Heather O'Neill is President and CEO of Advanced Energy United. Prior to adding her role as CEO, Heather served as President for the organization, having previously served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, responsible for deepening and broadening Advanced Energy United's relationships with funders and foundations, as well as building partnerships with allied organizations that advance industry growth. 

Heather has spent her career helping build and grow mission-driven organizations. Before joining Advanced Energy United, Heather established and led the clean energy and environment portfolio at the Robertson Foundation, a $1 billion family philanthropy. Previously, she was Director, Public Affairs, for Danco Laboratories LLC, a start-up women's health pharmaceutical company.  

In addition to her work with Advanced Energy United, Heather sits on the board of directors for Climate Action Reserve. 

Lorig Charkoudian represents District 20 in the Maryland General Assembly, where she serves on the Economic Matters Committee and is Chair of the Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee. Lorig is a strong advocate for legislation promoting environmental justice, consumer protections, economic justice, criminal justice reform, pedestrian safety, and a sustainable food system. In addition to her role as Delegate, Lorig is the Executive Director of the Community Mediation Maryland. Lorig received her PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, has been honored three times as Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record. She lives in Takoma Park with one of her two children, Raffi, and runs ultra-marathons.

As a Delegate, Rip has fought every year to defend reproductive freedom, encourage the growth of Virginia’s clean energy and energy efficiency sectors, promote access to the ballot box, protect and advance LGBTQ rights, address the gun violence epidemic, and expand healthcare access. Speaker Filler-Corn appointed Rip to serve as Chair of the powerful Labor and Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee, a role in which he used his experience legislating in the energy space to help shape the way Virginia moves forward on these crucial issues. He also previously served as Chair of the Finance Committee’s Subcommittee which considers bills related to corporate and individual income tax. Currently, Rip serves on the Commerce and Energy Committee, the Courts of Justice Committee, and the Finance Committee. He is looking forward to continuing to address these issues on behalf of the 6th District.

Rip is an experienced leader, with proven results. During the 2020 General Assembly session Rip introduced the historic Virginia Clean Economy Act to battle climate change and advance the Commonwealth’s clean energy sector and promote energy efficiency. He also was the author and patron of Virginia’s life-saving “Red Flag” law, which stops gun violence before a single shot is fired. In 2021, he was the Chief Co-Patron of the Clean Cars bill, which launched Virginia’s effort to up its game and increase the pace of our switch to electric vehicles. In 2019, he was the author of “Jacob’s Law,” which strengthens surrogacy rights for gay and straight couples (as well as single parents) who want to start a family in Virginia. Rip worked diligently with stakeholders and his colleagues to ensure that these landmark bills all became law.

Before being elected to the House of Delegates, Rip served on numerous boards and commissions, providing him with extensive experience in a number of key policy areas that have directly translated to his work in the General Assembly.

Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr. and his wife, Beth are Langley High School sweethearts and have four adult children, all of whom graduated from Fairfax County public schools, and four grandchildren.

Rip graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is a partner in the law firm Bean Kinney & Korman, P.C., in Arlington.

Marcus C. Evans, Jr., serves as the State Representative of the 33rd District of Illinois, which includes the South Side of Chicago and South Suburban Cook County. At the State Capitol within the House of Representatives, Marcus is known to be a strong, collaborative, and consensus building leader. Under the leadership of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, he currently serves as both Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Labor & Commerce Committee.

Over his years of service, Marcus has passed many impactful legislative measures in a variety of categories including: Energy Reliability, Labor Rights and Policy, Transportation, Health Care Funding & Availability, and Housing Stabilization & Development. As the Chairman of the Labor committee, Marcus works with his colleagues and various interest groups on all legislative actions that impact working-class citizens and our economy. In addition, he serves as a member of the Revenue & Finance committee and the Appropriations Human Services committee. Marcus strongly believes in the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, thus he also serves on the bi-cameral Legislative Audit Commission (LAC).

Before being appointed and subsequently elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, Marcus worked for the Chicago City Council as Assistant to the Alderperson of the 8th Ward. Marcus is a lifelong resident of the South Side of Chicago, a Chicago Public Schools graduate, and understands the challenges that many of our urban youth face. In July of 2006, Marcus faced the challenge of his life when he was diagnosed with Cancer, followed by immediate major surgery and chemotherapy. He uses his life experiences to fuel his strong passion to help improve the lives of others.

Marcus received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University. He is the proud father of one son Marcus, III. Outside of public service, Marcus works as a licensed real estate appraiser and an Illinois High School Association licensed basketball official.

Amy has 19 years of experience in political and advocacy campaigns, philanthropy, nonprofit management and government, designing and implementing strategies.  She truly understands how to impact and support policy makers, philanthropic leaders and other decision-makers and has a demonstrated track record of accelerating change and building power and the capacity of the field.

Prior to co-founding AC Strategies, Amy was a Vice President at the Energy Foundation, co-leading U.S. Programs. Amy co-developed the Energy Foundation’s States Program, an innovative model and approach to climate and clean energy state advocacy and funding that is now being replicated in other issue areas, including democracy.  While at Energy Foundation she also developed and oversaw a $20 million Federal Climate Program, launched a sister 501c(4) organization, and advised and aligned individual donors and foundations around a comprehensive state strategy, helping guide hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to address the climate crisis. 

Amy started her career on Capitol Hill, where she worked for a decade, including as the Energy Policy Advisor for the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where she designed and oversaw the energy and climate strategy and legislative agenda in the U.S. House of Representatives, including the nation’s current energy law. Since 1996, she has also worked on several congressional and gubernatorial campaigns and clean energy ballot measures.She continues to serve as the Executive Director of the Energy Action Fund, a 501 c(4) that supports lobbying, accountability, ballot measures and electoral strategies. 

Shalaya Morissette (she/her)  is Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), located within the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. She is a highly sought-after collaborator and co-conspirator in the clean technology space. Most recently she hails from the utility sector in safety and compliance.

In 2022 she took on an additional role at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston, Massachusetts as a teacher to 11th and 12th graders - delivering a curriculum for engineering with energy in mind. Previously she held various roles in higher education, including enrollment services project manager and in global transportation as the Director of Affiliate Relations.

She is the former president of the Greater Boston chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Serving as the first African American board member of the New England Women in Energy and Environment, she has been devoted to elevating and engaging women and people of color in the energy space. As a Georgia Gwinnett College Alumni Association board member and a committee member for Browning the Green Space, she has been engaged in the nonprofit and higher education space as a strong advocate for elevating minorities in the energy transition. Morissette’s passion for bringing young people into the clean energy industry has also been supported with her work with Girls Inc and WriteBoston.

Shalaya received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia Gwinnett College and her Master of Education degree from Cambridge College.

Evan Wolfson founded and led Freedom to Marry, the campaign that won marriage in the United States, and is widely considered the architect of the movement that led to nationwide victory in 2015. In 1983, Wolfson wrote his Harvard Law School thesis on gay people and the freedom to marry. During the 1990s he served as co-counsel in the historic Hawaii marriage case that launched the ongoing global movement for the freedom to marry, and has participated in numerous gay rights and HIV/AIDS cases. Wolfson earned a B.A. in history from Yale College in 1978; served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in Togo, West Africa; and wrote the book, Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry, published by Simon & Schuster in July 2004. Citing his national leadership on marriage and his appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale, the National Law Journal in 2000 named Wolfson one of "the 100 most influential lawyers in America." Newsweek/The Daily Beast dubbed Wolfson "the godfather of gay marriage" and  Time Magazine named him one of "the 100 most influential people in the world." In 2012, Wolfson received the Barnard Medal of Distinction alongside President Barack Obama.

Having achieved in 2015 the goal he had pursued for 32 years, Wolfson now devotes his time to advising and assisting diverse movements and causes in the U.S. and around the world eager to adapt the model and apply the lessons that made the Freedom to Marry campaign so successful. Wolfson has taught law and social change as a Distinguished Visitor from Practice at Georgetown Law Center and as a Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy at Yale University; serves as Senior Counsel at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, with 190+ offices in 75+ countries; and, overseeing a fund housed at Tides Advocacy, directs a team of Freedom to Marry alumni/experts coaching human rights efforts worldwide under the banner of Freedom to Marry Global.

For more than a decade, Eugenia has worked to advance clean energy policy and program solutions that are anchored in climate justice and support an equitable path to decarbonization. She currently serves as the Program Director for Clean Power at the US Energy Foundation where she supports efforts to enable, build, and connect renewable generation to a sustainable grid commensurate with 80% carbon free power by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Eugenia was a member of the Healey-Driscoll transition policy committee for climate readiness, resiliency, and adaptation, served on the Commission on Clean Heat, convened by former Massachusetts’ Governor Charlie Baker, and co-chaired the inaugural Climate Justice Working Group of the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC).

Eugenia previously served as the Massachusetts Director of Climate Policy for Health Care Without Harm where she worked with hospitals to become anchors for sustainability and resilience. She was also the policy director at Green Energy Consumers Alliance, advocating for consumer programs and policy solutions to speed the transition to a low-carbon future in New England.

She is a proud alumna of the University of Connecticut and holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

Brady Walker is Head of State Government Affairs and Market Strategy at Ørsted. He is responsible for leading a team in the development and implementation of a variety of state level stakeholder engagement strategies in support of continued development of Ørsted’s portfolio of offshore wind projects.

Prior to joining Ørsted, Brady served as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary at the Maryland Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career, Brady held in-house counsel roles in the energy sector, first at Constellation Energy Group, Inc., and then at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

Brady is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he was a Walter Sondheim, Jr. Public Affairs Scholar, and of the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Sarah is Fervo’s VP of Strategy. In this role, she runs multiple corporate functions including corporate strategy, policy and regulatory engagement, external affairs, people operations, and future business lines. As a result of her widespread advocacy work on behalf of the geothermal industry, she also serves as the chair of the policy committee and an active board member for Geothermal Rising. Prior to joining Fervo, she worked in corporate development and strategic initiatives for Select Energy Services. She started her career in the oilfield, running hydraulic fracturing crews across the Western US and Alaska for Schlumberger. Sarah holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College.

Megan Beauregard is Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Enel North America, Inc., responsible for all of Enel’s legal interests in the United States and Canada, and Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs for all of Enel’s US and Canadian holdings, including Enel Green Power North America, Inc., Enel X North America, Inc., Enel Trading North America, LLC and Enel Finance America, LLC.

Ms. Beauregard joined Enel North America’s legal department in 2008.  General Counsel since 2017, she leads Enel North America’s legal department and advises the company on a wide range of legal and business issues, including contract negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and dispute resolution.   As Secretary of the company, Ms. Beauregard is responsible for all aspects of corporate governance.

Prior to Enel, Ms. Beauregard was an attorney with the law firm Wiggin & Nourie, P.A. Ms. Beauregard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European History and International Relations from Boston University, and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.

With deep New England roots, Ms. Beauregard has been involved with many local charitable organizations over the years.  Ms. Beauregard is a strong supporter of organizations which promote the interest of women in STEM and Energy fields, including WRISE, WEN and NIWIEE.  Ms. Beauregard has served as Resource Chair for the Association of Corporate Counsel Energy Committee and currently is an appointed member of the Leadership Development Program of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources.

Suzanne Leta is Senior Director and Head of Policy and Strategy at SunPower.  She leads a national team that focuses on market and policy dynamics and its impact on SunPower’s customers and business. Her team’s responsibilities include government relations, public affairs and strategic initiatives. With more than 19 years of experience in renewable energy, Suzanne Leta is known for her policy thought leadership and board expertise. Suzanne serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the Leadership Council for Advanced Energy United, and the Advisory Council for Clean Energy for America.

Leslie Chang is the Director of Strategy and Policy at Caelux Corporation. She leads all aspects of federal, state, and local policy engagement as well as Caelux's workforce development strategy. Before joining Caelux, Leslie lived and conducted fieldwork in East Africa, China, and the UK. During this time, she spent six years working with multinational organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and World Bank, ministries of health, and local non-profits as a management consultant. In addition to solar PV and sustainability, her subject matter expertise also includes edtech, digital financial inclusion, and family planning and maternal health.  

Leslie has a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California. Her dissertation focused on the making of the working class while England was expanding its trade empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In particular, she studied education, apprenticeships, and the development of a distinct commercial strata of society.

Laura Bartsch is responsible for Advanced Energy United’s sales and marketing efforts, overseeing a team focused on revenue growth and working to facilitate a deeper understanding of our members’ business and policy goals to maximize their participation in Advanced Energy United's activities. Before joining Advanced Energy United, she was a co-founding Principal of Millville Partners, a strategic marketing firm. Laura’s career incorporates experience in design, marketing and branding, strategic planning and facilitation, project management, and client relations. Laura is Chair of the Rhode Island Distributed Generation Board. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) and for PowerOptions, the largest nonprofit energy consortium in New England.

Amisha Rai oversees Advanced Energy United’s policy and advocacy operation with a focus on maximizing the organization’s reach and impact on the ground. Amisha also directly manages the organization’s Western RTO campaign and works with the policy team to develop and build out both new and existing campaigns in the states. Prior to this role, Amisha expanded United’s footprint in the West and spent years leading the organization’s efforts in California. She also spent several years in Sacramento as a lobbyist and policy advocate on energy issues during her time at the California Chamber of Commerce. She has extensive experience advocating in front of state lawmakers and regulatory officials and has spent time working on policy and statewide campaigns.

J.R. Tolbert serves as the President of Counterspark, a c4 organization started by Advanced Energy United, and leads the philanthropic fundraising team for Advanced Energy United and Advanced Energy Institute. J.R. has been a member of the Advanced Energy United team since 2014, serving in a number of political and policy-focused roles. Prior to joining Advanced Energy United, J.R. was the Executive Director of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, organizing a bipartisan network of lawmakers for clean air, clean water, and the protection of open space. J.R. started his advocacy career working for several environmental organizations, including Green Corps, Environment Virginia, and Sierra Club on state-based clean energy campaigns.

Adam Winer leads the strategic communications activity supporting Advanced Energy United and its affiliated organizations. He develops and executes state and national communications strategies and oversees the organization’s media relations, marketing, and social media to expand awareness of the impact of the United organizations’ policy priorities. Previously, Adam worked at Consumer Reports where he expanded news coverage of its energy and sustainability advocacy portfolio. Prior to transitioning into strategic communications, Adam spent 10 years as an on-air local television news reporter, working at NBC and ABC affiliates in Florida, Kentucky, and Maryland throughout his career.