 | Sasha Baroiant Sasha Baroiant is a Principal Consultant at ADM Associates, a Qualus Company, where he has led energy research and evaluation initiatives since 2010. He specializes in market research, program design, cost-benefit analysis, measurement and verification, modeling, and emerging technology studies. His work supports utilities and agencies nationwide in advancing data-driven energy policy and program design. |
 | Nicolas Campbell Nicolas is a project manager at Lincus, managing measure package development, emerging technologies studies, and several other consulting projects for California utilities. He is also a PhD student at Arizona State University, studying Systems Engineering, focusing on demand response research. |
 | Statewide CASE Team The Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) initiative presents recommendations to support the California Energy Commission (CEC)’s efforts to update the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) to include new requirements or to upgrade existing requirements for various technologies. |
 | Amy Discher Amy Discher has over 17 years of service at Southern California Edison (SCE). Currently, she spearheads the Reach Code efforts on SCE's Codes and Standards team, playing a crucial role in leading the development of various reach codes and building performance standards, driving the industry towards a more sustainable future. |
 | Scott Farbman Scott Farbman is a licensed architect and certified passive house consultant working as a Senior Manager at Energy Solutions within the Policy & Ratings team. His deep background in high performance building design helps him effectively advocate for energy efficiency and decarbonization in his Codes & Standards work. Scott is also a Subject Matter Expert on Embodied Carbon and is helping to develop key research in this area. |
 | Chad Gretzner Chad Gretzner is a research engineer for Kliewer and Associates, LLC and a NFPA Reducing Wildfire Risk to Property: Professional. In early 2024, he helped design and build a burn test study representing high-density neighborhoods. Lessons learned from the burn test study and years of research lead him to develop the Parcel Assessment for Wildfire Hardening (PAWH) form. Recent accomplishments include building wildfire hardened displays at the SCE Energy Education Center in Irwindale, CA. |
 | Andy Gustafson Andy Gustafson has 17 years of experience working as an engineer in the Energy Efficiency field. He currently is serving as Program Manager for the AESAP program which provides incentives and financing support for agricultural customers in PG&E territory. |
 | Randall Higa Randall Higa is the Codes and Standards Program consulting engineer at Southern California Edison (SCE). Higa is also involved with the building and appliance energy codes that include both code development and compliance improvement. Prior to SCE, Higa worked at Sempra Energy Utilities, managing customer programs, regulatory proceedings, and energy efficiency programs. He began his engineering and architectural career at CTG Engineers and Albert C. Martin and Associates. |
| Bing Liu Bing is an internationally recognized technical expert with over 26 years of experience in building codes and standards, large scale building energy simulation, energy efficiency technology analysis, and building performance metering. She is the Business Subsector Manager to support DOE’s Building Technologies Office and Federal Energy Management Program. As a Sr. Technical Advisor Bing focuses on building decarbonization and grid-and-building intersection strategic development and implementation. Bing was a group leader at PNNL overseeing the Building Energy Research and Analysis group with 30 researchers. She was also the program manager of the Building Energy Codes Program at PNNL, leading PNNL’s research team to support the development and implementation of building energy codes in support of U.S. Department of Energy. |
 | Cristalle Mauleon Cristalle is an energy efficiency expert with over a decade of experience spanning incentive application reviews, building audits, and emerging technology projects. She currently supports the California Statewide Gas Emerging Technologies Program, and brings a unique dual perspective from her work on both electric and gas technologies. |
 | Ryan McFadyen, PE Ryan McFadyen is the Energy Modeling Innovation Senior Advisor for Southern California Edison's Energy Codes and Standards Program. Ryan has over 15 years of experience in the energy industry. A licensed Professional Engineer, he specializes in building energy modeling, grid impact analysis, utility incentive programs, and applied generative AI. |
 | Ram Narayanamurthy Ram Narayanamurthy has more than two decades of experience in development and deployment of building technologies. His research work extends to the identification of technologies that overcome infrastructure and cost barriers to decarbonization retrofits, such as low-power heat pumps and heat pump water heaters that can help scale deployments. |
 | Anthony Ng Anthony Ng is the manager of the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Branch of the California Energy Commission’s Research and Development Division. Anthony specializes in supporting clean energy entrepreneurs turn innovative clean energy technologies into commercialized products. Anthony manages programs that support entrepreneurs at all stages of technology and commercial maturity ‚Äì from early-stage proof of concepts to manufacturing and production scale-up. |
 | Derek Okada Derek Okada is a senior fellow with Energy Solutions’ Business Strategy Team. Okada has worked in the demand-side management (DSM) industry for the past 15 years, leading teams in energy efficiency program operations for the commercial, industrial, agricultural, and public sectors as well as leading a DSM strategy team at Southern California Edison. He has also served as a board member for NASEMC and AESP (national and California chapter). He has a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MA from The University of Chicago. |
 | Rick Olson-Huddle Rick brings 16 years of experience in commercial HVAC, energy efficiency, controls, and retro-commissioning to the CalMTA team. He has a deep understanding of the concerns of contractors, engineers, and building owner/operators when it comes to building operations and efficiency. Rick also spent eight years in education where he honed his skills in communication, storytelling, and teaching everyone from preschoolers to business professionals. |
 | Heather Joy Rosenberg Heather Rosenberg leads the Arup’s Resilience Planning and Policy in the Americas. She provides real world, implementable solutions to design, policy and finance at the nexus of resilience, equity and decarbonization. She is a USGBC Ginsberg Fellow, is a former mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles Innovation and Performance Commission and has recently joined the USGBC-CA Board of Directors. |
 | Gretchen Schimelpfenig, PE Gretchen leads emerging technologies studies exploring innovative solutions to save electricity and natural gas in commercial, industrial, and agricultural buildings. Since 2023, she has led several CalNEXT and California Statewide Gas Emerging Technology studies evaluating energy efficiency opportunities in lighting, HVAC, hot water heating, irrigation, and power distribution systems. |
 | Saurabh Nagesh Shekhadar Saurabh Shekhadar has been working as an Energy Engineer II at ICF for 4.5 years. In his current role at ICF, Shekhadar researches, develops, and manages engineering studies related to emerging technologies in natural gas and carbon emissions reductions in California. Also, he supported DOE and ENERGY STAR programs, and led Texas A&M’s Industrial Assessment Center (US DOE) during his master's. Shekhadar is a recipient of the ACEEE Linda Latham Scholarship (2021) and the AEE Foundation Scholarship (2020). |
 | Ryan Swanson Ryan Swanson has provided engineering and energy efficiency services to industrial and commercial clients since 2016. He performs commissioning, energy auditing, and engineering research, with a focus on HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, compressed air, and steam systems. |
 | Micah Sweeney Micah Sweeney is a Technical Lead at EPRI, where he is a member of Research Program 170 on Customer Technologies. His primary research expertise includes the evaluation of emerging technologies for energy efficiency, demand response, and electrification in data centers, HVAC, and water heating through assessment of these technologies in the laboratory and field settings. Micah is a member of ASHRAE and completed his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. |
 | Madeline Talebi Prior to joining ICF, Madeline Talebi worked as a researcher on small-scale laboratory experiments and computational modeling projects based on carbon capture technologies, pollutant emissions control, and material sciences. Currently, Talebi supports the California Statewide Gas Emerging Technologies program, Southern California Edison Corporate Sustainability Report GHG Emissions reporting, and California Technical Forum Measure Package development. Talebi earned a BS and MS from the University of California, Irvine, in chemical engineering. |
 | Garth Torvestad Garth Torvestad has over 15 years of experience leading research projects and programs to inform land-use, energy, and climate policy. Garth leverages methods ranging from energy modeling to market surveys to develop data to inform sound policy, especially California's Title 24 Part 6 Standards. Over the course of his career, he has principally focused on developing primary data through field studies, demonstration projects, and lab tests. |
 | Rose Wall Rose Wall is an Emerging Opportunities Manager at VEIC with expertise in portfolio strategy and market transformation. She leads initiatives on refrigerant management and advancing heat pump adoption, particularly water heating and thermal energy storage solutions. Rose holds an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Vermont. |
 | Carolyn Weisman In her role at ProspectSV, Carolyn advances building decarbonization through research, stakeholder engagement, and technical advisory support. She manages two CEC-funded demonstration projects showcasing an advanced, ultra-low GWP heat pump technology for large buildings and commercial cold storage. She also leads ProspectSV’s work with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab on Building Performance Standards, focusing on financing strategies, software tools, and Cx for small buildings. |
 | Bo White Bo is a Mechanical Engineer at NegaWatt Consulting and assists SCE and the rest of the California Statewide Codes & Standards team with supporting local jurisdictions pursuing reach codes and related local ordinances. |
 | Cheryl Winfield Cheryl grew up on a working cattle ranch in Northern California where she developed a quick interest in understanding the interconnection between humankind and its environment. She has a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as an MS in Environmental Policy and Management with a specialization in Climate Change science and policy. Cheryl has been working at CARB for over six years now, and has been working in the F-gas Reduction Strategy Section for two and a half years. |
 | Danielle Wright Danielle Wright is the executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing climate-friendly natural refrigerants which have been identified as a leading global climate solution. Prior, she managed large-scale utility energy efficiency incentive programs in the commercial sector, with a focus on food retail refrigeration, achieving both energy savings and lower operational costs. |
Moderators
 | Kadir Bedir Kadir manages the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Unit in the California Energy Commission. His role involves evaluating the grid impacts of DERs and load flexibility, and formulating strategies for better utilization of these resources. Prior to this role, Kadir oversaw CEC’s demand flexibility R&D projects and led the development of California’s EV Infrastructure Projections (EVI-Pro) framework, which was implemented nationally by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). He helped the Governor Brown administration develop the state’s first EV charger deployment goals in 2018. Kadir is an electrical engineer with an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in energy and transportation studies from the University of California, Davis. |
 | Charles Kim Charles Kim is a senior engineer at Southern California Edison with over 30 years of experience in the energy and utility industries. He has provided his services to electric utilities and state and federal agencies. Currently, Kim serves as a program manager, overseeing the building and appliance standards advocacy program as well as various cross-cutting technologies in energy efficiency, flexible demand, and sustainable energy solutions. |
 | Eric Kirchhoff Eric Kirchhoff’s extensive experience and innovative contributions to the building and energy engineering sector are commendable. His leadership in managing teams and his strategic energy efficiency role showcase his multifaceted expertise. His work with SoCalGas and presentations to notable engineering organizations highlight his commitment to advancing the industry. Kirchhoff’s blend of creativity and practical engineering solutions continues to shape the future of energy efficiency. |
 | Aanchal Kohli Dr. Aanchal Kohli leads the development of innovative policies and regulations to reduce emissions of fluorinated gases, particularly hydrofluorocarbons from the refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors. Kohli’s team manages the largest incentive program nationwide to reduce fluorinated gases, totaling $66 million. Kohli has a doctorate in environmental science and engineering and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. |
 | Jordan Litwin Jordan Litwin is the Program Manager of the Statewide Energy Efficiency Emerging Technologies program at SoCalGas. Jordan began his journey with the company as an intern and has now been with SoCalGas for over nine years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and brings a strong passion for innovative and emerging technologies to his work. |
 | Thomas Mertens Thomas Mertens has been at PG&E for four years supporting the Codes and Standards program, as well as serving as the Program Manager for PG&E’s Code Readiness subprogram. |
 | Carol Yin Carol Yin has led the ETCC facilitation team since 2018, helping its member utilities and the California Energy Commission coordinate research on technologies for customer programs. Yin has been consulting in the energy efficiency industry since 2004 and, in her spare time, enjoys scuba diving off the Southern California coast. |
 | Mohamad Younes With a background in CCUS and building materials, I aim to help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors while generating a new market spearheaded by sustainability. On my spare time I travel, snowboard, scuba dive, and hang out with my loved ones. |