new york rev future 2017

Richard Kauffman joined the administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as New York State’s first “energy czar” in February 2013. Mr. Kauffman oversees and manages New York State’s entire energy portfolio, including the New York State Department of Public Service, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Prior to joining the administration, Mr. Kauffman worked in energy and finance at some of the nation’s highest levels, most recently serving as senior advisor to Secretary Steven Chu at the U.S. Department of Energy. In his private sector career, he was chief executive officer of Good Energies, Inc., a leading investor in clean energy technologies; a partner of Goldman Sachs where he chaired the Global Financing Group; and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities Business and co-head of its Banking Department.

Mr. Kauffman is also chair of NYSERDA’s Board and has served as chairman of the Board of Levi Strauss & Co., and on the boards of several other organizations, including the Brookings Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, Mr. Kauffman was named by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s Top 25 Eco-Innovators.

Matt Ketschke is currently Con Edison’s vice president of Distributed Resource Integration where he is responsible for the planning and integration efforts related to grid edge customer sided resources and non-traditional utility solutions. He leads Con Edison’s team that is collaborating with regulators and stakeholders on New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) effort. REV is ambitious state policy initiative which is helping to shape the evolution of the electric delivery business model of the future. Matt has been with Con Edison for more than 20 years and has held various positions of increasing responsibility in operations, construction, and engineering. He is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science in Management) and Columbia University (MBA).

As EDF’s Director, New York Clean Energy, Rory Christian focuses on energy and clean air in New York. Rory works with state and city officials, the Public Service Commission, and large utilities such as Con Ed to develop policies supporting an evolving utility landscape. He also works with the Green Bank and private sector clean energy companies to develop opportunities for financing clean energy projects in New York state and New York City.

Mesa brings decades of experience as a practitioner and professor in sustainability, land use and urban systems to the Urban Design Lab. Before joining, Mesa was the Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, where she led OneNYC, the city’s path-breaking long-term sustainability plan under Mayor Bill de Blasio. She also oversaw citywide environmental reviews of projects, as well as policy development and implementation in such areas as energy and climate, renewable energy and power infrastructure, green building standards, recycling and the circular economy, environmental justice, air quality, water, parks and natural resources, and sustainable transportation. In addition, she represented the City in a range of international efforts including the Under2 Coalition, C40, and the  White House US-China Climate City Leaders Initiative.

Prior to joining the de Blasio administration, Mesa worked at Columbia University in several roles, including as the founding assistant vice president of environmental stewardship, adjunct professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, and as the associate dean of administrative affairs at the Graduate School of Journalism. In addition to her role in the Urban Design Lab as Director of Urban Sustainability and Equity Planning, Mesa is teaching urban sustainability and equity.

Previously, Mesa served in the Clinton Administration in key environmental policy roles at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, at the U.S. Air Force, and at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as counsel to the NAFTA Taskforce. Her areas included airspace and land use, toxics, and the National Environmental Policy Act.  On NAFTA, she led U.S. legal negotiations with Canada and Mexico and implementing legislation related to trade and the environment.

Mesa began her environmental career at the California Attorney General’s Office enforcing toxic waste and natural resources laws, and was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Alan Cranston. She has served on boards including the NYC Energy Efficiency Corporation, the Urban Green Council and Second Nature. She is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and Northwestern University. She was born in Cuba, and has lived in Harlem since 2001.