Board of Directors

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• John Boesel

  John Boesel CALSTART The public/private nature of CALSTART is reflected in John’s background.  Upon graduating from the University of California, Davis, in 1982, John worked in the California legislature as a legislative aide to then Assemblyman (now Congressman) Sam Farr.  In that position he managed energy and environmental legislation for nearly four years. He received his MBA from the Haas School at UC Berkeley in 1989.  After graduating from business school he worked as a commercial banker in Wells Fargo’s Corporate Headquarters building in San Francisco.  In 1993 John joined CALSTART as the Vice President of Technology Programs.  In 2001 the Board of Directors promoted him to the position of President and CEO. John serves on the Advisory Board for the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford University and is also a board member of the Clean Vehicle Foundation.  John chaired the Vehicle Efficiency Subcommittee of the Western Governor’s Association Alternative Fuels Committee in 2007/2008.

• Michael G. Britt Sr.

  Michael G. Britt Sr. United Parcel Service Michael has spent 26 years at UPS. He has worked in different capacities spending time in operations, industrial engineering and automotive engineering.  For 10 years he worked in California as the Region Automotive Engineering Manager and has a clear understanding of the environmental concerns in that state.  Michael has led efforts in alternative fuel projects and technology development for the domestic fleet and recently for the international fleet. These projects include compressed natural gas, liquified natural gas, propane, electric technology, hydrogen fuel cells, and hybrid vehicle development including both hydrogen electric and hydraulic hybrid technologies. Presently, he manages maintenance and engineering for all international operations and continues to manage fleet sustainability issues in the U.S. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Technical Advisory Group to the America Trucking Association, Clean Cities Board Member and served with The United Way as a member of the Board of Directors in several California locations. Michael holds a B.S. degree in Automotive Technology and a M.B.A in Management.

• Karen Hamberg

  Karen Hamberg Westport Innovations Ms. Hamberg joined Westport Innovations in 2001 and was appointed Vice President, Sustainable Energy Futures in 2012.  Westport is the leading global supplier of technologies that enable engines to operate on clean-burning, low-carbon fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG).  Karen is the architect of the Westport Carbon Project, the first transportation project registered to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.  The Westport Carbon Project is the mechanism by which vehicle operators can monetize the emission reductions associated with a heavy-duty natural gas vehicle.  Karen’s current portfolio includes responsibilities for Sustainability and Environmental Performance, Regulatory Affairs, Advocacy and Corporate Strategy.   Karen has recently completed a secondment to the National Petroleum Council’s Advancing Technology for America’s Transportation Fuels Study for the U.S. Department of Energy.  The Study was approved and released in August 2012 and delivers a report of fuel and vehicle prospects through 2050.  It addresses fuel demand, supply, infrastructure and technology in the context of U.S. objectives to protect the environment, promote economic growth and competiveness and support energy security.  She was a member of four Study teams including natural gas engines and vehicles, greenhouse gas emission reductions, heavy-duty engines and vehicles and report integration.  Karen also co-authored a topic paper for the Study outlining the potential for renewable natural gas to drive greenhouse gas emission reductions within the U.S. transportation sector.    Ms. Hamberg teaches within the School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.  She holds a Master of Arts degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba.  Karen is also a member of the United Way of the Lower Mainland Campaign Cabinet representing the Technology sector.

• Douglas H. Kim

   

  Douglas H. Kim Southern California Edison Doug Kim,Director, PEV Readiness Program, is responsible for the newly formed Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Readiness Program at Southern  California Edison (SCE). The program positions SCE to support customer adoption of plug-in electric vehicles, expected to begin late this year by  many of the major automakers for the 2011 model year. Prior to this  assignment, Doug was general manager of Edison Carrier Solutions (ECS), an SCE business unit which provides large-capacity fiber  optics-based broadband services to all types of telecommunications companies including wireless carriers, large and small local and long distance telephone companies, alternative telecommunications service providers, cable television companies and internet access companies. Kim previously worked as a senior manager in various SCE organizations, with primary responsibilities in assessing new business opportunities and developing strategies and detailed business plans. Kim joined Edison International (EIX) in 1996, working on corporate strategic planning and new  business development. He also provided internal consulting to many of EIX’s operating units. Before joining SCE, Kim worked in the aerospace industry, leading technical organizations that designed, integrated and tested various systems and managing relationships with large defense industry customers. Kim earned an MBA at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont.

  
  

• Brian Olson

  Brian Olson Quantum Technologies W. Brian Olson was appointed Quantum’s CEO on May 10th, 2012, and had previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since August 2002. From July 1999 to August 2002, Mr. Olson served as Treasurer, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IMPCO. He originally joined IMPCO in October 1994 and held various financial positions with IMPCO, including serving as Corporate Controller. Prior to joining IMPCO, Mr. Olson was with the public accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP and its Kenneth Leventhal Group. Mr. Olson holds a B.S. degree in business and operations management from Western Illinois University and an M.B.A. degree in finance and economic policy from the University of Southern California. Mr. Olson is a Certified Financial Manager and a Certified Management Accountant.

• Puon Penn

  Puon Penn Wells Fargo  Puon Penn is a Senior Vice President and head of the National CleanTech & Emerging Tech Markets sector at Wells Fargo within the Technology Banking, part of Commercial Banking. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., he manages a team of banking professionals who serve the financial needs of businesses in technology and clean technology nationwide. Mr Penn began his career with Wells Fargo in 1998 in the International. He moved on to become a relationship manager in the Regional Commercial Banking Office (RCBO) in Modesto, Calif., serving the financial needs of middle-market companies. In 2003, he joined the Securities Investment Group as a financial analyst covering the food and beverage, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and financial services sectors. In 2006, Mr Penn was promoted to loan team manager for the RCBO in Palo Alto.  Mr Penn earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Reed College in Portland, Ore., and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.   Active in the community, Mr Penn is involved with several nonprofit  organizations including the Khmer Institute and Friends Without a Border.

• Dr. Jeffrey Reed

  Dr. Jeffrey Reed Sempra Energy Dr. Jeffrey Reed is the Director of Emerging Technology for the Southern California Gas Company.  In that capacity he leads development of policies and initiatives aimed at supporting the development and deployment of sustainable energy solutions and leads the natural gas RD&D, venture investment and low-emission vehicle programs.  He has also led numerous company initiatives related to renewable and low-carbon energy technologies.  He is on the CalHEAT steering committee, the boards of the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, NGV America and the Hydrogen Business Council and is on the working group of the California Fuel Cell Partnership.   He previously led the electric vehicle program for San Diego Gas and Electric.  Prior to joining the Sempra utilities, Dr. Reed was a senior strategy consultant with Booz-Allen and Hamilton and Accenture, and was an officer with ABB Power Generation in Switzerland.   Dr. Reed holds a doctorate in engineering from UC Berkeley and a masters degree in management from Stanford University.

  
  

• Dipender Saluja

  Dipender Saluja Capricorn Investment Group Dipender Saluja is Managing Director at Capricorn Investment Group, a private investment firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California, where he oversees investments and helps incubate companies in energy technology, clean tech, and IT.  His current areas of interest are solar, electrification of vehicles, energy storage, smart grid, wind and water.   Dipender is also President & CEO of Automatiks Inc, a Capricorn portfolio company that is developing electronic connectivity platforms for electric & hybrid vehicles, storage and smart grids.   Prior to Capricorn & Automatiks, Dipender was Chief of Staff at Cadence, a global market leader  in electronic design. Prior roles at Cadence included Corporate Vice President of Technical Field Operations and GM of Worldwide Services, in which he led a 1200 person global organization. He was also GM of Asia Pacific field operations, and Vice President of Applications Engineering, and set up and managed organizations in various regions around the world including North America, Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific, India and China.  Prior to Cadence, Dipender worked at Data General (now EMC), Honeywell, and ROLM (now IBM).  Dipender is an electrical & computer engineer by training, and attended UND, the University of innesota, and Stanford.  Dipender also serves on the boards of Automatiks Inc., Sunpreme Inc., and Education Frontiers.  He currently lives in Los Altos, with his wife and two sons.

• Paul Smith

  Paul Smith New Flyer Industries, Ltd. Paul Smith, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, joined New Flyer in 1988 in Engineering and moved into the Sales Department in 1995. He has served in his current capacity since 2000. He is responsible for Sales and Marketing, which includes revenue generation, brand management, advertising and promotion, strategic intelligence and customer relationship management. Prior to New Flyer, he worked in the agriculture industry.

• George Survant

  George Survant Time Warner Cable Board Chairman Mr. Survant is Director of Fleet Services for FP&L, managing the company's 3,600 vehicle fleet. He brings significant real-world expertise in vehicle and fleet operations, certification, testing and maintenance. Mr. Survant has been a leader among fleet managers nationwide in helping to commercialize advanced vehicle technologies. His insights on how to accelerate fleet acceptance of clean and energy efficient vehicles will be extremely valuable to our organization. For the past four years Mr. Survant has served as the chair of the Utility Working Group of WestStart’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF). This HTUF group has launched a comprehensive pilot program to assess the performance of heavy-duty hybrids in some of the nation's largest utility fleets. Mr. Survant played a principal role in recruiting utilities to the HTUF program and guiding the utility effort. In 2004 he was awarded a Blue Sky Leadership Award recognizing his visionary leadership in helping move heavy-duty hybrid technology into the marketplace for utility service truck.

• Steven Trichka

  Steven Trichka BAE Systems Steve Trichka is a General Manager, Power & Energy Management, for BAE Systems.  The Power & Energy Management business area provides integrated power management, energy storage, and control systems for land vehicles, rail, energy, and maritime vessels. Steve joined BAE Systems in May 2004 as Associate General Counsel, and was appointed as Vice President and Chief Counsel for Platform Solutions in 2005. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of IIT Research Institute/Alion Science & Technology Corporation, and as Senior Counsel and Corporate EH&S Counsel with Science Applications International Corporation, both in the Washington, D.C. area.  Before joining private industry, he was a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, assigned to the Office of Counsel for the Commandant in Washington, D.C. and Camp Pendleton, California, where he concentrated on government contracts and environmental issues. Steve holds an A.B. in Mathematics and English from Bowdoin College (1984), and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis (1987), where he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Washington University Journal of Urban & Contemporary Law.  He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel, and is admitted to practice in Virginia and New York.  He also serves on the legal committees of the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Defense Industrial Association.  Steve and his wife Laura have two daughters and live in Endwell, NY, where he serves on the Board of Directors for the Town of Union Local Development Corporation and the Binghamton Youth Symphony.

• Jane Warner

  Jane Warner American Lung Association in California Board Vice Chair Jane Warner joined the American Lung Association in California (ALAC) as President and CEO in July 2009, bringing 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and consulting.     Most recently, Jane served as the Executive Director for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) of Los Angeles where she successfully secured a million dollar gift for diabetes research. She also rebranded the Tour de Cure cycling fundraiser “Ship to Shore,” securing a unique experience for cyclists to travel over the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges in their quest to support the ADA.  The result was that the LA Tour de Cure became one of the top tours in the country raising over half a million dollars.   Before working with ADA, Jane was the Senior Executive Director for Southern California for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In this role, Jane increased revenue for the organization and secured a key national sponsorship from American Airlines.  Jane's customer relationship management program for Team in Training was so successful, it was adopted nationwide.     Prior to her position at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Jane was the Director for Annual Giving at UCLA, where she developed a brand identity for annual giving, and produced a comprehensive plan for donor solicitation and cultivation.     Jane operated a successful nonprofit consulting practice, working with a variety of clients including the National Kidney Foundation, the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Spondylitis Association of America, the Thalians at Cedars Sinai Hospital, the California Urban Forest Council, and the Epilepsy Foundation.   Before opening her consulting practice, Jane rapidly moved through the ranks at the Arthritis Foundation, serving as President and CEO of the St. Louis, Missouri chapter, where for four consecutive years, they were the number one chapter in the country.  As a result, Jane was recruited to the National Office as the Vice President for Major Gifts, where she developed the organization’s first major gift campaign.  Two years later, she became Group Vice President, overseeing 60 Chapters nationwide and the National Chapter Operations Committee.  Jane ended her tenure with the Arthritis Foundation as Senior Vice President, responsible for all chapter operations, including $120 million in chapter fundraising, managing all the national office development departments and serving as lead staff for three key National Board Committees:  Chapter Operations, Development, and Strategic Planning.   Jane was born in Bristol, Tennessee and began her nonprofit career with the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Florida and Los Angeles. She is an avid golfer and enjoys long distance cycling and sailing.

• William Zobel

  	William (Bill) A. Zobel Trillium USA Mr Zobel is Senior Vice President of Business Development at Trillium. He leads Trillium's efforts for strategic growth in the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) marketplace.  He joined Trillium from Sempra Energy, where he was the manager of Clean Transportation programs. Mr. Zobel has 22 years of experience in the energy sector ranging from environmental policy, to plant operations, process engineering and design, and directed research.  He served as manager of the San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Gas Company's Clean Transportation programs. In this role, Mr Zobel was responsible for the development and execution of the joint utilities' alternative fuels program which included customer education and outreach, development of alternative transportation fuel policy, external advocacy, and demonstration/ commercialization of natural gas and electric vehicle drive technologies. Mr Zobel has long history of public service and volunteerism.  He is and has served in leadership positions on a variety of non-profit boards, foundations, and trade associations.  He currently serves as a board member of NGV America, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, and the California Electric Transportation Coalition.  He has served as Chairman of the California Manufacturers and Technology association’s committee on environmental quality, vice-chairman of the Conservation Corps of Long Beach, and vice chairman of the Moonlight Cultural Foundation.  He continues to be an active member of both the Pacific International Council and the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance.   Mr Zobel holds a bachelors of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and has attended Columbia University’s executive business program.  He and his wife, Sylvia, have two children, Kyle and Christopher.