Pioneering CCUS experts from industry, national labs, and academia are part of the RECS faculty and network. Below are members of the RECS 2024 faculty.
ROGER D. AINES, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor on CDR to the Under Secretary for Energy & Innovation
U.S. Department of Energy
Roger D Aines, Ph.D. is the Senior Advisor on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to Dr. Geri Richmond, Under Secretary for Energy and Innovation (S4) at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role, Dr. Aines coordinates and collaborates on cross-cutting efforts within S4 on the Carbon Negative Shot (CNS), the U.S. Government’s first major aligning objective for CDR research, development, and deployment. Dr. Aines provides oversight and assistance with all aspects of the CNS initiative, including providing technical advice and guidance to the Under Secretary’s program portfolio, which includes the Office of Science and the DOE applied energy programs. Dr. Aines is currently on detail from his role as Chief Scientist of the Energy Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), one of the U.S. Department of Energy labs that conducts government and private sector research in clean energy technology. Dr. Aines joined LLNL in 1984 and has worked in a number of areas including nuclear waste disposal, environmental remediation, application of stochastic methods to inversion and data fusion, management of carbon emissions including separation technology, monitoring and verification methods for sequestration, application of 3-D printing to chemical reactors and gas separations, development of catalysts for carbon dioxide capture, management of pressure in geologic sequestration through brine withdrawal and treatment, and encapsulation of carbon dioxide capture solvents. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Carleton College, and Doctor of Philosophy in geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology.
AMY AINES
Workshop Leader, Keynote Speaker, Communication Coach
CEO Damianakes Communications
Author Championing Science – Communicating Your Ideas to Decision Makers
Amy Aines builds STEM career success skill. She is a communication strategist, speaker coach, and trainer on a mission to help scientists speak and listen so they can make a bigger impact. Co-author of the ‘how to’ book: Championing Science: Communicating Your Ideas to Decision Makers, Amy honed her expertise directing corporate, media, and public policy communications for a $10B telecommunications giant and its wireless spin-off. Throughout her career she has informed publics, explained complex concepts, promoted experts, motivated change, coached leaders, and introduced innovations that have made our world safer and healthier. Since 1999 Amy has served as CEO of a boutique communication consulting firm. Her client roster includes more than 50companies from start-ups to global giants in technology, healthcare, and biotechincluding: Genentech, McKesson, BioMarin, Gilead, Cisco, Stoke Therapeutics, Vodafone and numerous emerging tech and biotech firms. Amy is a sought-after workshop leader and keynote speaker who provides insights into effective communication, relationship-building, and influence approaches. Since 2019, she has created custom skill-building workshops for scientists and engineers, graduate students, early career professionals, and faculty for universities and federally funded research development centers. Her work has improved capabilities for participants at the DOE RECS program, the Center for BioEnergy Innovation, NASA, JPL, CanCO2re Project, Stanford, Princeton, Florida International University, the University of Virginia, Northeastern Network Science Institute, UCLA, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Amy gives of her time as an advisor to the SAi Collective, Quest Science Center, and Beyond the PhD.
KEJU AN, Ph.D.
Researcher III
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. An works in the areas of direct air capture (DAC), techno-economic analysis, and decarbonization strategies. He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University(2019). Since 2023, Dr. An has been a Researcher III at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he focuses on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) roadmaps, DAC siting and powering alternatives, and scaling up DAC technologies. His work aims to achieve net-negative emission goals and promote environmental sustainability. Before joining NREL, he worked on the experimental optimization of solvent-based DAC systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher.
NADIA AUCH
Program Strategist, University Partnerships
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
SALLY M. BENSON, Ph.D.
Precourt Family Professor, Professor of Energy Science Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Stanford University
Sally M. Benson, who joined Stanford University in 2007, is the Precourt Family Professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She studies technologies and pathways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions including geologic storage of CO2 in deep underground formations and energy systems analysis for a low-carbon future. From 2021 to 2023 she was on leave from the University to serve as the Energy Division Director and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prior to this, she served as the Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage and the Stanford Carbon Removal Initiative. From 2013 to 2020, she served at the Director and Co-Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. She also served as the Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project from 2009 to 2019. Prior to joining Stanford, Benson was Division Director for Earth Sciences, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences and Deputy Director at LBNL. Professor Benson currently is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Innovation Council and a Board Member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. In 2023 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has previously served on the Board of Directors for Climate Central and from 2008 to 2020 on the Board of Directors of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. She also served on the Advisory Boards for Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Argonne National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative, Princeton’s Adlinger Center, Japan’s Initiative for the Cool Earth Forum, Climate Vault, and the Lahore University of Management Science in Pakistan. Over the past several years she participated in many National Academy of Sciences, Secretary of Energy, and National Petroleum Council research needs assessments related to carbon management. She also is on the Editorial Board for Energy and Environmental Sciences.
NORA COHEN BROWN
Head of Market Development & Policy
Charm Industrial
Nora is Head of Market Development & Policy at Charm Industrial. Prior to Charm, she designed and led the government engagement and business development strategy at Saildrone as the Senior Director of Government Relations. She previously worked at the White House in the Obama Administration, and has held a variety of roles in the private sector, government, and nonprofits at the intersection of industry, policy, and government. She is a graduate of Haverford College.
JEFFREY DRESE, Ph.D.
Principal – Direct Air Capture
Fortescue
Jeff Drese (RECS 2012) acquired a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010, where he worked on sorbents for point source capture and DAC under Prof. Chris Jones. After graduating, Jeff joined Phillips 66’s R&D organization where he spent 13 years as a researcher and group lead. Jeff then joined Fortescue in 2023, where he serves as the company’s technical lead for DAC and carbon utilization. Jeff has broad expertise across decarbonization technologies, including CCUS and CDR, low-carbon hydrogen, energy storage, renewable fuels, and refinery optimization.
RICHARD A. ESPOSITO, Ph.D.
R&D Program Manager, Carbon Transport & Storage
Net-Zero Technologies / National Carbon Capture Center
Southern Company Services, Inc.
Richard A. Esposito, PhD has close to 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry and currently serves as a Research and Development (R&D) Consultant for Southern Company’s Research & Development Group. He has published extensively and lectures internationally on the research, development, and deployment of energy-related technologies. Dr. Esposito began working at Southern Company in 1991 in the Engineering & Construction Services Group dealing with a wide range of engineering and environmental issues related to power generation. After 15 years in the engineering organization he received a PhD in Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with focus on environmental controls and enhanced oil recovery. He then moved to the Southern Company Research & Development Group as a Consulting Engineer where he currently manages a broad research portfolio related to geosciences and engineering. Dr. Esposito is also a research professor at UAB and his research and teaching interests include: geological engineering and the nexus between energy production and the environment; compression and injection of fluids into the subsurface; greenhouse gas emission mitigation technologies; enhanced energy recovery; carbon capture and storage; compressed air energy storage; deep-well disposal of fluids, and deep-well isolation of low-level radioactive solids. He serves as current President of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Geological Society and Vice Chair of the Energy Division of the Geological Society of America. He serves on the Executive Committee in the Greenhouse Gas Division of the International Energy Agency. He currently serves on the University of Illinois – Energy Frontier Research Center for the Geologic Storage of CO2 and the Auburn University Geosciences Advisory Board. He currently serves on the International Standards Organization’s committee on developing standards for the storage of CO2 in oil fields. He previously served on the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on Science for Energy Technology (2009), on the Canadian Standards Association for the Development of Standards for Geologic Sequestration (2011), Operations & Maintenance Subgroup Coordinator, U.S. Department of Energy’s CO2 Storage and Advanced Research Merit Review Panel (2011 & 2012), and the Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Proposal Review Panel (2008). He has received two separate Technology Transfer Awards for R&D in (2007 and 2012) from the Electric Power Research Institute.
ANDREW FISHBEIN
Lead Government Affairs North America
Climeworks
Andrew Fishbein is Lead Government Affairs North America at Climeworks, a global leader in carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture (DAC). He is responsible for Climeworks’ policy strategy to enable the commercial scale-up of DAC in the US and Canada. Andrew joined Climeworks in 2022 after more than a decade working in policy and advocacy at the intersections of energy, democracy, and international affairs. He holds a M.Sc. in Energy Policy & Climate from Johns Hopkins University and a B.Sc. in Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University. He is based in Washington, DC.
SALLIE E. GREENBERG, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, Energy & Minerals
Illinois State Geological Survey – University of Illinois
Sallie E. Greenberg, PhD is a Principal Scientist of Energy & Minerals at the Illinois State Geological Survey – University of Illinois. She is the principal investigator for the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s original seven regional sequestration partnerships. Dr. Greenberg is the co-technical lead for the Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative, a new CO2 Regional Deployment Initiative focused on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage deployment in the Midwest and Northeast United States. In these roles, Dr. Greenberg leads teams of scientists, engineers, and policy makers working on several carbon capture and geologic storage projects, including the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project, CarbonSAFE Illinois Corridor, Wabash CarbonSAFE, and the Illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage Projects. Over the last 20 years, she has consulted or contributed to more than 30 energy and carbon capture and storage projects, especially in the areas of project development, risk reduction, and stakeholder engagement. Dr. Greenberg uses her advanced degrees in low temperature geochemistry and education to create strategies for change based understanding public challenges related to balancing societal demands for energy with environmental concerns. Dr. Greenberg holds a Ph.D. in Secondary and Continuing Education and Master of Science degree in Geology from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Alfred University in New York.
SUSAN HABAS, Ph.D.
Distinguished Member of Research Staff
Senior Scientist
Catalytic Carbon Transformation and Scale-up Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Susan Habas is a Senior Scientist and Distinguished Member of Research Staff in the Catalytic Carbon Transformation & Scale-up Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Her research focuses on the development of innovative catalysts for selective transformations of renewable and waste carbon sources into fuels and chemicals. Her interests include design and synthesis of nanostructured catalysts with tailored surface chemistry, continuous flow methods for scalable synthesis and discovery of catalytic materials, and nonthermal plasma catalysis. She is a Principal Investigator in the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium, leading a multi-national laboratory effort to advance new synthesis approaches and operando characterization capabilities for catalytic systems. She recently joined the Editorial Board of EES Catalysis as an Associate Editor and serves on the Advisory Board of Sustainable Energy & Fuels. Prior to joining NREL, Susan received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley developing controlled nanomaterials for catalytic and energy applications.
JONATHAN ‘FRED’ McLAUGHLIN, Ph.D.
Director
Center for Economic Geology Research
School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming
Dr. Fred McLaughlin is Director at the University of Wyoming Center for Economic Geology Research within the School of Energy Resources. He has primarily worked on the petrogenesis of Rocky Mountain uplifts and basins and associated energy resources. Areas of research include isotopic and geochemical evolution of basement and sedimentary rocks and groundwater, natural gas, uranium and coal systems, and the reservoir evolution. Recently, Dr. McLaughlin has worked to characterize the geochemical components of hydrocarbon reservoirs and produced brines in Wyoming. He is a licensed professional geologist in the State of Wyoming, and has many years of project management experience. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Geology and a PhD in Isotope Geochemistry, Petrology, all from the University of Wyoming.
TRAVIS MCLING, Ph.D.
Distinguished Staff Scientist
Fossil Energy & Geothermal Technologies
Idaho National Laboratory
Dr. Travis McLing has been working in the field of geology and geochemistry since 1988. He is considered an expert in the fields of geologic mapping, fieldwork, carbon sequestration, geomicrobiology and hydrochemistry. He has spent the last seven years on the development of geochemical models to aid in the characterization of carbon dioxide transport at potential storage sites. In his current capacity, Dr. McLing serves as the carbon storage lead for INL and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), where he leads the research and business development activities for these institutions. His primary interest in this field is the study of the geochemical mineralization reactions controlling the fate and transport of carbon dioxide in subsurface environments. Currently, he is conducting carbon dioxide related research projects associated with the Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership through DOE, Shell International Exploration, The Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Carbon Dioxide Water Issues Task Force. One of his primary projects is the study of natural CCS analogues to identify chemical signatures of mineralization and leakage pathways in the near surface. These projects have received national recognition and have been instrumental in the development of strategies to evaluate potential storage sites for anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Dr. McLing has also been appointed to the Idaho Governor’s Carbon Sequestration Advisory Committee as the chair of the Idaho Carbon Issues Task Force. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Geology from Idaho State University.
MICHAEL MOORE
Program Director, United States Energy Association
Manning Partner, East-West Strategic Advisors
Mike Moore serves as a Program Director for the United States Energy Association (USEA). He is also a managing partner of East-West Strategic Advisors. He was appointed by U.S. Energy Secretary Perry to the National Coal Council (2018-2020) and Secretary Brouillette (2020-2022). He also serves as the executive director to the National Tribal Energy Association and the Waste Gas Capture Initiative. Since 2002, he has been the program director for the Annual CO2 EOR Carbon Management Workshop/CO2 Technical Conference Midland, TX (2002-present) and is a regular contributor to RECS (2008-present). Mike was the executive director of The North American Carbon Capture Storage Association (2008-2017), and a founding member and officer in the Texas Carbon Capture Association (TXCCSA). Over the past 30+ years Mike has been directly involved in (domestic and international): carbon monetization projects and related asset development, CO2-EOR, low carbon projects, CO2 storage, policy & regulatory issues, and natural gas storage development utilizing depleted oil and gas reservoirs; the commercialization of gas storage capacity, interconnection agreements, permitting, land use, gas storage contracts, financing etc.; transacted with utilities, industrials, pipelines, producers and financial house; spent considerable time on policy and regulatory issues Federal and state; and he worked in and developed opportunities in the deregulated telecom, electricity and natural gas markets. Additional experience includes: Stakeholder participation in several hydrogen production, CO2 storage, CO2 capture, plastics destruction, voluntary carbon markets, digital currency/blockchain, communications/electronic trading platforms which included management/operations, money raising and client development; partner and producing broker in deregulated power, data and consulting; crude oil market broker facilitating transactions in the physical and financial markets. He was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit by HM King Harald V with the rank of Knight 1st Class and officer of the Order (2015).
ELIZABETH S. PETRIE, Ph.D.
Moncrief Chair in Petroleum Geology
Professor of Geology
Western Colorado University
Elizabeth S. Petrie, Ph.D. (RECS 2011) is the Moncrief Chair in Petroleum Geology and Professor of Geology at Western Colorado University. She has B.S. degrees in geology and biology from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. in geology from Utah State University and worked as a petroleum geologist for 7 years. Since 2014, she has been a professor at Western Colorado University where she actively involves undergraduate students in research projects that focus on structural geology, rock mechanics, and fracture development. Dr. Petrie studies the semi-brittle deformation of the Earth’s crust and how this deformation influences the movement of fluids in the subsurface. Her research combines quantitative observation from outcrop, laboratory experiments and subsurface data sets to understand the formation and distribution of fractures and fault zones and the role variations in rock mechanical properties have on failure across many scales of observation. Her research is applicable to a variety of topics including: understanding earthquake processes, the distribution of energy and mineral resources, and the subsurface storage of carbon dioxide or other waste materials.
ERIN H.W. PHILLIPS, Ph.D.
Director, Cross Cutting Programs
School of Energy Resources
University of Wyoming
Erin Phillips, Ph.D. is the director of cross cutting programs for the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources. Erin contributes to the DOE funded CarbonSAFE project at Dry Fork Station in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and leads the University of Wyoming’s efforts for the Plains CO2 Reduction Regional Partnership Initiative. Erin completed her PhD at the University of Wyoming, where she studied geochemistry and volcanology.
MAX PISCIOTTA, Ph.D. (they/them)
Postdoctoral Researcher
Clean Energy Conversions Lab
Max Pisciotta, Ph.D. (RECS 2023) is a postdoctoral researcher in the Clean Energy Conversions Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Their research focuses on integrating binary geothermal power plants with direct air capture systems, industrial decarbonization strategies, and curriculum development for building a sustainability workforce in collaboration with universities in the Global South. Also passionate about science communication, Max co-developed the Road to 10 Gigatons game based on the National Academies report on carbon removal, and is featured in the upcoming carbon removal documentary, Legion 44. When Max is not conducting research, they enjoy reading, running, and hiking.
SCOTT QUILLINAN
Senior Director, Research, School of Energy Resources (SER)
and Director, SER Center for Economic Geology Research
University of Wyoming
Scott Quillinan is the Senior Director of research and operations for the School of Energy Resources (SER) and the director of the Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR, formerly the Carbon Management Institute) at the University Of Wyoming. A geologist by training, Scott focuses his research interests on the energy transition and thoughtful approaches to decarbonize fossil fuel energy systems. Scott’s current programs include Wyoming CarbonSAFE (a commercial-scale CO2 geologic storage project at a coal-fired power plant), exploration and production of rare earth elements and critical materials, and identifying low-carbon approaches to traditional energy resource development in the U.S and China. Scott directs approximately $37M in SER grant-funded and state-funded research, and has been a principal and co-investigator to over $41M of Department of Energy and other sponsored projects. Scott holds two degrees from the University of Wyoming Geology and Geophysics Department a B.S. 06’ and M.S. 11’. Scott co-chairs the Center of Advanced Energy Studies’-Innovative Energy Systems Working Group housed at Idaho National Laboratories, is a technical editor for Energy and Environmental Science, a Subject Matter Expert for Professional Affiliations, and enjoys being a judge for the Wyoming State Science Fair.
MARTHA RAMOS
Director, CCUS and Hydrogen
CEMEX USA
Martha holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Houston and more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector. In the last 5+ years she has been working primarily on full value chain projects for CCUS and hydrogen. She is passionate about developing integrated solutions to address climate change and her roles have included the development of decarbonization strategies and their implementation, novel technologies evaluations and techno-economic risk management. Within CEMEX she is responsible for the CCUS and hydrogen strategy development and technology implementation for the USA cement plants.
PETER REINHARDT
CEO & Co-Founder
Charm Industrial
Peter is CEO & Co-founder at Charm Industrial. Charm is developing a novel carbon removal pathway & fossil-free ironmaking. Prior to Charm, Peter was CEO and co-founder at Segment, a SaaS customer data platform which grew to 600 people before it was acquired by Twilio in 2020 for $3.2B. He previously studied aerospace engineering at MIT.
DAVID RICE
David Rice
Director of Strategy and Innovation
ADM
As Director of Strategy and Innovation at ADM, David’s focus is identifying new technologies, market opportunities, and partnerships that can carry out ADM’s purpose which is to unlock the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. Coupling his 16 years with ADM and the strategic position ADM has in numerous markets, David feels he has a unique opportunity to reshape supply chains to help preserve nature while meeting the ever-growing demand for food, fuels, and consumer products. David holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and M.B.A from the University of Illinois.
Living in Denver, Colorado with his wife and 6 month old daughter he cherishes every moment he can get in the mountains and looks forward to teaching his daughter all the great things nature has to offer.
ASHLEIGH ROSS
VP and Head of Commercial Development & Policy
Carbon America
Ashleigh has 18 years of experience in CCS across a broad range of disciplines that include strategy, technology, policy, economics, commercial and project development, and deep subsurface. Previously, she was responsible for development of BP’s CCUS strategy and portfolio in the western hemisphere. She was also a reservoir engineer at ConocoPhillips. Ashleigh loves wide open spaces with nothing but fields and sky from horizon to horizon. Fortunately, those are often great sequestration locations. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University as well as an MS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Technology and Policy from MIT. She also holds an MS in Philosophy in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge.
JOSH SCHAIDLE, Ph.D.
Laboratory Program Manager – Carbon Management
Chief of Staff, Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate
Director, ChemCatBio Consortium
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Josh Schaidle, Ph.D. is the director of the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium and has been recognized as a Distinguished Member of the Research Staff at NREL. He also serves as the Chief of Staff for the Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate and NREL’s program manager for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. He seeks to build and empower diverse, multidisciplinary teams to accelerate technology development to address climate change. His dream is to create a future in which the quality of life for each and every person is no longer a compromise between sustainability and affordability. Josh received his Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Concentration in Environmental Sustainability, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara.
BOB SLETTEHAUGH
Director, Carbon Capture & Carbon Removal
Kiewit
Bob Slettehaugh is Kiewit’s Director of Carbon Capture and Carbon Removal and has worked in the carbon capture field for over 20 years, supporting the maturation of the technologies. His role includes increasing awareness of Kiewit as the market leader in carbon capture and carbon removal, building relationships with technology providers and clients, and developing a pipeline for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects by winning the initial engineering projects. Bob’s role is critical in carbon capture activities, ranging from technology evaluations through leading front-end engineering design (FEED) projects and project development activities. Bob has a solid understanding of the technologies within the market and develops strong working relationships to better serve our clients. He oversees Kiewit participation in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded projects related to carbon capture and carbon removal. Currently, this includes: 10 projects with six different technology providers, six different industries, direct air capture and post-combustion capture, with scopes ranging from pre-FEED, FEED, and pilot plants. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University.
SVENJA TELLE
Director of Origination
Base Carbon
Svenja Telle is Director of Origination at Base Carbon, advancing project opportunities from concept to execution in a cross-vertical approach. She oversees community engagement strategies and co-benefit monitoring in project origination, selection, diligence, financial structuring, and registration. Her focus also includes scaling emerging carbon removal technologies. Svenja also serves as a Climate Change Policy expert to the UNFCCC and carbon removal policy expert to the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a former Director at a Direct Air Capture startup and analyst at PitchBook, she contributed to extensive financial research covering carbon value chains, carbon utilization, and ESG. She further holds a doctoral research fellowship at the Gund Institute for Environment and served as a climate policy advisor at the United Nations HQ where she contributed to carbon markets and regulatory processes in supply chain decarbonization.
PAMELA TOMSKI
Founder & Director, RECS
Managing Partner, ENTECH Strategies LLC
Pamela Tomski founded RECS 20 years ago with the vision to cultivate CCUS leadership and create a community of young professionals dedicated to leading the clean energy transition. She currently serves as RECS director and managing partner of ENTECH Strategies LLC. She is also a partner on the LongLeaf CCS Hub, WyoTCH Hub, and Southeast DAC Hub where she focuses on community benefits plans and is developing education and training opportunities in partnership with HBCUs and Tribal colleges. Pamela also supports DOE in its work with the Federal Interagency CCUS Working Group and CCUS engagements with Taiwan. Pamela draws on her deep experience with the U.S. DOE carbon management programs and various industry, academic and national laboratory partners. In the late 1990s Pamela collaborated with former Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, J. Allen Wampler, on a strategic initiatives series that ran for over a decade in support of DOE’s CCUS program. She also worked on DOE’s international efforts to advance CCUS under several bilaterals (Norway, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, India, and China) and multilateral engagements including the International Energy Agency, G8, Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum. She has led a number of domestic and international initiatives related to CCUS regulatory and policy developments, research partnerships, education and capacity building, and held consulting and advisory roles with private companies and organizations including: International Energy Agency; The World Bank; Asian Development Bank; Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy; Research Council of Norway; RAND; Los Alamos National Laboratory; National Energy Technology Laboratory, and two DOE regional carbon sequestration partnerships. She served as a senior energy fellow at the Atlantic Council and was on advisory committees to the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the Southern States Energy Board. She was also the head of policy for the Global CCS Institute and an analytics advisor for SAS Institute, Inc. She received a BA in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pamela is dedicated to supporting young talent in the carbon management field and is an active mentor. She also serves on Work on Climate, an initiative to advance the CleanTech workforce in NY and NJ.
EMILY TURKEL
Government Affairs Analyst
Calpine
Emily Turkel (RECS 2021) has served as a Government Affairs Analyst at Calpine since 2021. In this role, she focuses on integrating societal considerations into carbon capture developments and advocating for market design and regulatory policy advancement, particularly as it pertains to integrated resource planning and resource adequacy. On the Sutter Decarbonization Project and Baytown Carbon Capture Project, she coordinates activities linked to the Community Benefits Plans. Previously, Emily evaluated land-based carbon removal solutions at Carbon180 and taught on the intersection of electricity policy and environmental justice with Strategic Energy Innovations.
ANNE (LIZ) E. HARMAN-WARE, Ph.D.
Researcher
Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Anne (Liz) E. Harman-Ware (RECS 2023) is a researcher in the Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO. She received her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Kentucky while working at the Center for Applied Energy Research. The research in her group focuses on the characterization of lignocellulosic biomass structure and composition as part of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, a Bioenergy Research Center funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science – where Liz is also the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Task Force Chair. Liz also performs research and leads teams of technical analysts funded by the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technology Office that characterize products from the thermochemical and catalytic conversion of biomass. She also has expertise in the design and deployment of high-throughput analytical screening and process monitoring tools for real-time prediction of products from thermochemical conversion platforms. Liz’s expertise is also applicable to carbon management approaches using biomass and is leading a project funded by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions titled “Addressing Critical Measuring, Reporting, and Verification Challenges of Durability and Sustainable Sourcing of Feedstocks for Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) Pathways.”