Advisory Board
Jennifer Chen is a Senior Manager in the Clean Energy Section of the World Resources Institute. Previously, Jennifer led federal electricity policy work at the Nicholas Institute at Duke University. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and is a Senior Fellow in electricity policy at R Street, Senior Policy Counsel at CO2Efficient, a board member at the Council for New Energy Economics, and a member of the U.S. Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee. Jennifer earned a J.D. from New York University and a Physics Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
Blan Holman is Vice President for Regulatory Affairs at Pine Gate Renewables with a focus on vertically integrated markets and Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Before Pine Gate, Holman practiced law with the Southern Environmental Law Center, where he engaged in state commission proceedings regarding energy generation and utility regulation. Holman’s practice also included Clean Air Act enforcement and state and federal permitting, as well as drafting energy and environmental legislation. Blan graduated from the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Seth Kaplan is the North American Director of External Affairs for Ocean Winds, a global offshore wind joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, overseeing governmental and regulatory policy. He previously worked on the SouthCoast (formerly Mayflower) Wind Energy project which is being jointly pursued by Ocean Winds and Shell New Energies. Before joining OW, Seth managed Government and Regulatory Affairs for EDP Renewables across the Eastern U.S. He previously worked at the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston for 16 years in various capacities, where his last assignment was as Vice President for Climate Policy. Seth received his J.D. at Northeastern University School of Law.
Suedeen Kelly is a partner at Jenner & Block, where she co-chairs the firm’s Energy Practice. From 2003 through 2009, Suedeen served as a commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Before her time at FERC, Ms. Kelly served as regulatory counsel for the California Independent System Operator and as a legislative aide to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), then the ranking member of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. She taught energy law, utility regulation, administrative law at the University of New Mexico School of Law for more than 15 years. She also served as chairwoman of the New Mexico Public Service Commission.
Virginia Lacy is Energy Innovation’s Senior Director of Philanthropic Services. She has almost 20 years of experience working in clean energy, the electricity sector, socially responsible investing, and environmental policy. Prior to joining EI, Virginia was a Principal with RMI, leading RMI’s Electricity Program and helping found its Electricity Innovation Lab. Virginia has a B.A. in government from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University.
Bruce Biewald is founder and CEO of Synapse Energy Economics, a consultancy that provides technical and economic analysis to clients who are serious about clean energy, climate, and the public interest. Bruce has testified as an expert witness in more than 100 cases, including utility regulatory proceedings in 25 states, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, two Canadian provinces, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in state and federal courts. Bruce has a bachelor of science in art and design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Meredith Wingate is the Principal of Wingate Strategies, applying her expertise on energy and climate strategies to phase out fossil fuels from the power sector, accelerating climate solutions and advancing energy justice. Prior to founding Wingate Strategies, Meredith managed the Fossil Fuels program at the Energy Foundation for fifteen years, focused on decarbonizing the U.S. electric power sector. Ms. Wingate worked to build capacity within the grantee network at the Energy Foundation and elevated innovation policies across the Foundation’s power sector work. Meredith previously worked as a renewable energy advocate for ten years in the U.S. and China. Meredith has a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.