Nakhia Crossley

Nakhia Crossley is Director of Government Affairs at ADT Solar, a division of ADT Security Services. In her role, Nakhia leads government policy nationwide to remove market barriers to energize more homes with solar power. She previously worked for Sunrun, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Illinois Commerce Commission. She is also a Past President of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., a Founding Associate Board Member of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago/Northwest Indiana, a member of the Business Leadership Council, and mentor and speaker for the Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy.

Nakhia has been awarded for her leadership and legal and energy regulatory expertise as Top 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business, Top 40 Under 40 Emerging Leader by Energy News Network, Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leader by Diversity MBA Magazine, a Trailblazer and Emerging Leader in the law by BWLA and with the Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Award by the National Bar Association. She earned her B.S. in Journalism/Mass Communications from North Carolina A&T State University and her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She is a 2020 Fellow of the Chicago Urban League and University of Chicago Booth School of Business IMPACT Leadership Development Program.

Shalaya Morissette

Shalaya Morissette (she/her) is Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division at the U.S. Department of Energy, located within the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. She is a highly sought-after collaborator and co-conspirator in the clean technology space. Most recently she hails from the utility sector in safety and compliance. In 2022 she took on an additional role at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, as a teacher to 11th and 12th graders – delivering a curriculum for engineering with energy in mind. Previously she held various roles in higher education, including enrollment services project manager, and in global transportation as the Director of Affiliate Relations. She is the former president of the Greater Boston chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.

Serving as the first African American board member of the New England Women in Energy and Environment, she has been devoted to elevating and engaging women and people of color in the energy space. As a Georgia Gwinnett College Alumni Association board member and a committee member for Browning the Green Space, she has been engaged in the nonprofit and higher education space as a strong advocate for elevating minorities in the energy transition. Her passion for bringing young people into the clean energy industry has also been supported through her work with Girls Inc and WriteBoston. Shalaya received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia Gwinnett College and her Master of Education from Cambridge College.

Debra Shore

Debra Shore is the regional administrator for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5. Her responsibilities include overseeing environmental protection efforts in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, as well as 35 federally recognized tribal nations. One of her roles is manager of EPA’s Great Lakes National Program, in which she leads restoration and protection of the largest freshwater system in the world. Prior to joining EPA, Shore was an elected member of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. She is a strong advocate for cleaning up the Chicago waterways and for resource recovery, including the reuse of treated water and the generation of renewable energy. Shore is a past chair and board member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund and served as board member and chair of the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

An award-winning author, Shore founded Chicago Wilderness magazine, was a leader in the regional conservation consortium Chicago Wilderness and founded Friends of the Forest Preserves. Shore has been an active habitat restoration volunteer in oak woods and savannas, prairies and wetlands of local forest preserves for more than 25 years. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Goucher College in Baltimore with a degree in philosophy and visual arts. She earned master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Columbia College (Chicago). She lives with her spouse, Kathleen Gillespie, in Evanston, Illinois. She has climbed 42 of the 58 mountains in Colorado more than 14,000’ high.

Alethia Jackson

Alethia Jackson is Senior Vice President, ESG and Chief DEI Officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance. In this role, Alethia leads a combined team of U.S. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility, including health equity, environmental and product sustainability and community giving. Alethia is a highly experienced Government Relations executive with 20 years of success with Walgreens, America’s Health Insurance Plans and National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Throughout her career, Alethia has been recognized for her ability to develop high-impact strategies, structures and partnerships that have shaped public policy, elevated brand identity and advanced corporate and industry policy objectives.

As Vice President, Federal Government Affairs and Head of Advocacy at Walgreens, Alethia led efforts to expand patient access to pharmacy services, advance the role of pharmacy within healthcare and support retail growth and value creation. Alethia is passionate about empowering young women through leadership development and is a member of the board of Running Start, Inc. a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women to run for public office. She holds a JD from Syracuse University School of Law and a BA from State University of New York at Albany.

Jessica Muench

Jessica Muench is Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer at United Airlines. In this role, she is leading transformational change through a holistic strategy to embed DEI throughout the business and enhance relationships with employees, customers, communities, and commercial partners. In her previous role of Managing Director, Labor Relations & Legal Strategy she worked closely with senior management providing counsel on labor litigation, negotiations, and contract administration.

Before United, Jessica served a gubernatorial appointment as Board Member on the Illinois Labor Relations Board. Jessica also served as a Board Member of Legal Prep Charter Academy and Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization where she was honored as one of Just the Beginning’s “20 Under 40.” Other honors include recognition as a 2015 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, a 2013 Leadership Council for Legal Diversity Fellow. She was also selected as a Fellow in the American Arbitration Association’s A. Leon Higginbotham Fellows Program in 2011. Jessica holds a B.A. with Honors from Purdue University and a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Gil Quiniones

Gil Quiniones leads ComEd, an Exelon company, which powers the lives of more than 4 million residential and business customers, or 70 percent of Illinois’ population. He oversees the management of the electric grid for Chicago and most of northern Illinois and ComEd’s partnerships with the diverse communities it serves. Before joining ComEd, Quiniones served more than a decade as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility.

Quiniones previously held several positions in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including senior vice president of energy and telecommunications. He started his career at Consolidated Edison, an electric and gas utility serving parts of southeastern New York and northern New Jersey, including New York City. Quiniones was named as the 2017 Smart Electric Power Alliance Power Player of the Year, an award that recognizes leaders in the front lines of energy transformation in the United States. He also received the Alex Radin Distinguished Service Award from the American Public Power Association. He currently serves as Chair of the GridWise Alliance, which focuses on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the U.S. economy. Quinones attended De La Salle University in the Philippines, where he received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.

Kari Steele

President Kari K. Steele was elected November 6, 2012 to her first term as a Commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and re-elected in 2018 for a second term. In January 2019 she was elected President of the Board of Commissioners and was re-elected in 2021 and 2023. President Steele currently serves as the Chairman for the Affirmative Action Committee and the Maintenance & Operations Committee. She also is the Vice Chairman of the Federal Legislation Committee and the Industrial Waste & Water Pollution Committee.

President Steele is a chemist, licensed real estate broker, an environmentalist and a community leader. She has more than 11 years of experience working as a chemist. She has worked at both the Jardine Water Purification Plant as a water chemist and the MWRD as a water sampler and lab technician. She is a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute of Leadership, the 8th Ward Women’s Auxiliary Council, the Sierra Club, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the 27th Ward Regular Democratic Organization. She was a 2014 Chicago Defender Woman of Excellence Honoree; 2014 Edgar Fellow; 2016 Graduate of the Metropolitan Leadership Institute and a recipient of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Freshwater Lab water award (2017). he has a Pre-med degree in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Naomi Davis

Naomi Davis is the founder and President of Blacks In Green (BIG™), an urban theorist, attorney, activist, and proud granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers. Her heritage forms the foundation for BIG’s course in Grannynomics™, the 8 Principles of Green Village Building ™, and The Sustainable Square Mile™, which Naomi authored and teaches nationally in lectures and workshops and at universities. Naomi serves as a bridge and catalyst among communities and their stakeholders in the design and development of green, self-sustaining, mixed-income, walkable villages within Black neighborhoods – so that every household can ultimately walk-to-work, walk-to-shop, walk-to-learn, walk-to-play – and neighbors’ dollars can circulate locally to limit the greenhouse gases overheating our planet. She conveys the risks of global warming; the health/wealth opportunities of the new green economy; the power of neighbors to lead in their city’s enviro-economic policy and practice; and the primacy of land ownership.

Naomi served on Governor Pritzker’s Transition Team – Powering Illinois’ Future; on Mayor Emanuel’s Transition Team for Energy, Environment, and Public Space; and was selected as a sustainability thought leader at Groupon’s First Annual Chicago Ideas Week. She is a respected community advocate for equitable development in the communities surrounding the Obama Presidential Center, and has lived and worked in West Woodlawn since 2010. She was born and raised in the walkable village of St. Albans, NY, and is a graduate of Woodmere Academy County Day School, Fisk University, and the John Marshall/University of Illinois Law School.

Kimberly Du Buclet

Kimberly Neely Du Buclet was elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners in November 2018. In January 2023, she was elected Vice President of the Board of Commissioners.  Vice President Du Buclet is Chairman of the Budget & Employment Committee, Federal Legislation Committee, and State Legislation & Rules Committee. She is Vice Chairman of the Engineering Committee, Pension, Human Resources & Civil Service Committee and the Procurement Committee. She is also a trustee for the MWRD Retirement Fund and in October 2021, the Board of Commissioners appointed her to the Public Building Commission.

In 2023, Vice President Du Buclet was appointed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to serve on its 24-member Local Government Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the MWRD Board, Vice President Du Buclet served as the Legislative and Community Affairs Director for the Chicago Park District. She previously served as Representative of the 26th District in the Illinois General Assembly. A Chicago native, Vice President Du Buclet attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School for high school and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She earned a Master’s in Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is also a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy
Board of Directors and is active in numerous community organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha, The Links, Inc., and The Girl Friends, Inc.

Darnell Johnson

Darnell Johnson is the CEO and President of Urban Efficiency Group, Illinois’ first native, minority-owned utility implementation and sustainability design firm. Darnell served in the United States Army for nine years and began his formal education at Central Texas College, majoring in Urban Planning, while on active duty. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelors in Theology and a minor in counseling. His industry specific credentials include but are not limited to: BPI- Building Analyst, Building Envelope, Infiltration Duct Leakage, Energy Auditor, Quality Control Inspector, Healthy Home Evaluator, RESNET Rater, EcoDistrict Accredited Professional, and DEI Certified Professional (Cornell University).

Darnell is a spiritual and sustainability architect, with over two decades of entrepreneurial, social science, and sustainability experience. His commitment to engineering solutions that humanizes sustainability for BIPOC communities and advancing energy equity is fundamental to all of his work. He and Urban Efficiency Group have assisted thousands of underserved residents across Northwest Indiana, the greater Chicagoland and Milwaukee Wisconsin reduce their energy burden by delivering energy efficiency and community sustainability services, while working toward carbon neutrality. He believes that diversity brings strength, inclusion is indicative of an acceptance that is essential to growth, and equity is a human right that should be embraced as the standard and not an exception.

Angela Tovar

Angela Tovar has worked as a community planner, program manager and climate and environmental justice advocate for over 15 years. In 2020, Angela was appointed as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Angela has committed to centering the City of Chicago’s climate and sustainability agenda on equity and mitigating environmental harm in Chicago’s most overburdened and underserved communities.

Angela began her career in the public sector in 2019 as a Program Manager for Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability, where she focused her efforts primarily on clean energy programming. Prior to that, Angela worked in the South Bronx for over a decade, first as the Director of Policy for Sustainable South Bronx and later as the Director of Community Development for the POINT CDC. In these roles, Angela oversaw community partnerships, advocacy and environmental justice efforts, and climate mitigation, including the development and implementation of a community-based climate resiliency plan known as The South Bronx Community Resiliency Agenda. Angela’s passion for social and environmental justice stems from her experience growing up on the industrial waterfront of Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Southeast side. She holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from the College of Charleston and a Masters in Urban Planning from City University of New York – Hunter College.

Karen Williams Weaver

Karen Williams Weaver is an American psychologist and politician who was the mayor of Flint, Michigan, from 2015 to 2019. She was the first female mayor of the city and the 5th African-American to hold the office. During her tenure as mayor, Weaver oversaw the city’s role in the recovery from the ongoing Flint water crisis, the most dominant issue during her mayoral tenure.

Shortly after taking office, she declared an emergency in the city due to the water crisis in the area. She also pushed for a similar declaration by state and federal authorities, which were granted by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on January 5, and President Barack Obama on January 16, 2016. On February 10, 2016, Weaver testified before the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on the water crisis. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Tougaloo College, a master’s degree from Long Island University, and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University.

Amy Heart

Amy Heart is Vice President of Public Policy with Sunrun. Sunrun is the nation’s leading provider of residential solar, battery storage and energy services, serving over 800,000 families in 20 states, including Illinois. Sunrun has invested in Illinois since 2017, creating hundreds of solar careers and offering solar solutions to thousands of households through the Adjustable Block Program and the low-income Illinois Solar for All program.

At Sunrun for over 8 years, Amy helps to lead its policy team across the country, developing policy to protect and expand access to home solar and battery solutions. With over 20 years in clean energy advocacy and policy, Amy develops strategic partnerships and localized solutions to increase access to, and leverage the benefits from, home solar and storage. Amy Heart received her law degree from Marquette University Law School, and undergraduate degree from University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

Amy Anne Ford

Amy Anne Ford is a Managing Partner at EMBLEM Strategies, LLC. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and policy expert, with a proven track record of success in working to build and grow corporations, non-profit associations, and stakeholder groups. Amy has developed extensive expertise in the complex arenas of economic development, project management and administration, health care management, education policy and water resources policy development and implementation.

She has been a strong water policy advocate in Oklahoma for over two decades, serving as the President of the Board of Directors for the Citizens for the Protection of the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer. Providing leadership on a number of local, statewide, and national water policy issues, Amy has been actively involved in the development and enactment of a number of key pieces of federal and state water policy legislation, as well as the promulgation of rules by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, and other state agencies with oversight of water policy implementation and enforcement.

Jim Johnston

Jim Johnston is Midwest Region Comprehensive Solutions Leader for Trane Technologies. Based in St. Louis, he develops, designs and constructs comprehensive energy-savings construction projects, focusing on water/wastewater treatment facilities, regional and rural health care and federal government. He is also responsible for contracting through guaranteed performance contracting and special financing vehicles to include EaaS. He is also a principal at Altaire Systems LLC.

He has 20 years of experience in heavy mechanical/electrical construction, with previous roles that include Director of Energy Services at EMCOR Services Mesa Energy Systems and Pacific Division Energy Specialist at Gexpro. Jim is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he was Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Naval Science Instructor, NATOPS Instructor, AGI and Crew Chief for CH-53E helicopters.

Lerry Knox

Lerry Knox is a globally-leading climate and energy finance expert that has led multiple large-scale public-private infrastructure operations for governments and has more than a decade of civic leadership supporting low-income and BIPOC communities in Chicago and internationally.

Lerry is founder and CEO of Unplugged Capital, a minority- and veteran-owned business that manages private investments and accelerate sustainable and resilient investments around the globe. He previously served as CEO of Hilco Innovation Partners, an asset management and investment company for energy, water, and data assets, and also established and led Hilco Global’s Governmental Solutions practice that specialized in liquidation of distressed governmental assets. From 2004-2012, Lerry combined his quantum engineering and financing expertise first as a statistical arbitrage trader then public finance investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Loop Capital Markets, where he financed more than $115 billion of infrastructure assets, and developed innovative financing solutions to assist municipalities to build new and replace/modernize power, water and sewer infrastructure. Lerry began his career as a research engineer at Argonne National Laboratory, where he earned a patent for his work to develop methods to sequester atmospheric greenhouse carbon in concrete materials and novel materials to ensure the safe disposal of low-level nuclear waste.

Dylan McAuliffe

Dylan McAuliffe is Director of Policy and New Markets for Solar Landscape. He follows legislative and regulatory developments across the country as a means to expand access to solar energy and workforce development opportunities in disadvantaged communities. Dylan has been with Solar Landscape for more than seven years and helped guide the company’s successful application process for the New Jersey Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. Solar Landscape is building more than 95 megawatts of community solar in New Jersey and Maryland across 93 different sites and will own and operate one of the nation’s largest clean energy portfolios specifically designated for low- and moderate-income households.

Prior to joining Solar Landscape, Dylan was an elementary school teacher and worked on political campaigns in New York City. Dylan has an undergraduate degree in Music Studies from William Paterson University. He is a member of the National Political Science Honor Society and the American Political Science Association.

Josh McClintock

Josh McClintock is a Managing Partner at EMBLEM Strategies, LLC, bringing to the firm over two decades of government, business, and non-profit expertise. He also serves as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Ground Water Association, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the association, and advocates on behalf of Oklahoma’s groundwater industry with Congress and the Oklahoma Legislature. Josh has developed extensive expertise in the complex arenas of strategic economic development, critical infrastructure procurement, project management and administration, and natural resources policy development and implementation.

Josh previously held the position of Director of External Affairs for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the primary agency in Oklahoma tasked with management and administration of the state’s water resources, where he was the primary point of contact with the Oklahoma Legislature, Oklahoma’s Congressional Delegation, and municipalities across the state. He also coordinated numerous community and industry outreach efforts of the OWRB and represented the agency on national and statewide water policy organizations.

Berjeray Morrison

Berjeray Morrison is Sunrun’s subject matter expert for Illinois Solar For All. She has courageously and passionately led the team through unchartered territory. Bejeray transitioned to the solar industry in 2019 after over a decade of service as an Educator and College Counselor in Chicago’s South Shore community. There, she impacted the high school’s college enrollment to its highest rate of 86% and college persistence to 72%.

Now, as a solar advocate, Bejeray brings her relentless pursuit of excellence to galvanize environmental justice communities in all of Illinois. Bejeray holds a certificate in Solar Photovoltaics from the North American Board of Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). She graduated as valedictorian of the Chicago Urban League’s Solar Photovoltaic Installer Technician Training Program through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). In her free time, Bejeray connects with nature as a member of the BIPOC Birdwatchers with the Chicago Audubon Society. You can find her cheering on the sideline as a proud mother of a Whitney Young Scholar/Athlete and this fall on WTTW’s The Most Beautiful Places In Chicago.

Nacole Morton

Nacole Morton is the Chief for Acquisition and Project Management Division for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the United States Department of Energy. She previously served as the Acting Corporate Services Director, Headquarters Procurement Services, and Procurement Division Branch Chief/Team Lead in support of IN, ED, EHHS,NE, OSBDU, LPO and other offices across the DOE complex.

Nacole is a true federal acquisition expert who’s held an unlimited Contracting Officer’s Warrant for several years.  Her work experiences include serving as an Acting Division Director and contracting officer within DOE’s Office of Procurement for over 13 years.  Within these roles, she has a proven record as a fierce leader and supervisor. Nacole executed efficient and effective federal contracts and financial assistance (grants and cooperative agreements) and supported at least 20 offices out of the 35 program offices across DOE for over a decade.

Ralph Muehleisen

Dr. Ralph T. Muehleisen is the Chief Building Scientist and the Buildings and Industrial Technologies Group Leader in Argonne’s Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis Division. He leads research to increase the energy efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency of the built environment while improving the quality of life and return on investment for citizens. His projects include building energy modeling standards development, urban science and engineering, stochastic building energy modeling, reduced order building energy modeling, risk analysis of building energy retrofits, Bayesian Calibration methods, agent based models for understanding adoption of retrofit technologies, smart building/smart grid integration, solar and storage assessment, and the development of new energy efficient and diagnostic technologies.

Dr. Muehleisen is the author of over 200 publications and presentations, and is a frequent invited speaker in the areas of urban science and engineering, building energy modeling, architectural acoustics and noise control.

Grace Rumford

Grace Rumford is Senior Director of Clean Energy Solutions for NextEra Energy, the world’s largest generator of renewable energy. In her role, Grace works with companies transitioning from fossil fuel to power as their primary source of energy, helping them to define the right mix of renewable energy options for their operations and then setting in motion the projects required.

Prior to NextEra, Grace worked for BP in London, developing the oil major’s low carbon strategy and implementing the subsequent corporate restructure. Grace now lives and works in downtown Chicago for NextEra. She has a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.

Michael Strong

Michael Strong is a partner and chair of the Energy Law group at the Chicago-based law firm of Fox, Swibel, Levin & Carroll, LLP.  Michael works with trade associations in the Energy sector to set the “rules of the game” before Illinois state agencies and works with individual energy companies on everything from compliance and product development to transactions.  Much of his work is with the solar industry with early-stage developers, long-term owner/operators, and service providers.

In addition to experience at national and international law firms and local firms, Michael was the first in-house general counsel for the Illinois Power Agency.  Michael graduated with a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Lindy Wordlaw

Lindy Wordlaw (she/her/hers) serves as the Chicago Recovery Plan Director for Climate and Environmental Justice Initiatives at the City of Chicago. In this role, she oversees a climate portfolio of projects funded by a historic $188 million dollar commitment, the largest one-time climate investment made by the City of Chicago that serves as a down payment for jumpstarting climate and environmental justice work in Chicago’s historically disadvantaged and under resourced communities. Ms. Wordlaw works in the Office of Climate and Environmental Equity and supports additional policy work related to climate, equity and environmental justice.

Prior to her work at City of Chicago, Ms. Wordlaw led the community planning team at Elevate, a Chicago-based nonprofit whose mission is to center equity in climate action and is an innovative partner in creating a just transition to more resilient cities, communities, and households. In this role, she led a team that facilitated climate planning, policy and stakeholder engagement work in Chicago, Evanston, Ann Arbor, Iowa City, Madison, and other municipalities, regional and states. Other work includes serving as an adjunct lecturer at University of Illinois – Chicago, initiating a neighborhood planning work at the City of Aurora (Illinois) and housing/community development work in Detroit.