Leadership

David Armour has more than 30 years of experience in human resources. Dave is a true HR generalist who brings professional depth and breadth to CSE along with a solution-oriented approach and an appreciation for rapid organizational growth. Dave holds an MBA from University of San Diego and a B.A. in communications from University of California, San Diego.

Jae Berg has over a decade of experience leading programs that expand access to clean energy technologies. As director of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), she oversees the design and execution of over $1 billion in incentive programs aimed at driving market transformation and ensuring equitable access to solar energy, energy storage and energy efficiency. Jae holds a Master of Architecture from the Newschool of Architecture and Design and a B.A. in architecture from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Jonathan Changus has worked for 15+ years advancing clean energy policies by building coalitions and analyzing data to inform incentive program design. Jonathan supports the design, development, implementation and evaluation of state, regional and utility electric vehicle (EV) and EV infrastructure programs. Previously, he worked at the Northern California Power Agency and held a variety of positions advising state legislators and the governor. He holds a Master of Public Policy and a B.S. in social sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Andrew Chesser has spent his professional career in the operations and management field. At CSE, he oversees transportation-based incentive programs and their operational teams. Prior to joining CSE, he spent 15 years in the front office of Minor League Baseball, most recently serving as president & general manager of a Houston Astros farm team.

Kara Crohn has 24 years of experience working with organizations and clients to direct research studies, visualize ideas and data, evaluate behavior change programs, facilitate strategic planning and train research professionals. At CSE, she oversees energy research, evaluation and visual analytics teams. Her expertise spans multiple sectors, including energy, technology, education and the arts. Since 2009, she Kara focused on clean energy, energy efficiency and distributed energy resources. She holds a B. A. in sociology from Hamilton College and a Ph.D. in program evaluation from UCLA.

Carol Denning has over two decades’ experience in advanced energy services, designing, developing and managing alternative energy technology applications for companies across the nation. At CSE, she serves as director of the U.S. DOE Western CHP Technical Assistance Partnership and as the center’s director of energy reliability and resilience, driving adoption of distributed energy resources across a portfolio of projects. Carol has a B.A. and master’s degree in construction management from California State University, Chico and is a licensed California general contractor.

Junaid Faruq has been involved in energy and clean transportation industries over 10 years, with expertise in utility operations, federal and state EV charging policy, charging operations and renewable energy markets. Junaid is part of the CSE team leading the effort for the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate wider deployment of combined heat and power energy technologies in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. Junaid has a Master of Science in chemical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in biochemical engineering from Dublin City University.

Mark Federle has an extensive executive sales management background in the climate technology start-up environment. Prior to joining CSE, he worked at companies spanning multiple verticals including e-mobility, smart grid sensing and monitoring, photovoltaics, distributed generation and retail energy. At CSE, he leads business development, including outreach to governments, utilities and businesses on using the Caret software platform to plan and optimize the deployment of EV charging infrastructure and to design EV incentive programs. Mark has a B.A. from Colby College and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

Rocky Fernandez brings two decades of organizing and policy experience to the Center for Sustainable Energy, with a focus on clean energy and transportation. Prior to joining CSE, he worked for 13+ years for the California Legislature and held roles with nonprofits Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and the Clean Energy Project. Rocky was elected to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Board of Directors, serving two terms as board president. He has a B.A. in political science and mass communications from the University of California, Berkeley.

John Gartner has been researching and evaluating transformative energy and digital technologies for more than 30 years, including the last 12 years focusing on sustainable mobility and transportation electrification. He oversees all CSE transportation programs, providing strategic direction and leadership on EV and EV infrastructure incentive programs, research efforts and consulting throughout the nation. John has an M.S. in education from Arcadia University and a B.A. in statistics from Temple University.

Karen Glitman has more than 30 years of policy advocacy and public service experience, advancing energy justice and tackling climate change by accelerating access to clean, affordable and efficient energy for all. She leads CSE efforts to uncover new opportunities to support entities around the nation in meeting a shared goal of decarbonization. Prior to joining CSE, she spent seven years at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, serving in roles including director of Efficiency Vermont, director of transportation efficiency and director of strategy, policy and public affairs.

Lawrence Goldenhersh is a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur-turned nonprofit leader with extensive experience in the sustainability and environmental sectors. Prior to becoming president of CSE in late 2017, Larry ran Enviance, a leading environmental technology company that he founded in 1999. Before Enviance, Larry was a partner at Irell & Manella, a Los Angeles law firm of more than 150 lawyers, where he served on the management committee and specialized in complex commercial litigation.

Zach Henkin is a certified project management professional with more than 10 years’ experience in transportation electrification policy and programs. At CSE, he leads qualitative and quantitative research and analysis focused on the adoption of electric vehicles and EV infrastructure. Zach has led numerous nationally scaled electric vehicle demonstration projects, and his work in transportation equity, workplace charging and consumer education are referenced broadly. Zach has an MBA from Marylhurst University with a specialization in renewable energy and is a Third Derivative cleantech mentor. 

Margaret Ho oversees CSE’s IT operations, including cybersecurity. Margaret has served in leadership roles in multiple industries, including software development, insurance and auto markets, sports and events management and fundraising. Her experience brings depth and breadth to CSE’s business process optimization and a solution-oriented approach to enable scale for rapid organizational growth. Margaret has B.S. in mathematics/computer science from UCLA and is a certified Scrum Product Owner and Scrum Master.

Donald Hoard brings over 20 years’ experience in data analysis, research and scientific investigation working at such places as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA and the Max Planck Society. At CSE, he supervises research, data analysis, modeling and visualization that supports a portfolio of more than 100 ongoing client-facing projects. Donald is central to development of CSE’s Caret® platform that empowers decision-makers to design and optimize electric vehicle incentive programs. He holds a B.S. in physics from Harvey Mudd College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy from University of Washington.

Brooke Hunter has a decade of legal education and experience in corporate law. At CSE, she oversees a range of legal operations primarily related to contract management and corporate compliance. Brooke began her career as a transactional and litigation attorney, followed by several years managing a private law office. Brooke has a J.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and a B.A. from Boston University. She is licensed to practice law in Washington and Hawaiʻi. 

Brooke is not licensed to practice law in the State of California.

Brian Jones oversees the delivery of zero-emissions vehicle market transformation programs across six states. He draws on a wide breadth of experience, including previously directing CSE’s Distributed Energy Resources team, to develop converged decarbonization solutions. In his role, Brian seeks to ensure our increasingly electrified transportation systems and built environment work in harmony with the electric grid. Brian has a B.S. in biology from Penn State University and a Master of Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara.

Andrea Letzring has 20 years’ experience developing and managing technology products from ideation through launch and end of life. At CSE, she leads a team of product managers, business analysts, software developers, UX designers and QA testers who build and manage CSE’s corporate product portfolio and individual client programs. Prior to CSE, Andrea worked at several technology companies. Most recently, she was director of product management at Vector Solutions. Andrea has an MBA from the University of San Diego.

Vaasha Lutchman has worked for over a decade in electric vehicle and clean energy technologies specializing in process improvement design and program implementation. At CSE, she manages the development of resources for dealerships to sell electric vehicles (EVs) nationwide. Prior to CSE, Vaasha spent six years at Tesla standing up the global delivery hub infrastructure and leading a $30 million supply chain contract. She holds a master’s in public administration from California State University Northridge and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and social cinematic technology from the University of Southern California. 

Sephra Ninow has over 15 years’ experience in clean energy and transportation policy. Sephra directs development of CSE’s regulatory agenda to advance its mission by coordinating individual perspectives within CSE into a consistent voice that effectively supports program goals and imparts CSE’s thought leadership. She also oversees program compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements. Sephra holds a J.D. from California Western School of Law and a B.S. in environmental sciences from University of Arizona.

Laura Rehrmann is a strategic communicator whose work raises the profile and impact of organizations. At CSE, she leads a team of marketers, writers and artists who support governments, businesses and consumers through programs that expand adoption of renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric vehicles. Laura began her career as a journalist with The Associated Press and USA Today/Gannett before joining the nonprofit sector to advance climate policy and action. She has a B.A. in journalism from Penn State University and a master’s in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University.

Scott Shepard has over 12 years’ experience in electric vehicle research and developing transportation decarbonization solutions. At CSE, he directs research impacting policy and best practices for supporting clean transportation markets, focusing on incentive programs for light-, medium- and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles and electric bikes. Scott previously worked as the transportation and mobility research director at Guidehouse Insights. He has an MPA from University of Colorado Denver and a B.A. degree from Colorado State University.

Chad Taylor oversees CSE’s EV incentive programs, platform development and IT. Previously, Chad served in leadership roles in multiple industry sectors, including higher education, product and software development for insurance markets and engineering research and development. Chad earned a Ph.D. in information systems & technology from the Claremont Colleges, an MBA from San Diego State University and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Lauri Walker has nearly 25 years of experience working to advance transportation programs in California through community engagement and outreach. She oversees a team of CSE equity specialists and partnerships with community-based organizations to inform the design and implementation of electric vehicle (EV) incentive programs and ensure the benefits of sustainable technologies reach disadvantaged communities.

Anthony has over 25 years of legal and operating experience in the energy space. At CSE, he provides legal counsel on contracts, compliance and governance. Anthony’s previous positions include in-house counsel for Linksys, general counsel and compliance officer for two electricity providers, senior corporate attorney for an energy company, and attorney at an international law firm headquartered in Texas. Anthony is licensed to practice law in California and Texas. He has a J.D. from the University of Houston, an MBA from The University of Texas-Austin and a B.A. from Rice University.  

A Naval officer for 20 years, Evan Wright brings substantial expertise to CSE in operations, engineering, transportation/logistics and energy management for the Department of Defense. At CSE, he leads large-scale programs and technical services that accelerate the implementation of electric charging stations throughout the U.S. He holds a B.S. in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy, an MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.