Board of Directors

For dates of upcoming Meetings of the Board of Directors, click here.
For our Governing Documents, click here.

Linda Adams, Chair
Former Secretary for Environmental Protection
California Environmental Protection Agency
Founding President
R20

Peter M. Miller, Secretary
Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, CA

Jeffrey Kightlinger, Treasurer
General Manager
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Jan Schori, Audit Committee Chair
Retired General Manager
Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Randy Armstrong
Environmental Issues Director
Shell Oil Company

Dr. Francisco Barnes
President
National Institute of Ecology (INE), Mexico

Steve Corneli
Senior Vice President, Market and Climate Policy
NRG Energy

Cynthia Cory
Director, Environmental Affairs
California Farm Bureau Federation

Peter Liu
Founder & Vice Chairman
New Resource Bank

James Mack
Head of the British Columbia Climate Action Secretariat
Ministry of Environment

Nancy McFadden
Executive Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and Policy
Office of the Governor
State of California

Betsy Moler
Retired Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy
Exelon Corporation
Former Chair
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Tim Profeta
Director, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Senior Associate Dean
Duke University

Dr. Stephan Schwartzman
Director, Tropical Forest Policy
Environmental Defense Fund

Biographies

Linda AdamsLinda Adams, Chair
Former Secretary for Environmental Protection
California Environmental Protection Agency
Founding President
R20

Linda Adams, former director of the California Department of Water Resources, was appointed in May 2006 as Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. Adams oversees the environmental activities of the Air Resources Board, California Integrated Waste Management Board, State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the approximately 5,000 employees that serve the state’s diverse environmental programs. Secretary Adams is the lead negotiator on AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.

During Ms. Adams’ 32 years of service to the State of California, she has acted in a number of key positions in both the Executive and Legislative branches. Ms. Adams joined Governor Davis’ staff in 1999 as Chief Deputy Legislative Secretary, where her primary responsibilities were negotiating legislation related to environmental protection and natural resources. After being promoted to Legislative Secretary, where she served as the Governor’s chief liaison to the Legislature, Ms. Adams retained her resources and environmental protection issues, while overseeing all legislative activities.

Previously, Ms. Adams served as a staff member to the State Legislature for 20 years in various positions. She served as chief consultant to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, chaired by Senator Jim Costa. For the State Assembly, she served as a consultant to the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife and the Committee on Local Government.

Peter MillerPeter M. Miller, Secretary
Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, CA

Born and raised in California, Peter Miller obtained his Physics degree from Reed College and Master’s degree from Dartmouth College. He has worked on energy and environmental policy for nearly 25 years.







Jeffrey KightlingerJeffrey Kightlinger, Treasurer
General Manager
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Jeffrey Kightlinger is General Manager and Chief Executive Officer for The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. As General Manager, he is responsible for directing the activities of the District to fulfill Metropolitan’s mission of delivering high-quality water to 19 million residents in Southern California. The General Manager reports directly to the Board of Directors and provides leadership and management of the District’s public policies and strategic initiatives, assets and resources, and all administrative, operational and financial activities for Metropolitan. Prior to his appointment in 2006 as General Manager, he was General Counsel for the District directing the legal affairs of Metropolitan. Before joining Metropolitan in 1995, Mr. Kightlinger was in private legal practice representing a number of public agencies on environmental issues. He is a Governor’s appointee to California’s Bay Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force – Stakeholders Committee and a board member on the UCLA Continuing Education Sustainability Advisory Board, among other activities. Mr. Kightlinger earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Jan SchoriJan Schori, Audit Committee Chair
Retired General Manager
Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Jan Schori became General Manager of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in February 1994 after working as an attorney and general counsel for the utility, where she joined in 1979. She is vice chair of the American Public Power Association and is chair of the Large Public Power Council. Ms. Schori is a former president and a current board member of the National Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the California Municipal Utilities Association. A native Sacramentan, Ms. Schori earned her BA in political science from UC Berkeley and graduated from the UC Davis Martin Luther King School of Law specializing in environmental law.

Randy Armstrong
Environmental Issues Director
Shell Oil Company

James Randolph (Randy) Armstrong, Jr., Environmental Issues Director for Shell Oil Company, began his career with Shell in 1975. Mr. Armstrong has over 30 years environmental experience and has held various technical assignments in operations, engineering, health, safety and environmental. Mr. Armstrong has compliance and engineering experience in air, water and waste. He has been involved in environmental issues ranging from the Great Lake’s Basin study in the mid 70’s to his present role of coordinating Shell’s US activities on Climate Change. Past activities have included hazardous waste incinerator testing, biotreater design, groundwater recovery activities, landfill operations, and the implementation of Clean Air Act requirements. Mr. Armstrong is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University with a BS in Chemical Engineering. Randy is married, has two sons and resides in Kingwood, Texas.

Francisco Barnes Regueiro, Ph.D.Francisco Barnes Regueiro, Ph.D.
President
National Institute of Ecology, Government of Mexico

Dr. Francisco Barnes is a Chemical Engineer from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). He earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997 and doctorate in energy and environmental policy from Imperial College, London University in 2001.

Dr. Barnes was a partner at McKinsey & Company where he served as a consultant from 2001 until his appointment to serve as the President of the National Institute of Ecology in February 2011. Throughout his career at McKinsey, Dr. Barnes was been part of the company’s global leadership in sustainability and energy practices advising governments, NGOs and private and public sector companies throughout Latin America in the areas of energy, climate change (mitigation and adaptation), water, oil, and other key issues.

As a consultant, he specialized in developing strategies for low‐carbon growth, adaptation to climate change, energy and other sustainable development issues, such as water pollution and solid waste. He has also served as a visiting professor at Boston University and participated in multiple international forums on environmental and energy policy. Dr. Barnes has received numerous awards for his academic work and is a published author with several articles in magazines .

Steve CorneliSteve Corneli
Senior Vice President, Market and Climate Policy
NRG Energy

Steve Corneli is NRG Energy’s Senior Vice President, Market and Climate Policy. He is responsible for developing and advocating Company positions regarding climate change policy, and for integrating emerging climate policies with NRG’s commercial, power development, and energy market activities. He is active in the United States Climate Action Partnership and works directly with Congress and others to develop and pass national climate change legislation. Mr. Corneli previously served as NRG’s Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs and as its Director of Regulatory Policy.

Prior to joining NRG, Mr. Corneli served in the Minnesota Attorney General’s office as an energy policy analyst and then as the manager of the office’s utility consumer advocate division. He then worked at the law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard on behalf of utility and independent power producer clients, and was an adjunct faculty member of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Earlier in his career, he operated a 600 acre family farm in Wisconsin for more than a decade.

Mr. Corneli has a master’s degree in public affairs from the Humphrey Institute with a concentration in energy, environment and technology policy. He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College and did coursework in the University of Minnesota’s doctoral program in Applied Economics.

board_cynthia_cory
Cynthia Cory
Director, Environmental Affairs
California Farm Bureau Federation

Cynthia L. Cory is the Director of Environmental Affairs for the California Farm Bureau Federation. She has worked on a wide variety of state and national agricultural issues for the Farm Bureau over the past twenty-one years. Her current focus is air quality and climate change but she also works on biotechnology and invasive species/pest prevention, eradication and control issues. Previously, she worked for several private and public organizations over a ten-year period on short and long-term agronomic research projects throughout Africa. Ms. Cory has a M.S. in International Agricultural Development (emphasis Agronomy/Genetics) and a B.S. in Agronomy.

Peter LiuPeter Liu
Founder & Vice Chairman
New Resource Bank

Peter Liu founded the New Resource Bank after nearly two decades of experience in the banking and energy industries. Mr. Liu had been a Senior Vice President and Vice President, respectively, of Credit Suisse First Boston and the Chase Manhattan Bank, where he completed $6 billion in financing transactions as well as provided corporate and strategic advisory planning. He has been a private investor and strategic advisor to several clean energy technology companies and currently serves on the Clean Technology Investment Advisory Boards of the California Public Employees Retirement System and the California Teachers’ Retirement System, respectively the largest and the 3rd largest pension funds in the United States. He is the co-founder and Vice-Chair of the China-US Energy Efficiency Alliance and serves on the board of the Roots of Change Fund.

James MackJames Mack
Head of the British Columbia Climate Action Secretariat
Ministry of Environment

James Mack is the Head of the BC Climate Action Secretariat in the Ministry of Environment. The Secretariat leads change to achieve the Province of British Columbia’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and is comprised of a strong team of committed and knowledgeable people with expertise in key areas of climate action including: carbon neutral operations, transportation and energy policy, research, and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining the Secretariat, Mr. Mack worked in Ottawa for the Government of Canada on a variety of environmental, social and economic development issues. This has included work at the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, the Privy Council Office, and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Nancy McfaddenNancy McFadden
Executive Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and Policy
Office of the Governor
State of California

Nancy McFadden is Executive Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and Policy in the Office of California Governor Jerry Brown.  Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for PG&E Corporation where she was responsible for managing the company’s federal, state and local government relations, and philanthropic and community initiatives, while helping guide its efforts to be a national environmental leader. Before joining PG&E, Ms. McFadden spent nearly two decades as a key legal, policy, and political strategist in Washington, DC and Sacramento, most recently as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to Governor Gray Davis. Prior to working in Sacramento, Ms. McFadden served for eight years in the Clinton Administration as deputy chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore and general counsel for the US Department of Transportation. Ms. McFadden started her career practicing law with the firm of O’Melveny and Myers. Ms. McFadden has been appointed by the California State Senate and two governors to serve on the California Medical Assistance Commission. Ms. McFadden has a JD from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts and the Women’s Foundation of California.

Betsy MolerBetsy Moler
Retired Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy
Exelon Corporation
Former Chair
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Betsy Moler recently retired from Exelon Corporation where she served as Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy. She headed the company’s Washington, DC office for 10+ years. She joined Exelon (formerly Unicom) in January, 2000. During 1999 she was a partner in the law firm of Vinson & Elkins and a member of the Unicom Board of Directors. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Schlumberger Limited, the world’s leading oil field service company.

Ms. Moler is a nationally recognized energy policy expert, with particular emphasis on electricity markets, transmission policy, and climate change. She was responsible for all aspects of Exelon’s federal government affairs initiatives. She led Exelon’s team on climate change policy issues.

Ms. Moler had a long career in government service. She was a staff member on Capitol Hill for 20 years. She served as Senior Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 1976 to 1988 under Senators Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson and J. Bennett Johnston.

She was appointed by three different Presidents (Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 1988-1997. In 1993, President Clinton designated her as Chair of the Commission. Under her leadership FERC adopted a landmark initiative (Order Nos. 888 and 889) to require utilities to open their transmission lines on an equal access basis to their competitors, paving the way for robust wholesale competitive electricity markets.

In June 1997 she was appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). At DOE she served as the Chief Operating Officer. As COO she managed the day-to-day operation of a $16 billion budget with more than 10,000 federal employees and over 100,000 contract employees.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from American University in Washington, DC, and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University, also in Washington. She is married to Thomas B. Williams, and has two children, Blake and Eleanor Williams, who are both college students.

board_tim-profetaTim Profeta
Director, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Senior Associate Dean
Duke University

Tim Profeta came to Duke on June 1, 2005, as founding director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Prior to his arrival, he served as Counsel for the Environment to Senator Joseph Lieberman. As Lieberman’s counsel, Mr. Profeta was a principal architect of the Lieberman-McCain Climate Stewardship Act of 2003. He also represented Lieberman in legislative negotiations pertaining to environmental and energy issues, as well as coordinating the senator’s energy and environmental portfolio during his runs for national office. Mr. Profeta has served as a visiting lecturer at Duke Law School, where he taught a weekly seminar on the evolution of environmental law and the Endangered Species Act. Before joining Lieberman’s staff, he was a law clerk for Judge Paul L. Friedman, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Dr. Stephan Schwartzman
Director, Tropical Forest Policy
Environmental Defense Fund

Anthropologist Steve Schwartzman lived with the Panará tribe in Mato Grosso, Brazil for a year and a half in the early 1980s and learned their unwritten language. He subsequently defended his PhD thesis on the group at the University of Chicago. Dr. Schwartzman worked closely with the emerging Amazon rubber tappers’ movement in the western Amazon starting in 1985, and twice brought rubber tapper leader Chico Mendes to the United States. Since 1991, Dr. Schwartzman has worked with the Panará people, and NGO partner the Instituto Socioambiental, to help the Panará in their successful effort to recover 495,000 hectares of their traditional territory and ensure its legal recognition and protection.

Since 2002, Dr. Schwartzman has worked with grassroots groups and NGOs for the creation of a reserve mosaic in the Terra do Meio region of the Amazon state of Pará. Between 2004 and 2008 the Brazilian government, in response to civil society advocacy, created ~8 million ha. of new parks and extractive reserves in the lawless frontier region. This established a continuous corridor of indigenous lands and conservation units of 26 million ha. in the Xingu river basin, the largest tropical forest reserves corridor in the world. Dr. Schwartzman leads EDF’s work with a consortium of Brazilian NGOs, grassroots organizations, government agencies and indigenous and traditional communities to implement and protect the reserves.

Dr. Schwartzman also initiated EDF’s efforts to create large-scale incentives for tropical countries to reduce their deforestation through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in the emerging US emissions control regime, with Brazilian and other international partners. He leads EDF’s international work on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries.