Public Sustainability Partnership Advisory Board

Christine Ervin is widely credited as a major force behind the vibrant green building market. Serving as first President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, she led its growth into an influential coalition of nearly 5,000 organizations and host of LEED® and Greenbuild™. Ms. Ervin served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy from 1993-1997 and Director of Oregon’s Department of Energy from 1991-1993. She is an Editor-at-Large with GreenerWorld Media and serves on various Boards including the American Council on Renewable Energy, Turner Construction’s Sustainability Advisory Board and Oregon’s Climate Change Integration Group. Ms. Ervin’s upcoming book, Certified Green, explores the role of private-public partnerships in transforming markets.

Mr. Sheehy helped implement a $500 million national Green Building Fund and develops and consults on many green projects throughout the nation. He is active in BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) International, and has served as President and Vice Chair for several California and national BOMA chapters. He is also Vice Chair of the Governor’s Real Estate Industry Leadership Council and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Mr. Sheehy helped develop and operate the Joe Serna, Jr. California EPA headquarters building in Sacramento, which received the USGBC’s very first Platinum Certification through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Buildings program. Mr. Sheehy also serves on the Board of Directors of The Public Sustainability Partnership.

Ms. Kawasaki holds key positions in California water, energy and the environment. She was appointed to the California Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee by the Governor and the U.S. Secretary of Interior, and by the Mayor of Los Angeles as Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Previously, she served as General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department. She established the Los Angeles City Environmental Affairs Department in 1990. She is co-chair of Friends of Manzanar, a member of the Women's Foundation Donor Circle, and serves on the Enterprise Foundation Leadership Council. She is also a Director of The Public Sustainability Partnership.

In 1997, Randy Manion became Western’s first Renewable Resource Program manager, designing and implementing the program he continues to manage today. Spanning Western’s 15-state service territory, the program includes consumer-owned utilities, federal agencies, and tribal utilities. Mr. Manion has held progressively responsible positions at Western since 1991, including Division Director of Power Marketing and Contracts and Manager of Energy Services for the Desert Southwest Regional Office. He has served in advisory capacities for the Sustainable Building Industry Council, the Electric Power Research Institute’s Green Power Target, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America and GeoPowering the West programs, among many others.

Ron Nichols brings more than 30 years of experience in energy economics and management consulting to his current position, in which he serves as a management consultant to the electric utility and related energy industry. He specializes in public/private partnerships for planning, financing, and developing energy and water utility infrastructure and enterprises. In 2007, Mr. Nichols was part of a diverse team that consulted for the California Energy Commission, evaluating the effects of alternative levels of energy efficiency and renewable energy on carbon levels and electricity costs in California and throughout the Western Electricity Coordinating Council region. He also had a major role in the two largest revenue bond financings for infrastructure in the nation.

Seth Hulkower served as the Authority's Executive Director from July 1996 until his appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 1999. Prior to his association with the Authority, Mr. Hulkower was a Vice President at JFG Associates, Inc. a financial advisory and amangement consulting firm. He has also held positions with the consulting firm Putnam, Hayes, & Bartlett, Inc, New England Power Company and Stone and Webster Engineering Company. Mr. Hulkower is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Electric Power Research Institute.

Mr. Waite has more than 20 years of senior-level experience in community and strategic planning, housing, transportation, land use, and public finance, including a stint as senior policy advisor to HUD’s Deputy Secretary Alfred DelliBovi and Secretary Jack Kemp. He currently works with HUD’s constituents to improve the energy efficiency of properties assisted or funded by HUD. He also serves as the regional liaison to the regional director for HUD’s America’s Affordable Communities Initiative. Recently, Mr. Waite completed an executive exchange program with the Nevada Housing Division, in which he developed plans and guidance for the state’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and assisted in expanding Nevada’s energy efficiency programs. Mr. Waite serves on the Advisory Board of The Public Sustainability Partnership.

William Golove leads wind development activities for CES. Prior to his position with CES, Mr. Golove was a Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he served as a technical advisor to various federal agencies, notably the DOE, USPS, and Department of Veterans Affairs, in the areas of renewable distributed generation projects, green power purchases and energy efficiency retrofits. Mr. Golove is the co-founder and immediate past Chair of the Public Renewables Partnership. He is also a recipient of a DOE Energy and Water Management Award and a two-time recipient of the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management for his work with the USPS.