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Niko Dietsch has 20 years of experience working on domestic and international government initiatives to support the clean energy transition and improve air quality. Dietsch has expertise in clean energy policy evaluation, climate and air quality regulatory development, federal voluntary program delivery, and international capacity building. He spent 16 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) State and Local Branch working to advance clean energy as a strategy to help states meet their clean air and climate change requirements. This included playing a lead role in developing the energy efficiency provisions of EPA’s Clean Power Plan and establishing regulations that allow states and cities to include renewables and energy efficiency in their Clean Air Act (CAA) plans.

Nichole Fiore is a Principal Associate with over 15 years of experience evaluating housing and homelessness programs across the country, developing deep expertise on homeless service systems, organizational capacity, political and community will, unsheltered homelessness, and permanent supportive housing. Recognizing the critical link between stable, safe housing and overall well-being, Fiore is proven leader bringing together diverse stakeholders who work across many jurisdictions and sectors to address the needs and improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness. She brings person-centric approaches to teams, from fostering inclusive decision-making in system design to ensuring projects are collecting evidence that informs homeless service systems implementation and rapid response to extreme weather situations. She also is a regular source for media outlets, often on the topic of homelessness in California.

Dr. LaToria Whitehead is an accomplished thought leader working at the intersection of public health, environmental justice, and environmental sustainability, with nearly 20 years of experience working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and, most recently in an interim role at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Office of Environmental Justice.  Dr. Whitehead championed the modernization and updated execution of existing federal-level initiatives for the revision of the 2022 HHS Environmental Justice Strategy and Implementation plan, providing new and innovative approaches to guide the actions and strategies for 11 HHS operating divisions, including— but not limited to— the CDC, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Administration for Children and Families.

Dr. Satyendra Prasad is the Principal Technical Lead for Abt’s climate initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Prasad is a diplomat and governance expert with over two decades of governance experience across international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), World Bank, and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) – now known as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Joan Chahenza is a renewable energy finance and policy expert with more than a decade of private and public sector experience in on-grid and off-grid renewable energy. Her main areas of expertise are financial modeling and structuring of power generation projects, government and regulatory stakeholder management, technical advisory services for renewable energy enterprises, and contract negotiation for power purchase agreements and geothermal drilling contracts.

Dr. Janet Gordon has over 20 years of experience in designing, directing, and conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults and young people especially for Indigenous and culturally-diverse peoples. She has partnered with federal and state agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Education, State Education Agencies, colleges/universities, and private foundations. Her work is focused on culturally-responsive, equity-centered approaches to methodology, data collection, analysis, presentation, and dissemination of evaluation results. Dr. Gordon is skilled in innovative database solutions to create new insightful knowledge for federal, state, tribal, and local agencies for evidence of effectiveness to inform policy and best practices.

Hoai B. Huynh has more than 25 years of experience in energy, environment, engineering, policy, and program management in the U.S. and internationally. He has worked in the U.S. government, consulting, aerospace and defense industry, and non-profit sectors. He also has had experience leading corporate strategy and growth efforts at Abt Global, Deloitte, AECOM, ICF, and CDM Smith. He has worked for such clients as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation, the World Bank, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.   

Laura Blake has more than 20 years of experience in leading scientific programs and research in the environmental science and policy domain. She has deep expertise in surface water quality restoration and protection and has spent her career designing and implementing scientific studies to support efforts to protect human health and aquatic environments. She has significant knowledge of Clean Water Act rules and regulations and has extensive experience supporting federal and state regulatory programs with implementation of and compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.

Lindiwe Chola Dlamini is a certified expert in climate change and renewable energy finance with 18 years’ experience in sustainable energy policy, resource mobilization, partnership development, and program management. Her career includes leadership, resource mobilization, and implementation roles for sustainable energy in Eswatini. She has provided expert technical advisory support for public-private partnership negotiations in energy infrastructure and team leadership for Eswatini's Programme for Affordable Renewable Energy. She has worked with start-up social enterprises and with development programs funded by the U.S. and EU government, African Development Bank, United Nations organizations, World Bank, and African Legal Support Facility.

Dr. Isabel Ana Nhatave has over 20 years of experience implementing STI/HIV/AIDS; family planning; maternal, newborn, and child health; and cervical cancer programs with a focus on health system strengthening. Dr. Nhatave has worked with national, provincial, and district-level governments and with local health facilities to build health system capacity, including health service management, human resources for health, supply chain management, and quality improvement processes. She has successfully advocated for the establishment of technical working groups and quality improvement and management committees and directorates across health areas within the Mozambique Ministry of Health.