Powering Local Leadership 2019 - Speakers

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.