Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari

Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari is the youngest woman ever elected in Phoenix City Council history and the first Iranian-American elected to public office in the state of Arizona. She is an Arizona native, daughter of immigrants, and a graduate of Stanford and Cambridge universities. She's dedicated her career to finding solutions to critical issues such as climate change, air pollution and public health, most recently as a senior policy advisor at the United Nations. In 2020, her policy work received recognition when she was named to the Forbes '30 under 30' list in Law and Policy. Ansari is ready to take impactful action at home in the city she loves. Her priorities include: leading District 7 residents safely and stronger out of the pandemic, expanding affordable housing, keeping neighborhoods safe, bringing high-quality jobs to the area, and ensuring clean air and water are accessible to all. Phoenix is the fifth-largest and fastest-growing city in the United States. Ansari is determined to build sustainable, equitable communities that serve future generations.

Catherine O’Brien

Catherine O’Brien works in the Salt River Project (SRP) Sustainability Policy & Programs group where she is leading SRP’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating and collaborating with various internal stakeholders on developing strategies and initiatives to help identify opportunities towards increasing EV adoption, and meeting SRP’s 2035 EV goal of supporting the enablement of 500,000 EVs in SRP’s service territory while managing 90% of the EV charging load. These strategies focus on business, multifamily housing, residential, and public charging, along with fleet electrification, education and outreach, innovation, and policy. Some recent accomplishments include implementing SRP’s Pilot Plug-in & Save EV registration rebate, launching the Transportation Electrification (TE) Activator with a coalition of practitioners and supporters focused on accelerating TE in Arizona, and partnering with Chargeway to help educate dealerships and consumers about EVs and charging. Catherine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mathematics from the University of Arizona. She previously served as project manager of the SRP Advanced Inverter Project (AIP) that involved coordinating the installation of over 750 “smart” solar inverters on customer homes to test a range of new grid support functionalities along with communication and control abilities. She has also provided engineering support to numerous departments within SRP, including Research & Development, Policy Procedures & Standards, Engineering Services, and Transmission Planning. Prior to working at SRP, she worked at the consulting firm ARUSI for several years as a project manager on distribution design projects, as contractor to SRP.

Kathy Knoop

Kathy Knoop is an Energy Innovation Advisor at Arizona Public Service. She is the APS subject matter expert on electric transportation. She advises on program development, stakeholder partnerships, EV load management and demand response, EV marketing as well as customer outreach and education. Kathy regularly presents EV related topics to both internal and external audiences to assist them with a greater understanding of the issues surrounding transportation electrification. During Kathy’s 29 years in the utility business, she has also worked on supporting utility environmental compliance and sustainability programs, including greenhouse gas emission analysis and reporting. Kathy serves on the Phoenix Environmental Quality and Sustainability Committee. Kathy was born in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Arizona State University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry as well as Master’s Degree in Environmental Management.

Katherine Stainken

Katherine is the Senior Director of EV Policy at the Electrification Coalition (EC). She leads and manages the policy team at the EC, which is focused on transitioning our transportation sector to be electric. Her work spans across city, state, regional and federal levels. Prior to the EC, Katherine was the Policy Director at Plug In America, a non-profit representing the voice of the electric vehicle (EV) consumer. She led the policy team in promoting policies that work for the EV driver at the local, city, state and federal levels, including policies needed prior to purchase of the vehicle and policies needed during ownership of the vehicle. Prior to her work at Plug In America, Katherine was a Director of Government Affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), focused on policies to promote solar on the federal level as well as southeast and northeast regions, along with regulatory work at the DOE, EPA, and other federal agencies. Katherine was also the lead staff on the Clean Power Plan and chief liaison to the solar heating and cooling and EH&S groups at SEIA. She received her Masters degree from American University in Global Environmental Policy and Bachelors degree in Chemistry and German from Boston College, and is a former Fulbright and ThinkSwiss Scholar.

Court Rich

Court S. Rich is Co-Founder of Rose Law Group and is Director of the firm’s Renewable Energy and Regulatory Law Department. Court practices in the areas of renewable energy, municipal law, regulatory law, land use and zoning, real estate, and handles administrative matters in front of the Arizona Corporation Commission, the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee, and the Arizona Department of Real Estate, as well as lobbying at the State Legislature. Court serves as regulatory counsel for some of the largest solar, renewable energy, and electric vehicle companies and industry organizations in the United States. Court has extensive experience helping clients solve complicated real estate development and regulatory issues in all parts of Arizona and has been involved in every major issue facing Arizona’s clean energy industry over the past decade and a half.

Timothy Sprague

An attorney by training, Mr. Sprague is a lifelong entrepreneur with a broad portfolio of professional experience having served as president of Warwick & Co., Inc., his family’s private merchant and investment bank and co-managed the formation of its cross-border acquisition fund with Nacional Financiera, Mexico’s development bank, overseeing its Mexican manufacturing facilities. Sprague’s real estate experience has been driven by involvement in and creation of community involving properties in Portland, Oregon and the Phoenix regional market. Currently, Mr. Sprague, and his business partners John Hill and Thomas McPherson operate a Habitat Metro, LLC, a development firm focused on sustainable infill multifamily and hospitality projects in the Phoenix metro market. Sprague has and continues to be an active member of numerous civic and charitable boards. Those have included the Roosevelt Action Association, Grand Avenue Merchants Association, the Episcopal Habitat Coalition of Phoenix, the Urban Land Institute, and past president of the Hance Park Conservancy. Currently, Mr. Sprague is a member of the Executive Committee of the Phoenix Community Alliance where he continues its partnership with the City of Phoenix to redevelop the 32.5 acre Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix. Mr. Sprague also is a member of the Arizona Housing Fund Advisory Committee forming capital for affordable housing. He holds a bachelors of science degree in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Autumn Johnson

Autumn represents Western Resource Advocates as a policy advocate before regulators, legislators, and other policymakers in Arizona. Her work is primarily focused on advancing clean energy resources; such as renewables, storage, and energy efficiency; moving the power sector away from fossil-fueled resources; transportation electrification; and developing regulatory and statutory mechanisms to address climate change. Before becoming the Arizona Government Affairs Manager, Autumn was WRA’s Energy Policy Analyst in Arizona. Prior to joining WRA, Autumn was the Assistant Director of the Energy Policy Institute at Boise State University, a think tank focused on clean energy research. Before moving to Boise, she was a practicing attorney in Seattle. Autumn maintains a BA from the University of Arizona, a JD from the University of Oregon, an MBA from Seattle University, and is currently working to complete her PhD in Public Policy at Boise State University.

Delbert Hawk

Delbert Hawk currently serves as the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 640 in addition to being the Chairman and Labor Trustee at the Phoenix Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Delbert began his career as a Union electrician when he joined the Phoenix Electrical Apprenticeship program through I.B.E.W. Local 640. He graduated from the five year apprenticeship program in 2004 to become a Journeyman Wireman. Soon after, he started working in the field and was quickly appointed as a Foreman, working for multiple contractors on high profile jobs here in Arizona, such as, Intel and APS. In addition, he also spent two years teaching first and third year students enrolled in the I.B.E.W. Apprenticeship program. In 2013, he was brought into the Local Union 640 Business Office as a Business Development Representative, and shortly thereafter, elected as the Local Union President in 2014. Delbert was appointed as the State Political Coordinator for the I.B.E.W. 7th District in 2015, increasing his involvement in political events and activities. Other appointments include serving as a Trustee for the Local 640 Health and Welfare Fund and Pension Fund, plus several other State and Municipal affiliations such as: Arizona Town Hall, Alliance for Construction, and Arizona Technology Council, just to name a few. Delbert stays very active in the community and business sector, promoting the I.B.E.W. Apprenticeship program and educating non-signatory contractors and workers about the benefits of becoming a member of the I.B.E.W.

Clark Miller

Clark A. Miller is Professor and Director of the Center for Energy and Society at Arizona State University. His research examines the social drivers, dynamics, and outcomes of regional energy transitions. He is a member of the National Academies Committee on Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States.

Omar Gonzales

Omar Gonzales serves as the Manager of State and Local Government Affairs at Nikola Corporation where he leads, shapes, and directs engagement with elected officials, regulators, and other stakeholders to further the company’s policy, political, and legislative priorities. Before joining Nikola, Gonzales served as the CA Deputy Policy Director for Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign. In this role he helped develop a national policy agenda and advised campaign leadership and senior surrogates on a portfolio of public policy issues. Prior to the campaign, Gonzales worked on the Government Partnerships team at Bird Rides and in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. He is an alum of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and served as a White House intern during the Obama Administration, where he focused on intergovernmental affairs. Gonzales received his Bachelors of Science from USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Caryn Potter

Caryn Potter is the Utility Program Manager for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). At SWEEP, she crafts policies and programs that advance utility-administered energy efficiency and other demand-side resources, as well as transportation electrification through state regulatory and legislative processes. Before joining SWEEP, Caryn worked at the World Resources Institute assessing climate mitigation goals of Fortune 500 companies in her role as a Research Assistant. Before this position, Caryn was an independent marketing strategist, working with clients in the information technology and sustainability sectors. Caryn holds a Master of Science in Climate Science and Solutions, emphasizing energy policy and climate change mitigation from the Northern Arizona University. She also serves as Advisory Committee Member for the Customer Experience Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business

Columba Sainz

A mother to three little ones, Columba enjoys spending time at the park, planting trees, and volunteering in her community. She and her family currently live in Phoenix, Arizona, where she loves educating moms and kids on issues related to the environment and health. Columba has worked for over 10 years on uniting her community by teaching faith and community advocacy, with a focus on early education and youth group programs. Columba believes in the power of unity and advocating together so that our children are free from pollution and other harmful toxins. She believes deeply that small communities can make huge impacts in the world, inspiring her to educate members of her community to ensure that they have the necessary tools to advocate for themselves.

Lisa M. Perez

Lisa M. Perez is a public affairs consultant. She has spent her career working for government, non-profits, political campaigns and civic causes. When not working on a consulting assignment, she spends her time marveling at the way her son views the world and volunteers for the following organizations: City of Phoenix Planning Commission (commissioner) and Estrella Village Planning Committee (member), Phoenix Community Alliance (board member), Sienna Vista Block Watch (president), Tuscano Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (president) and serves as an ambassador to a women’s hiking group.

Vianey Olivarria

As a woman of color in Arizona, her experience with racist and sexist policies drew her towards a personal and professional life in politics and advocacy. Vianey studied Political Science, International Relations and French at Arizona State University. After graduation, she joined Fred Duval’s Arizona gubernatorial campaign as a communications staffer. Vianey has worked with Mountain Park Health Center, where she focused on telling the story of patients and their access to healthcare. While serving in the nonprofit sector, she was an active participant in multiple grassroots campaigns, including defending reproductive rights with Planned Parenthood AZ and taking racist Sheriff Arpaio out of office with the Bazta Arpaio efforts. In 2018, she became the Spanish Media Director for David Garcia’s gubernatorial campaign, and worked on State House Representative Raquel Teran’s campaign for Arizona State House. Later in the year, she became a communications consultant for Carlos Garcia’s successful City of Phoenix Council campaign. With a strong belief in reflective democracy, people power and electing bold leaders to office, Vianey is happy to be part of the team at Chispa Arizona. Vianey’s passion includes holding politicians accountable, fighting for climate and social justice, and lifting up the leadership of women of color across the movement.