GUEST SPEAKERS

SESSION TWO:
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Michael Bowman 
National Steering Committee Member, 25x'25 Coalition 

Michael Bowman is a fifth-generation native of Colorado, hailing from the small town of Wray (pop. 2,000). Throughout his adult life he has been active in the rural development initiatives nationwide. He serves on the National Steering Committee for “25x’25”, served as Chair of Colorado’s New Energy Future in 2006 and was co-chair of Governor-elect Bill Ritter’s transition team for energy policy. He was a member of the 2005 Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change and served as Summit Chair for the 2006 Intermountain Harvesting Energy Network Conference.  

He is a steering committee member for Colorado’s Climate Action Plan where his efforts are centered on creating public policy encouraging low carbon biofuels and sustainable methods of production, serves on the National Council of Advisors for the Heartland Center for Leadership Development in Lincoln, NE and Holistic Management International in Albuquerque, and has participated in a grasslands and sustainability project near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.  

Michael is a graduate of the Colorado Agriculture and Rural Leadership program, a Bighorn Fellow and a member of Columbia University’s “Next Generation Project” as an invited Fellow from the Mountain States region.

Jay Levenstein
Deputy Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Jay Levenstein is one of three deputy commissioners who report to the Chief of Staff.  

He oversees the Divisions of Forestry, Animal Industry, and Standards. In this capacity, he is responsible    for protecting Florida’s vast state forest resources; protecting livestock from pests and diseases, enforcing animal health regulations; and oversight of the quality and quantity of fuel products used by the public and transactions involving weight and measurement, such as supermarket scales.

Recently, Mr. Levenstein developed the department’s Farm to Fuel Initiative to promote the production and distribution of renewable energy from Florida-grown crops, agricultural wastes and residues, and other biomass. He also serves as a member of the Renewable Energy Advisory Group of the Florida Energy Commission.   

He joined the Department in November 1993 and was previously engaged in the private practice of law. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Levenstein served as the Department's State-Federal Relations Director, Legislative Affairs Director, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Disease Control, and Senior Attorney.  

Mr. Levenstein received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his law degree from the University of Miami. 

Kevin M. Robertson
Fire Ecology Research Scientist 

As a fire ecology research scientist at Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee,  Kevin Robertson conducts research in the areas of fire ecology, plant ecology, and effects of land management.  His duties include obtaining external funding.  supervising technicians, grad students, and interns on research projects, and providing extension and education to agencies, land owners, managers, and visitors on topics relating to the use of fire, forestry, and game management.   

With extensive teaching and research experience, Dr. Robertson is a member of numerous professional societies, including the Ecological Society of America, Tall Timbers Research Station, Association for Fire Ecology, Longleaf Alliance, Southwest Georgia Prescribed Fire Council, and North Florida Prescribed Fire Council. His Ph.D. in Plant Biology was received from the University of Illinois in 2001.

See Dr. Robertson's complete Curriculum Vitae here.

Kellee James
Economist with the Chicago Climate Exchange

Kellee James is an Economist with the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first and North America's only active, voluntary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six greenhouse gases, with offset projects in North America and worldwide.

Prior to joining the Chicago Climate Exchange, Ms. James worked as a consultant for the World Bank as well as for the Inter-American Foundation where she evaluated programs that included both corporate and small business interests in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras in the agriculture, tourism and finance sectors.

In addition to her work in Latin America, Ms. James contributes to the field of corporate social responsibility. She is currently serving on the board of Net Impact, a non-profit membership organization that promotes socially responsible and environmentally sustainable business practices.

Ms. James has completed an MBA with a focus on International Finance and a Masters of Arts in International Development from American University in Washington, D.C.

Christopher O’Brien
Vice President, Sharp Solar 

Christopher O'Brien is Vice President for Strategy & Government Relations for Sharp Electronics Corporation, Solar Energy Solutions Group (Sharp Solar), the world’s leading producer of solar photovoltaic equipment. Chris also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and is a member of the Advisory Board member for the National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV). Chris has been a member of the ACORE Board of Directors since 2005.

Chris has held senior management positions with leading solar PV companies since 1995. He has previous career experience in the energy efficiency industry, the independent power industry, and in grass roots energy efficiency development in Africa. .

Chris holds two engineering degrees from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Dr. James J. O'Brien
Director, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies
The Florida State University

Dr. James J. O'Brien is the director of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS), which performs research in air-sea interaction, ocean and coupled air-sea modeling, climate prediction, statistical studies, and predictions of social/economic consequences due to ocean-atmospheric variations. Students in COAPS come from a wide variety of departments including meteorology, mathematics, computer science, and physical oceanography. COAPS is funded by several federal agencies, producing original published papers that advance our understanding of the ocean and the atmosphere.

Dr. O'Brien received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Meteorology in 1966. See Dr. O'Brien's Curriculum Vitae here.