Staff
Executive Office
Gary Gero
President
gary@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-1444 x 102
Gary Gero serves as the President of the Climate Action Reserve where he is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the organization’s policy and programs. This includes working to ensure the organization’s activities meet the highest standards for quality, transparency and environmental integrity.
Prior to joining the Climate Action Reserve, Gary managed the Green LA programs at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the nation. In that capacity, he redesigned and restarted the LADWP Solar Program and oversaw the tripling of Energy Efficiency programs, including creating targeted programs for low-income and small business customers. His role also included managing the distributed generation, advanced transportation, green power and tree planting programs.
Gary’s career includes nearly 20 years of work in local government, primarily in the City of Los Angeles where he served as Air Quality Director and subsequently Assistant General Manager for the Environmental Affairs Department. Gary developed and implemented numerous environmental policies and programs in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, energy and alternative fuel vehicles. His work for the City of Los Angeles has been recognized by the Los Angeles City Council.
A native of Los Angeles, Gary is a member of numerous environmental organizations and he has served as a Planning Commissioner in the City of Glendale where he promoted sustainable land use policies and affordable housing. Gary holds a Master of Science degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics in London, England and a pair of undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.
Business Development
Max DuBuisson
Business Development Manager
max@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 785-1233
Max focuses on the growth and development of the Climate Action Reserve. He serves as a resource for interested stakeholders, especially concerning methane capture projects. Max also represents the Reserve through conferences and presentations. Prior to joining the Reserve, he worked for Infinity Wind Power in Santa Barbara, as well as Pacific Gas & Electric in San Francisco. He received a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management from the Donald Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, where he focused on Eco-Entrepreneurship and Corporate Environmental Management. Originally from North Carolina, Max received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Davidson College.
Joel Levin
Vice President, Business Development
jlevin@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-6927
As the Climate Action Reserve’s Vice President of Business Development, Joel Levin is responsible for strategic development of the Reserve and has overseen its development from inception to its current status as the recognized environmental standard for carbon offset projects in the United States. He is the Reserve’s primary liaison to the business community and is a frequent and popular speaker on the Reserve’s programs and other climate change topics.
Joel has served as staff to the California Market Advisory Committee and the California Climate Action Team. Prior to working at the Reserve, Joel worked at Feeva Wireless in Berkeley and APX in Santa Clara. He has also served on the Capitol Hill staff of Senator Timothy E. Wirth (D-Colorado).
Joel is a member of the Sierra Club’s National Global Warming and Energy Committee and former chair of the Energy Committee in both the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles Chapters of the Sierra Club. In these roles, he has been active in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency as key elements in California’s energy future. Joel holds an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Marketing
Jennifer Weiss
Communications Director
jennifer@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-6934
As Communications Director for the Climate Action Reserve, Jennifer Weiss manages all marketing and communications activities for the Reserve and its three programs. This includes oversight of the websites, external communications, media relations, collateral materials and internal communications processes.
Jennifer brought a strong background in the energy industry to her position with the Reserve. She served as Marketing Director for an energy market data provider and worked in nearly all energy commodities, including carbon. Prior to that, she managed marketing and communications activities for JET-A.com, which created an online solution for managing the jet fuel supply chain from refinery gate to aircraft wing. Jennifer started her marketing career on the agency side doing business-to-business and business-to-consumer work for clients in aviation and air transportation, government services and consumer products. Throughout her career, the scope of her work has ranged from international to local, and she was worked with business, consumer, NGO and government audiences.
Scott Landes
Webmaster
scott@climateactionreserve.org
As master of all things web, Scott Landes brings the Climate Action Reserve to the forefront of web-related technology and design. Specifically, Scott oversees the development of all new websites using the most cutting edge technologies available through free and open source channels. He is also in charge of maintaining all current web sites, both physically and virtually.
Ever since Scott was a little boy, he had a fascination with computer-related technologies. He was one of the first lucky few who even used the internet, as his mother worked at Princeton when only universities were utilizing the then immerging technology. From there it was only a matter of time until he developed a passion for the web – where art meets programming meets design. He has been working within this technology since the dawn of the “web” era.
Prior to becoming the Reserve’s Webmaster, Scott embarked on a year-long tour with his band.
Rhey Lee
Communications Associate
rhey@climateactionreserve.org
As Communications Associate, Rhey works on communications pieces and marketing strategies for the Climate Action Reserve. She manages the Climate Action Reserve’s monthly newsletter and other listserv communications. She works with designers to develop and strengthen communications materials, including the collateral pieces, brochures, annual reports and certificates. Rhey contributes to the media and marketing strategy of the organization, and shares responsibility for drafting press releases, website content, and social marketing updates. Previously, she worked for the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal in Long Beach, California. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and Communications Studies.
Operations
Nicole Belle Isle
Office Manager
manager@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-1444 x100
As the Climate Action Reserve’s Office Administrator, Nicole Belle Isle answers the phones and performs a variety of tasks to keep the office running smoothly and efficiently.
Before joining the Reserve team, Nicole taught math for four years at Polytechnic School in Pasadena. She has several years of office management experience prior to that and has also dabbled in the fields of tech support, tractor driving and customer service. Her passion is the sport of ultimate frisbee, which she has played in Italy, Brazil and several of the U.S. states, including Hawaii and Alaska. Although this is her first job in an environmental organization, she has a longstanding personal commitment to conservation and waste reduction. Originally from the Boston area, Nicole received her Bachelor’s degree from Harvard in Linguistics and French Language and Literature. Since then she has continued her education in such diverse areas as auto mechanics, Spanish and Portuguese languages, biology, chemistry and physics; she eventually plans to become a civil engineer with a focus on conservation and water resources.
Gillian Calof
Operations Director
gillian@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0281
As the Director of Operations, Gillian Calof is responsible for overseeing all personnel, finance, information technology and legal operations of the Climate Action Reserve.
Gillian’s background is in nonprofit administration and environmental conservation. Prior to working at the Reserve, Gillian worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where she developed and managed ecosystem restoration programs, which included individual projects with a carbon offset focus. Her work included oversight of all financial and programmatic aspects of project development and implementation, including agency and partner relations, overseeing administrative staff, tracking complex financial information and negotiating contracts, scopes of work and budgets. Gillian earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Geography from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada and is a graduate of the Master of Nonprofit Administration program at the University of San Francisco.
Marta Escobar
Controller
marta@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0289
Marta Escobar serves as the Controller for the Climate Action Reserve. With 25 years of work experience, her strengths are primarily concentrated in financial management, operations, contracts and grant compliance.
Marta’s previous experience was at Barrio Action Youth & Family Center, a private nonprofit agency providing human and social services to at-risk and high-risk youth and their families in the Northeast area of Los Angeles. She executed and directed the Center’s day-to-day operations, managed employee relations and practices and coordinated employee health and company benefits. Prior to that, she worked as a Controller for a manufacturing company managing a gross income of over five million dollars in Temple City, California.
Kristen Howa
Accounting Associate
kristen@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-6932
Kristen Howa serves as the Accounting Associate for the Reserve. Her primary accounting responsibilities include: accounts payable, accounts receivable, account reconciliation and assisting the financial manager in the annual audit and tax filing.
Kristen’s background is in Social Gerontology and prior to working at the Reserve, Kristen worked for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) where she managed the business office for three facilities. Her work included being a liaison for the Board of Directors and Facility Administrations. She also worked closely with facility staff to provide the best care possible for residents. This included establishing social networks for residents with different needs, managing residents’ personal funds and coordinating events for family members. Prior to moving to California, Kristen lived in Utah. Kristen received her Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Sociology from the College of Saint Benedict/St. John’s University in Minnesota.
Stephanie L. Schwartz
Administrative Assistant
stephanie@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 785-1234
Stephanie Schwartz serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Climate Action Reserve. In addition to assisting all staff with various operations and administrative tasks, Stephanie is responsible for coordinating staff timesheets, reimbursements, and expenses.
Stephanie brings 20+ years of work experience as an administrative professional. She learned her considerable typing and filing skills at such varied companies as Ernst & Young, Duckett-Wilson Development, and Sunkist Growers, Inc. When not serving the Reserve, Stephanie can be found leading hikes for her local Sierra Club group, attending classes at Santa Monica College or dreaming of going to Argentina.
Policy
Derik Broekhoff
Vice President, Policy
derik@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0299
Derik Broekhoff is Vice President for Policy at the Climate Action Reserve, where he is responsible for managing the policy development staff and overseeing the development of protocols for quantifying and registering greenhouse gas reductions from carbon offset projects. He also manages the development of climate change policies and programs for the Reserve, including assisting the Reserve’s efforts to support the State of California in the implementation of AB 32, the state’s far-reaching global warming law.
Before coming to the Reserve, Derik was a Senior Associate at the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington, DC where he led work on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative, which is an internationally recognized standard for greenhouse gas emissions accounting, and managed WRI’s work on the design of greenhouse gas emissions trading programs, registry systems and standards for carbon offsets. He is a primary author of the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol for Project Accounting, has advised numerous regulatory and voluntary programs on the development of carbon offset policies and standards and has testified twice before Congress on carbon offset regulation and standard development.
Prior to joining WRI, Derik worked for eight years in the fields of energy and climate change consulting, including five years with Trexler Climate + Energy Services, Inc. in Portland, Oregon, where he developed financial and economic analytical tools for carbon market forecasting, risk management, project evaluation and business strategy development for a wide range of private and public sector clients. Derik holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University.
Kathryn Bickel Goldman
Senior Policy Manager
kathryn@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 213 1239
As a Senior Policy Manager for the Climate Action Reserve, Kathryn Bickel Goldman leads the development of new offset protocols and represents the Reserve in agriculture and forestry sector offset initiatives.
Kathryn is an international expert in forest and agriculture GHG accounting. She has evaluated GHG methodology options, developed fundamental policy approaches, and written specific GHG accounting methodologies for national, organizational, and offset project GHG reporting. Most recently, as an independent consultant, Kathryn developed offset protocols for the Reserve and entity-level GHG accounting curriculum for the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute.
Kathryn also facilitated agriculture and forestry GHG policy planning in several U.S. states and helped develop state-level GHG inventories for these sectors. Previously, she worked for both the Global Change Program Office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Climate Change Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As a civil servant, Kathryn authored multiple IPCC methodology reports, edited the first U.S. Agriculture and Forestry GHG Inventory, helped prepare the annual U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, and worked on revising the GHG accounting methods for the Department of Energy’s 1605b program.
Tim Kidman
Policy Manager
Tim@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0295
As a Policy Manager, Tim Kidman assists in all phases of emissions reduction project protocol development. This includes initial scoping, research and development of rigorous high-quality standards and ensuring that the Reserve’s protocols are periodically updated to reflect the best available science.
Prior to coming to the Reserve, Tim worked as a Coastal and Marine Policy Advisor at The Nature Conservancy in New York, spent time in the Environmental Coordination Office at Toyota Motor Sales and conducted sea turtle research in Mexico. Tim recently received a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara’s Donald Bren School where his broad academic pursuits included the use of life cycle assessment as a decision support tool, the economics of dedicated access fisheries and climate science and policy. He received his Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University.
Nancy Kong
Policy Associate
nkong@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0286
As Policy Associate at the Reserve, Nancy Kong assists in all phases of protocol development and implementation for GHG emissions reduction projects. This includes protocol scoping, research and development, project submittal review, and contributing to periodic updates of the Reserve’s project protocols to reflect current policy and best available science.
Previously, Nancy was Legal Counsel for EcoSecurities Ltd. in New York and Oxford, where she worked on the development and transactions of CDM and voluntary carbon offset projects in Southeast Asia, China and Brazil. Before that, Nancy worked at the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) developing a situation analysis report on the state of environmental law and regulations in China. She also served as a Research Associate at the IMD International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland. Nancy received her Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and her JD from Pace Law School. She is admitted to practice law in the state of New York.
Syd Partridge
Policy Manager
syd@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0294
As a Policy Manager for the Reserve, Syd Partridge is responsible for assisting with the development of new emissions reduction project protocols and with the maintenance of existing protocols.
Syd’s background is in physics and interdisciplinary climate studies. He has held internships with Los Alamos National Laboratory, as well as The Earth Institute at Columbia University. While at Columbia, Syd contributed to research projects at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) on topics of long term regional flood prediction under climate uncertainty and malaria risk mitigation in Sri Lanka. While at Columbia, Syd contributed to a Climate Change Gap Analysis research project for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he helped provide feedback to the UNDP regarding the organization’s role in combating climate change. Syd received his Bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from the University of New Mexico and is a graduate of Columbia University’s Masters Program in Climate & Society.
Heather Raven
Policy Coordinator
heather@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0282
As a Policy Coordinator, Heather Raven maintains existing protocols, supports the development of new protocols, and coordinates policy activities alongside the Reserve program. Her experience includes internships at Environment Canada in the Air Quality Sciences division, the Global Roundtable on Climate Change with the Earth Institute at Columbia University and, most recently, at First Environment, Inc. in the consulting field. Through her experience at Columbia and during her recent internships, Heather has learned to bridge the climate change gap between science and social science. Originally from Alberta, Canada, Heather completed a Bachelor of Science with specialization in Atmospheric Science from the University of Alberta and a Master of Arts in Climate & Society from Columbia University. Her background and interests lie in weather, climate and climate change.
Rachel Tornek
Senior Policy Manager
rachel@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-6930
As Senior Policy Manager, Rachel Tornek develops GHG offset standards for the Reserve and plays a leading role in managing its offset registration program. Rachel also represents the Reserve with a variety of stakeholder groups to help advance climate policy that supports and ensures the environmental integrity of offsets. She has worked in the field of greenhouse gas accounting for over 5 years.
Rachel was previously the Manager of Member Services for the California Climate Action Registry, where she managed the technical support and training programs that helped member organizations successfully develop and verify GHG emissions inventories.
Prior to joining the Reserve, Rachel worked on environmental issues with Toyota Motor Sales, the Climate Change and Wildlife campaign at the National Wildlife Federation and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. She has a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from UC San Diego and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara.
Programs
Peter Browning
Program Associate
Peter@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0297
As a Program Assistant for the California Registry, Peter Browning is responsible for a wide range of member support services to assist members in compiling their GHG inventories.
Peter is a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz, where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Natural Resource Management. He interned at the California Coastal Commission, helping track coastal resource issues. An active member of the UCSC’s environmental community, Peter served on the campus’ Sustainability Council, securing funding for important environmental initiatives such as the purchase of renewable energy and the recycling program. His interests include climate, energy and forestry policy.
Joy Cernac
Program Assistant
joy@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 891-1444 x115
Joy Cernac is a Program Assistant for the California Registry, assisting Members with reporting their greenhouse gas emissions, processing new members and administering the Climate Action Reserve offsets program.
Joy has worked for many environmental nonprofits, businesses and start-up companies specializing in a variety of fields, including air quality management, land conservation, green building and biofuels. Most recently, Joy served as General Manager at Conserv Fuel, where she acquired a substantial California Air Resources Board grant for developing a waste-beverage ethanol distribution operation. Also a long-time advocate of climate change mitigation, Joy campaigned for AB32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. Joy created Louisville, Kentucky’s hazardous air pollutant electronic archives and wrote the Personal Climate Action List for the book, “Antarctica: The Global Warning.” She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.
Kristen Garcia
Program Manager
kgarcia@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0288
As Administrator of the Climate Action Reserve, Kristen Garcia manages the program’s day-to-day activities, including administration of accounts and activities. Her background is in environmental consulting, performing CEQA-based environmental impact assessments for projects throughout California, including major mixed-use developments and large-scale residential developments. She has an in-depth understanding of project-level air quality impact analysis. Kristen completed her Bachelor’s degree in health science with a concentration in community health at Cal State Dominguez Hills and is currently pursing her Master’s degree at Cal State Fullerton in physical geography. Her research interests include greenhouse gas emissions management, climate change analysis and environmental policy.
Sarah Stanner-Cranston
Program Director
sarah@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542-0293
As Program Manager for the Reserve, Sarah Stanner-Cranston deals with emissions reduction projects under the Climate Action Reserve and verification and reporting for entity level emissions inventories to the California Registry. She provides technical assistance to help both members and project developers successfully report and verify. She manages accreditation and training for Verification Bodies and acts as a resource on a wide range of climate issues, including project protocols and industry-specific protocols.
Prior to joining the Reserve, Sarah worked in Sydney, Australia as an Analyst for IPART, the State Government economic and prudential regulator that administers the NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme, one of the world’s first mandatory carbon-based trading schemes. There Sarah managed compliance with the participants in the Scheme to ensure that all reduction targets and liabilities were met. She also maintained and managed the compliance section of the GHG Registry for certificate surrenders and emission offsets within NSW. In addition, she has experience with emissions reductions protocols, low emissions intensity generation and renewable energy projects. Sarah received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at San Diego State University. She is also a member of several environmental and political organizations promoting environmental sustainability through economic action.
Robert Youngs
Program Assistant
robert@climateactionreserve.org
(213) 542 0290
As a Program Assistant with the Climate Action Reserve, Robert Youngs provides program support to project developers and verification bodies. Robert assists with reviewing and processing project submittals, provides policy interpretation and methodology clarification to account holders, and assists with the Reserve’s expansion of GHG reduction protocols and projects in Mexico.
Robert has worked with environmental issues in a variety of capacities, including campaigning to pass initiatives with Environment Washington. As an intern with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Robert assisted with coordinating and drafting Environmental Assessments for infrastructure projects. Before joining the Reserve, Robert lived abroad in Latin America where he worked with a solar oven/carbon offset NGO in Bolivia and performed translation work in Central America and the Amazon basin. His interests include geography, human-environment relations, and responses to climate change in the developing world. Robert graduated from Willamette University with Bachelors Degrees in Environmental Science and Spanish.
