Steering Committee

Kirsten Schwind

Kirsten Schwind holds a B.A. in Economics and Public Policy from Swarthmore College and an M.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Michigan. She authored Bay Localize's Community Resilience Toolkit and co-authored Tapping the Potential of Urban Rooftops, which won an award from the American Planning Association's California Chapter. Kirsten is deeply involved in local energy policy and formerly served as the Chair of the City of Berkeley's Energy Commission. Kirsten worked for several years in Latin America in human rights and the environment, and is fluent in Spanish.

Larry Chang

Larry Chang received his M. Arch. from Yale University in 1989 and is a registered architect who has worked with offices across the U.S. on both commercial and residential projects. In 1999, he established SightWorks Architecture, his own practice committed to sustainability, accessibility, and healthy buildings. He has taught design at the Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette, Savannah College of Art & Design, and City College SF; currently, he provides outreach assistance to East Bay high school Green Academies and promotes environmental control technology, building automation, and energy management college-degree programs. Prior to joining the Steering Committee, Larry was co-chair of the Oakland Small Business Task Force, helped to co-author the SF Urban Wind Power Task Force Report, and served on Habitat for Humanity-East Bay's Green Building Team.

Woody Hastings

Woody Hastings is an energy and environmental policy analyst, strategic planner, and community organizer with over twenty-two years of experience in the non-profit, governmental, and private sectors. He has played key roles in the development of a solar/hydrogen technology demonstration project, a landfill gas-to-energy project, and the installation of nearly half a megawatt of solar power. Woody’s environmental justice advocacy began at Communities for a Better Environment in the late 1980s, continued as a City of Los Angeles Environmental Deputy in the 1990s, and continued again with a stint at the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Woody is has a degree in Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice from San Francisco State University and currently works for the Climate Protection Campaign to accelerate renewable energy deployment in Sonoma County.

June Brashares

June Brashares is a policy analyst, political strategist, and community organizer with over twenty years of experience working on social justice and environmental issues. A lifelong clean energy enthusiast, June was the first person to receive a tax credit for a zero emission vehicle in San Diego County. She holds a BA in Political Science from UCSD, has served on the boards of a number of non-profit advocacy organizations, and has worked at CalPIRG, the Center for Public Interest Law, and the San Diego Labor Council. More recently, she has worked at Global Exchange first as Speakers Bureau Director and later as Green Energy Director. June is now working independently on a variety of energy and sustainability projects from her home in Sonoma County.

Jim Lutz

Jim Lutz is a researcher employed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he works primarily on understanding and improving the efficiency of water heaters and hot water distribution systems. He is a registered professional engineer and licensed building contractor in California. His interest in local clean energy was raised even higher after his experience serving on the Oil Independent Oakland city task force in 2007.

Andreas Karelas

Andreas Karelas is a passionate environmentalist and renewable energy professional with over seven years of environmental and renewable energy non-profit experience.  Andreas incorporated RE-volv as a non-profit organization in February 2011 and serves as its Executive Director.  Prior to founding RE-volv Andreas worked with a number of leading organizations including the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the School for Field Studies, the National Audubon Society, blueEnergy, and the Center for Resource Solutions.  Andreas holds Master’s degrees in International Affairs and in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.  Andreas holds a bold vision of communities around the nation powering their lives with renewable energy.

Rosana Francescato

Rosana Francescato is a Program Manager at Adobe Systems, where she’s a member of the Green Team. Her interest in community power began with the quest to get solar for her San Francisco condo complex, which led to working with the Solar Gardens Institute to promote community solar in California. Rosana volunteers with GRID Alternatives installing solar PV systems for low-income families and has been the top individual fundraiser for their Bay Area Solarthon two years in a row. She’s on the Local Clean Energy Alliance task force to evaluate SB 843 and is leading a committee that’s looking into community power options in California.

Al Weinrub

Al Weinrub has served as coordinator of the Local Clean Energy Alliance since March 2011. He has organized regular Alliance meetings, planned our annual Clean Power, Healthy Communities conference, recruited new members, and assisted with policy development and campaign implementation efforts. He authored Community Power: Decentralized Renewable Energy in California, has conducted energy policy briefings for a number of organizations. Al serves on the Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee and is a past national officer and member the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981, AFL-CIO. He lives in Oakland.