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, developing and building out both new and existing programs in the states. Prior to this role, Amisha expanded United’s footprint in the West, including setting the strategy for United’s work to establish a Western RTO, 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.

David Hochschild was appointed Chair of the California Energy Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2019. He fills the environmental position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members are required by law to have professional training in specific areas - engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.

Chair Hochschild's career has spanned public service, environmental advocacy, and the private sector. He first got involved in the solar energy field in 2001 in San Francisco as a special assistant to Mayor Willie Brown where Chair Hochschild launched a citywide $100 million initiative to put solar panels on public buildings. He also cofounded the Vote Solar Initiative, a 100,000-member advocacy organization promoting solar policies at the local, state, and federal levels. He was executive director of a national consortium of leading solar manufacturers and worked for five years at Solaria, a solar company in Silicon Valley. From 2007 to 2008, he served as a commissioner at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

For his work to advance clean energy, Chair Hochschild was awarded the Sierra Club's Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association's Clean Air Hero Award, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. In 2024, he was named the American Energy Society’s Person of the Year: United States. Chair Hochschild holds a bachelor of arts from Swarthmore College and a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.

Tim is a data and evidence-driven energy and accountability expert with over 25 years of experience developing and advocating for balanced and pragmatic solutions to complex societal challenges. A Los Angeles native who has successfully built and led teams across world-class private, government, and non-profit sectors. Tim has extensive experience designing and executing strategies affecting the utility industry with a focus on investment planning and prioritization, advanced metering, decarbonization, clean technology deployment, green building design and operation, and transportation fuels.

Prior to joining the City of Los Angeles in June 2025, Tim was a Leader in Deloitte Consulting’s Sustainability Strategy practice, with a focus on utility and transportation projects.  Before joining Deloitte, Tim was a Senior Director at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) leading engagements in proceedings before energy, environmental and judicial agencies to support equitable access to sustainable and affordable clean energy.  Before EDF, he led regulatory enforcement and audit efforts at complex energy facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, Tim also holds a master’s degree from Duke University and a Law Degree from Golden Gate University with specializations in Environmental and Public Interest Law.  He further holds several certifications in green building design and operation; sustainable development; ESG reporting, strategy, and practice; sustainability related business practices, and executive environmental leadership.   

SPAN Founder & CEO Arch Rao is a seasoned energy technologist with a vision to revolutionize grid-edge energy infrastructure and enable a more efficient and affordable energy future. With a deep-rooted commitment to commercializing clean energy solutions, Rao has dedicated his career to addressing climate change through innovation and technological advancement.

A Stanford graduate with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering, Rao's career began with pioneering research in airborne wind energy systems at Joby Energy and eventually led to a pivotal role in developing groundbreaking products at Tesla Energy, such as the Powerwall, Powerpack, and Solar Roof. Prior to Tesla, he co-founded Verdigris Technologies, focusing on energy monitoring and analytics for commercial and industrial sectors.

Recognizing the stagnant state of the home electrical panel for over 75 years, Rao founded SPAN in 2018 with a mission to transform how energy is managed at the grid edge — starting with a smarter electrical panel. Today, SPAN's hardware-software solutions are installed in all 50 states — giving homeowners, utilities, and developers the energy visibility and advanced power controls needed to build a smarter, more resilient grid for everyone.

Jeff St. John is chief reporter and policy specialist at Canary Media. He covers the intersection of technological, economic, and regulatory issues influencing the global transition to low-carbon energy in the electricity, transportation, and building sectors. His areas of expertise include innovative grid technologies, rooftop solar and batteries, clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, EV charging, and broader decarbonization policy. 

He is the former managing editor and senior grid-edge editor of Greentech Media, and he previously reported for The Fresno Bee, the Tri-City Herald, and the Anchorage Daily News. He lives in Alameda, California, with his wife Tara Donoghue and his dog Lily, and enjoys hiking, baking bread, and playing guitar with his nieces and nephews.

He earned a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.

Caroline Schappert supports Advanced Energy United’s advocacy projects and communications activities in the Western United States. Before joining United, Caroline worked for an environmental communications PR firm executing communications campaigns across energy and environmental issues. Prior, she worked on the Energy team at Edelman in D.C., where she consulted for the U.S. Department of Energy, and was on the international and digital team at GQR, a democratic public opinion research firm. She was previously an intern for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

John Myers joined the CalChamber team in May 2025 as senior vice president, communications and external affairs.Myers spent almost three decades as an award-winning California journalist, serving in various roles in broadcast and print newsrooms, with most of his career focused on California politics and government.

His coverage spanned the last five California governors, hundreds of legislative battles and ballot measure campaigns, and duties that included daily reporting, columns, newsletters, social media, audio and video podcasts, and more. His final assignment was serving as Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, a position he held until the summer of 2022.

From 2022 until joining the CalChamber, Myers served as chief of public affairs for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). His work leading the communications team for the largest public pension fund in the nation focused on overseeing external and internal content for CalPERS’ 2.3 million members and state and local government employers, as well as serving as both the agency’s chief spokesperson and a senior advisor to its executive leadership.

Myers holds degrees from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Brandon García joined Advanced Energy United as California Director, where he focuses on advancing policies that strengthen the state’s advanced energy industry. Prior to joining United, Brandon spent five years in the California Legislature, most recently as the Legislative Director for Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes in both the Senate and Assembly, and four years in the private sector with lobbying firms focused on zero-emission infrastructure, transportation, energy, and recycling policy.