist with UW-Madison Division of Extension.

Richard Heinemann provides legal services to a wide range of municipalities and local governments in Wisconsin and throughout the upper Midwest. His primary focus is energy law, but his practice extends to all areas of municipal utility service, including water, wastewater, broadband and telecommunications.

Kelly Hilyard is the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Middleton, WI. Before joining city staff two years ago, she worked with local governments around the state on climate, water, and agricultural issues with the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters.

Seth Hoffmeister lives in Green Bay and works as the Field Director for Wisconsin Conservation Voters. As Field Director, Hoffmeister works with volunteers, activists, and partner organizations across the state to hold our elected officials accountable for the decisions that they make regarding our natural resources and works to draw attention

Tyler Huebner was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to be a Commissioner at the Public Service Commission in March 2020, and was re-appointed by Governor Evers to a six year term which began March 2, 2021.

Nick Hylla is executive director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, where he works in partnership with organizations throughout the Midwest to advance renewable energy education and market development initiatives.

As the Director of the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change, Kathy aims to make it easy for local residents to make choices that help achieve our ambitious climate goals. Kathy has almost 30 years of experience helping businesses and residents adopt sustainable practices.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Megan has spent more than a decade working with building energy efficiency both with the low-income weatherization program and with the Wisconsin State Energy Office (now known as the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation).

Jane McCurry joined RENEW Wisconsin in July 2018 as a Program Manager to start RENEW's Electric Vehicle Programming. Prior to starting at RENEW, she was the Executive Director and is a current board member for Wisconsin Microfinance, a Madison-based nonprofit that provides small loans to women in areas devastated by natural disasters.

Nancy Moore was elected to the City Council of Monona, Wisconsin in April of 2017 where she currently serves as the Chair of the Sustainability Committee, Chair of the Plan Commission, Chair of the Facilities Committee, and a member of the Parks and Recreation Board.

Ashwat Narayanan is Director of Transportation Policy of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.

Steve Nieland is the Director of Energy for Faith Technologies, responsible for the vision, development, growth and execution of Faith’s energy strategy. Nielands efforts help clients understand and optimize energy as an ingredient, achieving operational improvement through data driven processes.

Gary Radloff is the principal at The Radloff Group, a policy research and consulting firm. Radloff is a recently retired researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was the Director of Midwest Energy Policy Analysis for the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI).

Keith Reopelle is the Director of Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change. Prior to coming to Dane County, Reopelle was the Senior Policy Director at Clean Wisconsin where he worked for 32 years leading clean energy campaigns at the state and regional levels.

Peter Skopec joined the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG) in 2014 and has been the organization's director since February of 2015.

Jeffrey Springer is a Certified Energy Manager with over 30 years of experience in the commercial and industrial energy sector. His responsibilities include power quality, energy auditing, and recent work on Dairyland Power Cooperative’s fleet electrification and solar projects.

Ernest Stevens III has over 16 years of experience in several areas including Marketing, communications, public relations, tourism, community and economic development, leadership and multi-media production. Stevens recently was invited to the United Nations for the Media for Social Impact event as a panelist representing Indigenous Nations. A

Troy J. Streckenbach is in his second term as Brown County Executive, consisting of 31 County departments that include approximately 1,600 positions with a budget of over $290 million annually. Streckenbach graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh and earned a degree in International Studies.

Jeffrey Thomas is the current Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Business and Information Technology Services for the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

Michael Troge is a Project Manager working for the Oneida Nation. He has worked for more than 20 years doing conservation planning, designing, and deployment of water quality, agriculture, renewable energy, and facility energy projects. Troge is lead author for the Nation’s Strategic Energy Plan.
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