2026 Conference Speakers

Tom Toro

New Yorker Cartoonist, Cover Artist, and Award-Winning Children's Book Creator

Tom Toro is an acclaimed New Yorker cartoonist, cover artist, and award-winning children's book creator. His books include And to Think We Started as a Book Club... (Andrews McMeel), Crocodiles Need Friends, Too! (Little, Brown), A User's Guide to Democracy (Celadon), How to Potty Train Your Porcupine (Little, Brown), I'm Terrified of Bath Time and Back to School, Backpack! in collaboration with Simon Rich (Little, Brown). He draws a weekly cartoon for the Yale Climate Connections newsletter as well as drawing the comic Substack Undiscovered Masterpieces. Tom was a finalist for the 2019 and 2022 Reuben Awards for gag cartoonist of the year. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family, which somehow includes too many cats.

Senator Mike Barrett

Mike Barrett is an elected member of the State Senate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He serves as Senate Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy -- effectively, the Legislature's climate committee. Since 2018, Mike's been the chief architect of three major bills that position Massachusetts in the top rank of states responding to the climate crisis. The most recent of these, An Act Promoting A Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity and Protecting Ratepayers, eases the construction of electric power infrastructure, limits the construction of natural gas infrastructure, clears the way for installing EV chargers, promotes offshore wind, solar and battery storage projects, and does several dozen other things. The Act was signed by Gov. Maura Healey in 2024.

Mike is married, lives in Lexington, MA, and is the father of twin daughters.

Reverend Mariama White-Hammond

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond is a Boston-based faith leader, organizer, and environmental justice advocate whose work bridges climate action, equity, and spiritual leadership. She began her activism as a teenager with Project HIP-HOP, later serving as its Executive Director for 13 years. In 2017, she earned a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology, was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and founded New Roots AME Church in Dorchester, where she serves as pastor. In 2021, Rev. Mariama was appointed Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the City of Boston. In this role, she led climate and energy policy while advancing food justice, historic preservation, and equitable access to open space. Her work embedded environmental justice into city policy, including strengthening building emissions standards and launching green jobs initiatives for youth from environmental justice communities. She stepped down in 2024 to focus on her ministry and broader civic and ecological leadership. Her approach to climate work is deeply intersectional, connecting environmental issues to economic justice, immigration, and community empowerment. Rev. Mariama has received numerous honors, including the Barr Fellowship, the Boston NAACP Image Award, and recognition as a Grist 50 Fixer.

David S. Miller, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Clean Energy Ventures (CEV)

An investor and advisor for companies at the intersection of technology and sustainability, David Miller brings over thirty years of technology startup management experience and over twenty-five years of seed stage investing experience to Clean Energy Ventures as a founding partner. Previously, David was the founder and Executive Managing Director of the Clean Energy Venture Group. Prior to that, he was a Director in the New Ventures Group at Lucent Technologies, and founder and CEO of Quantum Telecom Solutions. David has been on the board of directors and has advised numerous climate tech companies. He is an Advisory Board Member of the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, where he also has an appointment as Senior Lecturer, and previously taught in the electrical engineering department at Rutgers University. He completed his doctorate at MIT where he developed the model underpinning the CleanStart clean energy startup simulator,and runs workshops utilizing CleanStart as well as the En-ROADS climate change solutions simulator.

Larry Chretien

Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony

Meera Subramanian

Award Winning Freelance Journalist

Meera Subramanian is an award-winning freelance journalist who writes narrative nonfiction about home in the personal and planetary sense, in a time of climate reckoning. Her work has appeared in publications such as Nature, The New York Times, The NewYorker.com, Virginia Quarterly Review, and Orion, where she is a contributing editor. She is the co-author with Danica Novgorodoff of A Better World Is Possible: Global Youth Confront the Climate Crisis, a nonfiction YA graphic novel (Macmillan spring 2026) and author of A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis (PublicAffairs 2015), which was short-listed for the Orion Book Award. She also teaches creative nonfiction at the Sewanee School of Letters MFA program in Tennessee. A National Geographic Explorer and recipient of multiple grants, fellowships and residencies, she is a perpetual wanderer who can't stop digging in the dirt to plant perennials and looking up in search of birds from her home base atop the glacial moraine known as Cape Cod on the Atlantic's western edge. You can find her at www.meerasub.org.

Andrea Becerra

Andrea Becerra is the Sustainability Director for the Town of Acton, where she leads the Town’s first sustainability program. Since 2021, with support from volunteer groups and our Select Board, the Sustainability Office has developed the Town’s first Climate Action Plan, secured over $3.5 million in grant funding to advance clean energy, climate resilience, and building decarbonization, and was designated a Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Climate Leader Community. Prior to Acton, Andrea worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council on federal and international climate and water policy. She holds a master’s degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she focused on environmental policy and water resource management. Andrea is Chilean-American and when she’s not at work she’s chasing her 3.5-year-old and 15-month-old, Diego and Adrian.

Dean Berg

In 2016, after spending 20+ years in the software industry, Dean made a personal decision to shift his focus to sustainability. Specifically, he wanted to focus on inspiring people to take action—showing them how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. After studying a variety of residential engagement models and approaches, Dean and team developed the core of the Green Community Catalysts model that we have today. In 2020, Dean led two fairly significant citizen engagement projects.  One was the development of a 4 year, 5M Euro, 14 member team EU Green Deal proposal to pilot citizen engagement across 6 diverse cities and regions in Europe and the second was a 4 town, residential engagement sustainability program located in the Upper Valley of NH/VT. In 2021, Dean was asked to deploy the model in his hometown, Beverly MA, and has led to what Green Beverly has become today.
Dean believes that taking a systems based approach to residential sustainability engages the broadest spectrum of individuals and yields the greatest impact. Dean also believes that it's not only important but critical to engage the community in an equitable and inclusive manner. We can not solve this climate crisis with 10% of the population, it requires 100% of the population.
In addition to spending time with family and friends, Dean enjoys working on their 1888 home, staying in shape at the local CrossFit, and periodically exploring the underwater world with some scuba diving friends.

Scott Bernstein

Rachael Boyce

A queer feminist and Maryland transplant, Rachael relocated to Massachusetts to work as a pastry chef. Working in the hospitality industry for 12 years gave her the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the vibrant immigrant community that now call the Northeast home. It was specifically working with undocumented communities navigating exclusionary immigration policies that she was inspired to pursue graduate work focused on grassroots organizing and proactive policy solutions that prioritize community resilience. Her research and activism has focused on the intersectional impact of the housing and climate crises on Massachusetts communities. In 2023, she joined the Better Future Project to support their CREW resilience hub program and to co-lead the Make Polluters Pay campaign. A systems-focused thinker, Rachael believes in the power of collaboration to address the intersectional impact of mounting crises including but not limited to housing insecurity, climate change, and energy burden.

Miranda Braganini

Miranda Braganini is a sophomore student at Bentley University majoring in Management and Marketing. Originally from Lima, Peru, she brings an international perspective to her academic and creative work. This semester, she is taking Creative Writing: Climate Fiction, where she explores how storytelling can influence the way people understand climate change and imagine meaningful action. She is especially interested in how narrative shapes awareness, responsibility, and the connection between environmental systems and everyday life.

Jaelyn Carr

Jaelyn Carr is a graduate student at Boston University pursuing a Master of Science in Energy and Environment alongside a BA in Environmental Policy and Analysis. Her work focuses on energy equity, climate justice, and community-based climate action across Boston and Massachusetts. Raised in post-Katrina New Orleans, Jaelyn’s commitment to climate justice was shaped by early experiences with environmental inequity and community-led resilience. She has supported outreach, data analysis, and policy research with organizations including the City of Boston’s BERDO program, the EPA Brownfields Program, and Mystic River Watershed Association, working with municipalities and nonprofits to advance local climate and environmental justice initiatives. She is especially interested in supporting youth leadership in climate advocacy by reducing barriers and translating policy into practical tools for communities.

Melanie Coen

Melanie Coen is a Principal Program Strategy Analyst at National Grid focusing on Massachusetts residential energy efficiency programs. She is also the current co-chair of the Mass Save Residential Management Committee that coordinates program planning and implementation for the residential and income eligible energy efficiency programs. Ms. Coen began her career at National Grid working as an Energy Efficiency Policy and Evaluation Analyst, spearheading regulatory reporting and planning in addition to program evaluation. Ms. Coen eventually transitioned into a program strategy role, focusing largely on residential heating and cooling programs in Massachusetts. As electrification became a larger part of the Mass Save portfolio, Ms. Coen became an expert in this field. Ms. Coen earned a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Zana Cranmer

Zana Cranmer is a faculty member at Bentley University. She teaches business students about energy efficiency and renewable energy, decision making, and carbon accounting. Zana and her students have partnered with more than ten communities to complete greenhouse gas inventories as service learning projects. She is collaborating with the Clean Energy Extension to develop an online energy and emissions tool for tracking progress on climate action at the local level.

Riddhima Dave

Riddhima Dave is the Community Engagement Program Associate at All In Energy and works directly with Mass Save's Community First Partnership. Riddhima has a background in communications, energy equity, and environmental justice and is excited to lead another panel at MassEnergize.

Gillian Davies

Gillian Davies is a senior wetlands and soil scientist who provides scientific and regulatory consulting to public and private sector clients, as well as expert witness testimony. Her consulting expertise encompasses state and federal permitting, wetland delineation, impact analysis, mitigation planning and design, difficult wetland soils evaluations, vernal pool evaluations, construction monitoring, and peer reviews for Conservation Commissions. She also teaches numerous workshops relating to wetlands.

Fred Davis

President of Massachusetts Climate Action Network. Fred has been a leader in clean energy since the 1970s, both as professional and advocate. In the past decade, he has been at the forefront of communities transitioning toward a low-carbon future, decarbonizing with heat pumps, solar, and electric vehicles. Join the 5000+ activists in 70+ communities in the MCANetwork, going strong since 2000: www.massclimateaction.org

Justine Diaz

Justine Diaz is a Campus Engagement Coordinator with the Bentley University Office of Sustainability, where she leads student‑focused climate action initiatives and helps advance the university’s Carbon Neutrality Roadmap. In her role, she develops and facilitates engagement campaigns, creates accessible educational materials, and designs interactive programming that empowers students to take meaningful action on sustainability and waste reduction.

Before joining Bentley, Justine spent several years leading community‑based environmental and service projects in Manila. She headed the Calayo Clean initiative, a grassroots beach cleanup and environmental education program that partnered with local leaders to improve waste management practices. She also served as Head of the Red Cross Youth Council at the British School Manila, where she organized disaster‑relief fundraising, coordinated donation drives, and facilitated inclusive workshops for youth and individuals with disabilities. Her commitment to community wellbeing extends to healthcare and youth development. She has experience supporting hospital operations as an intern at San Pedro District Hospital and has contributed to multiple outreach programs serving children, cancer patients, and underserved communities. Justine is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration at Bentley University. She brings a collaborative, service‑driven approach to her work and is passionate about building inclusive, student‑centered spaces that strengthen climate awareness, resilience, and community connection.

Alyssa Dube

Alyssa Dube is a sophomore student majoring in Management with a Concentration in Human Resources. She is interested in art and its influence on people to reconsider how they think about climate change and what actions we can take to help protect and support our planet.

Rob Durning

Over his 15+ years in the industry, Rob Durning has helped lead GreenerU’s delivery of more than $150M in energy savings and carbon-reduction projects, supporting commercial building owners and campus leaders in achieving their climate and energy goals.

With a foundation in construction management, project management, and energy project development, Rob understands what it takes to turn climate ambition into built reality. He helps owners build the business case and the sustainability case, then aligns the engineering, delivery strategy, and trade partners required to execute—on schedule, on budget, and with performance that holds up over time.

Rob’s project experience includes work with organizations such as Yale School of Medicine, Brown University, Wellesley College, Harvard Medical School, Brandeis University, and Boston College. He earned a B.S. in Physics from Boston College and an M.S. in Energy Systems Engineering from Northeastern University.

Tom Ehbrecht

Tom Ehbrecht has been a climate activist for over a decade: first in Arlington, and now in Gloucester. He is the Program Director for Save Green Cape Ann (a Cape Ann Climate Coalition Inc. program), and is a board member of TownGreen Inc. Tom is currently managing several innovative outreach projects to help residents decarbonize their homes on the North Shore and Somerville, including Educators Electrify Everything. Last year he spoke to Mass Energize about how to engage landlords in these decarbonization efforts. Tom lives in Gloucester. He enjoys sailing and exploring local nature preserves with his wife Caitlin and friendly dog Una.

Hessann Farooqi

Hessann Farooqi is the Executive Director of the Boston Climate Action Network. Hessann was also appointed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to oversee the implementation of Boston’s key climate law, BERDO, and serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Built Environment Plus. Hessann also co-chairs the Boston Green New Deal Coalition and serves on committees for Healthcare Without Harm and the Institute for Market Transformation. Hessann worked in the United States Senate under Sen. Ed Markey, served on various federal, state, and local political campaigns, and studied economics at Boston University. He lives in Boston, MA.

Seth Federspiel

As Program Director at the Building Electrification Accelerator, Seth is excited to support municipal leaders and partners across Massachusetts to advance equitable building decarbonization initiatives through technical support and network-building. Seth brings 15 years of experience in federal, state, and local climate policy and program implementation including as Senior Climate Program Manager for the City of Cambridge, Deputy Director of Building Decarbonization for the MA Department of Energy Resources, and Director of Decarbonization Policy for Abode Energy Management. As a former science teacher, he is always eager to help explain tricky decarbonization topics to diverse audiences. Seth lives in a mostly electrified home in Arlington with his family and enjoys spending time outside with family and friends around New England. www.linkedin.com/in/federspiel

Julia Fox

Julia Fox serves as the Grid Modernization Program Coordinator in the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Policy, Planning, and Analysis Division. In this role, she focuses on electric distribution system policy to advance the Commonwealth’s clean, affordable, resilient, and equitable energy goals. Julia also facilitates the operations of the Grid Modernization Advisory Council (GMAC), a statutorily mandated body charged with reviewing the electric utilities’ Electric-Sector Modernization Plans. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree and dual bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Gahelle Galette

Gahelle Galette is currently a senior at Stoughton High School, looking to educate herself in an institution that provides ample opportunities in Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Environmental research. Gahelle is a proud member of her school’s National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and Recycling Club; however outside of school, she has contributed to graduate research by building an O-STEAM-powered drifter to examine currents in Cape Cod Bay, became a Youth Engagement Ambassador for her town’s Climate Action & Resilience Plan, and is involved in the construction of Stoughton’s New Elementary School project as an intern. Currently, she is a part of the Youth Climate Solution Challenge and is representing her team, “GreenifyStoughton”, which aims to help individuals find their own special way to greenify their homes. In her free time, Gahelle enjoys drawing, long naps, and listening to music. Her favorite artists are NewJeans and Lamp.

Laura Gardner

Laura Gardner, a National Board Certified Teacher in Library Media, is Teacher Librarian at Dartmouth Middle School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts where she has worked for over 15 years. Laura was awarded the School Library Journal (SLJ) School Librarian of the Year Co-finalist Award in 2016 and has served on national book award committees such as the Newbery. She is also trained Climate Reality leader and leads climate activism at her Unitarian Universalist church, which recently achieved Green Sanctuary status. Laura is a mom of two fabulous kids, a huge reader, and bikes to work almost every day rain or shine.

Armela Gjylsheni

Armela Gjylsheni serves as Green Newton’s Energy Advocate through the Mass Save Community First Partnership. In this role, she works closely with residents and small businesses to unlock valuable energy-saving incentives and services that reduce costs and carbon emissions. With experience in renewable energy, project coordination, and climate engagement, Armela is passionate about translating climate goals into practical, community-driven action. Her work focuses on making sustainability simple, accessible, and impactful for all.

Claire Hoffman

Claire Hoffman is a Senior Public Health Planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. She collaborates with municipal and community partners on participatory projects that promote climate justice. She leads MetroWest Climate Equity Project, which works with community liaisons to co-design and co-implement climate solutions in Ashland, Framingham, and Natick. In addition, Claire has served as the planning vendor for Natick and Ashland for their Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) 2.0 process and the implementation vendor for MVP 2.0 seed projects in Ashland and Sudbury. Claire received her Master of Public Health from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Maria Holguin

Coming from the nonprofit sector, Maria brings a wealth of experience working alongside diverse communities, including multicultural and low-to-moderate income populations. Her work centers on advocacy, resource navigation, and community empowerment, helping residents access critical services and opportunities that support long-term stability.

Maria is passionate about building trust, amplifying community voices, and equipping individuals with the tools and knowledge to build generational wealth, strengthen financial independence, and actively participate in shaping the future of their communities.

In her current role as an Energy Advocate, Maria advances equitable access to energy efficiency programs and cost-saving resources. She works to ensure underserved communities can access clean energy solutions, reduce financial burdens, and achieve greater long-term stability.

Ariha Jain

Ariha Jain is a Community and Program Support Specialist at MassEnergize, where she supports local leaders, municipalities, and volunteers to drive impactful climate action by helping them leverage the digital tools and services offered by MassEnergize. She is also the Energy Advocate for the Mass Save Community First Partnership (CFP) program, leading campaigns in towns and offering the support they need to achieve their local decarbonization goals. As the Program Coordinator for the Mass Save Community Education grant, Ariha is thrilled to introduce the Youth Climate Solutions Challenge at this year’s showcase panel. Through her work, she connects student teams with essential Mass Save and local resources, mentorship, and data tools to help bring their local sustainability projects to life.

Greg Joynt

With more than 18 years of practice at Kaestle Boos Associates, Greg has accumulated a wide range of project experience, specializing in the planning and design of educational, public safety, and municipal facilities. With extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in alternative energy solutions, particularly geothermal energy, Greg excels at helping clients navigate complex information and making it both understandable and relatable. He is adept at connecting geothermal technologies to key concerns such as budgets, operational costs, and the health and well-being of building occupants. Greg also provides practical strategies for implementing geothermal solutions, including identifying potential funding sources, ensuring that each project is both sustainable and financially viable.

Mimi Kaplan

Mimi Kaplan is a Senior Environmental Planner at Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) in Springfield, MA. In this role, she works with communities in Hampshire and Hampden Counties to advance energy efficiency and clean energy goals, climate resilience, open space protection and outdoor recreation access. Mimi leads the Green Communities program at PVPC. She also manages a grant funded program to provide energy manager services to 15 communities and is working to implement a pilot regional energy coaching program in partnership with the HeatSmart Alliance and MassEnergize. Prior to her work in planning, Mimi was a science and environmental educator. Mimi holds a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration from UMass Amherst and an MS in Environmental Science from Antioch University.

Shelley Lee

Shelley Lee is the Program Director for Green Beverly, a non-profit working to help Beverly residents live more sustainably.  She has been working to set up programs for rescuing food,  encouraging native pollinator plants and promoting building energy efficiency to name a few.  Shelley earned an architecture degree from Rhode Island School of Design. After graduation she worked in construction and architecture, eventually homeschooling their two boys K -12.  Shelley is excited to be using her creativity, project management skills and teaching experience to help push sustainability forward in Beverly where she and her family have lived since 2000.

Quiana Lee-Gaines

Quiana Lee-Gaines is a Supervisor in the Energy Efficiency department at Eversource, where she focuses on residential program implementation and decarbonization. She is committed to supporting practical, accessible, cost-effective clean energy solutions for the communities they serve. In this role, Quiana supports the development and implementation of energy efficiency initiatives that aim to reduce emissions while helping address the real financial pressures many families face. She is passionate about designing programs that not only meet climate goals, but also deliver meaningful, tangible benefits to the people they serve; helping households lower energy costs, improve comfort, and participate in the clean energy transition. She is committed to advancing solutions that balance equity and cost-effectiveness, with a focus on meeting the real-world needs of residents.

Mark Lenci

Mark, a Wellesley Village Church member for 20 years, co-chairs the church’s geothermal HVAC project. As the church’s HVAC technical lead, Mark oversaw efforts to replace aging oil heat and air conditioning systems and spearheaded work to define project goals, hire a consultant, identify and assess replacement options, and implement a financing strategy. Mark also helped to lead the associated capital campaign to fund the project and, until recently, chaired the church’s Board of Properties. Mark is retired, having completed successful careers in both the US military and industry (Lotus/IBM and Microsoft). Mark’s military career spanned 30 years as a Navy officer including his tenure as captain of the nuclear submarine USS Houston (SSN 713). The majority of his work at Microsoft focused on the development of hosted Microsoft
software services such as email and real-time communications for businesses.

Ibrahim Lopez-Hernandez

Ibrahim Lopez-Hernandez is the Associate Director of Sustainability for the City of Beverly, where he leads in creating and implementing the City's climate program. Ibrahim has worked with local community based organizations and municipalities in the North Shore to address climate risks, reduce GHG emissions and promote climate justice. Originally from Puerto Rico, Ibrahim moved to Massachusetts after the passage of Hurricane Maria to work at the intersection of urban planning, public policy, and climate change.

Alexandra Lowder

Alexandra Lowder is the Community/Economic Development Planner for the Town of Tewksbury. She has served the Town in multiple administrative capacities since 2019. In her role, she supports the Planning Board in project reviews, manages grant-funded initiatives through programs such as Green Communities and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP), and co-manages the Town’s weekly summer community market. Previously, she worked as a contracts administrator for a federal government contractor. She holds an Masters of Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston and an undergraduate degree in Communications and Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Marybeth Martello

Marybeth is the Sustainability Director for the Town of Wellesley, where for nearly a decade she has advanced sustainability as a core priority in local government and in the community at large. She spearheaded Wellesley’s Climate Action Plan and now guides its implementation through policy and program development, legislative advocacy, and strategic engagement with residents, businesses, and institutions. Previously, Marybeth worked as an environmental consultant and served as a Research Fellow at Harvard University. She holds an M.S. in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Science and Public Policy from MIT. Marybeth lives with her family in Wellesley where she regularly enjoys the town’s beautiful trails and green spaces.

Meghan Murphy

Meghan Murphy is a community engagement strategist and nonprofit program leader whose work centers around convening people to solve tough problems together. She’s spent nearly 15 years building communities in the journalism industry, and is currently working on an initiative to support more impactful climate journalism. She serves on the organizing team for Energize Framingham and the statewide growth and engagement team for Mothers Out Front. She was a 2020 fellow with New Leaders Council, a program to develop progressive leadership, and a 2018 fellow with Rising Organizers, an intensive training program for emerging community organizers. Meghan holds a B.A. in journalism and Spanish from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Lissette Paukert

Lissette Paukert is the Residential Services Director at Nectar Community Investments, a community development financial institution (CDFI) headquartered in Lawrence, MA. She brings more than 12 years of experience in the housing industry, dedicated to home preservation by providing education, guidance, and resources to homeowners in underserved communities. At Nectar, she leads efforts to promote financially conscious home improvements and investments through fair, affordable financial products that support healthy living and energy-efficient home improvements.  A University of Massachusetts Lowell alumna, Lissette, was raised in the Merrimack Valley and is fluent in Spanish.

Cindy Qiao

Cindy Qiao is a senior at Newton North High School planning to study economics and public policy in college. She is passionate about sustainability and addressing food insecurity. She founded the Full Fork Initiative, which runs food diversion programs in five Newton schools, collecting about 150 pounds of untouched cafeteria food each week and distributing snack bags to 100 students in need weekly. Cindy is an officer of her school’s Student Green Team. Outside of school, she serves as the student chair of the Green Newton Green School Connections Committee and the student representative to the town’s Energy Commission. She is also part of the Youth Climate Solution Challenge and is representing her team, Newton Youth Energizers, which aims to educate the community about green energy and encourage 100 households to sign up for home energy assessments. In her free time, Cindy enjoys playing volleyball, tennis, and spending time with friends.

Nathan Raike

Nathan Raike is Manager of State and Local Affairs at RENEW Northeast, where he leads advocacy and policy engagement to advance clean energy development across the region. He works with policymakers, regulatory agencies, and industry stakeholders to support initiatives promoting renewable energy, grid modernization, and environmental sustainability. Previously, Nathan was an Associate State Policy Analyst at ISO New England, tracking legislation and regulatory proceedings affecting regional energy markets and electrification. He also worked as a consultant at FiscalNote advising clients on policy developments, and completed two terms in the Vermont State House supporting legislative work on energy issues. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Vermont.

Dr Anandita Sabherwal

Dr. Anandita Sabherwal is a postdoctoral research associate with the Behavioral Science for Policy Lab at Princeton University and the Social Influence and Social Change Lab at Boston College. Her research examines how institutions and individuals influence one another in addressing collective challenges like climate change, with a focus on social influence, trust, organizational culture, and collective action. Her work spans diverse contexts across the U.S., UK, EU, India, and Singapore, with the goal of supporting policymakers, advocacy groups, and organizations in driving real-world change. Dr. Sabherwal holds a PhD in Psychological and Behavioral Science from London School of Economics and Political Science, funded by the Grantham Research Institute, and an MPhil from University of Cambridge. She is deeply committed to advancing climate action and social justice through research.

Kathy Schleyer

Kathy Schleyer is a community leader at Wellesley Village Church who played a key role in advancing the church’s transition to a geothermal heating and cooling system. She helped guide the congregation through the evaluation and decision-making process, building consensus around a complex, mission-driven investment in sustainability. Her leadership was instrumental in aligning the church’s long-term environmental goals with a practical, financially viable solution. Schleyer previously served as Director of Training & Quality Improvement at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, where she led national training and technical assistance initiatives to strengthen afterschool and youth programs. She directed major federally funded projects and helped develop systems for continuous quality improvement across states and communities.

Gabe Shapiro

Gabe Shapiro is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Partnerships at All In Energy, a Massachusetts nonprofit accelerating an inclusive clean energy transition. He leads the organization’s external partnerships, strategy, and growth, working with municipalities, community organizations, and state agencies to expand access to energy affordability and decarbonization programs.

Since co-founding All In Energy in 2018, Gabe has helped scale its programming across more than 50 Massachusetts municipalities through initiatives such as the Mass Save Community First Partnership and the MassCEC Home Modernization Navigator program. He oversees business development, finance, data systems, and workforce pathway development, helping build the operational infrastructure that supports multilingual outreach and community-based delivery statewide.

Before founding All In Energy, Gabe led partnership-based clean energy initiatives across New England. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA from Brown University.

Matt Shortsleeve

Matt Shortsleeve, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Policy - Solect Energy. With over a decade of experience, Matt has successfully developed more than 100 solar and energy storage projects for municipalities, school districts, state agencies, and businesses. His expertise encompasses a wide range of solutions, including rooftop, canopy, ground-mounted systems, and large-scale, multi-megawatt renewable energy and storage infrastructures. In addition to project development, he manages marketing, and legislative and regulatory affairs, advocating for policies and frameworks that advance a clean energy economy powered by a modernized electric grid. Matt holds a BS in finance and management from Northeastern University and an executive graduate degree in sustainability leadership from Presidio Graduate School.

Professor Gregg Sparkman

Professor Sparkman (he/him) studies psychology and social change, including research on scalable interventions to address social problems related to the environment, health, and social inequity. He examines motivations to change behavior and how to advocate for change, including the role of social influence, identity, moral reasoning, and beliefs about whether change is possible. Much of his work explores how learning about trends in norms over time and perceiving others’ change can catalyze personal change.

Ellen Tohn

Ellen Tohn is the co-chair of Wayland’s Energy and Climate Committee (WECC). Ellen co-founded MassEnergize in 2017 to help local residents and businesses take action. She is passionate about driving local actions and larger policy solutions to address our climate crisis. Ellen is a nationally recognized environmental health policy expert with over 30 years of experience working at the intersection of energy, housing and health. She is President of Tohn Environmental Strategies and an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Brown School of Public Health. She received her BA from Cornell University and a Masters Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jennifer Verdieu

Jennifer Verdieu is a senior at Stoughton High School looking to study Civil Engineering and Environmental Sustainability in college. In school, Jennifer is studying architecture through an independent study and is an E-board member of her school's National English Honor Society. She has taken a CAD and 3D printing pre-college class at Brown and worked as a Youth Engagement Ambassador for her town's Climate Action and Resilience Plan with the Metropolitan Area Planning Committee. Jennifer is representing Stoughton High School in the Youth Climate Solutions Challenge with the “GreenifyStoughton” campaign. In her free time, she enjoys reading fiction and drawing. 

Val Wang

Val Wang is an author and filmmaker interested in the intersection between the personal and the global. She is the author of the memoir Beijing Bastard as well as the director of the documentary The Flip Side. She is an Associate Professor in the English and Media Studies Department of Bentley University, where she teaches climate fiction and chairs the Climate Creativity Lab.

Caroline Weiss

Jillian Wilson-Martin

Lisa Wolf

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