Staff List

Amory B. Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute Cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist, is a consultant experimental physicist educated at Harvard and Oxford. He has received an Oxford MA (by virtue of being a don), nine honorary doctorates, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Heinz, Lindbergh, Right Livelihood ("Alternative Nobel"), World Technology, and Time Hero for the Planet awards, the Benjamin Franklin and Happold Medals, the Nissan, Shingo, Mitchell, and Onassis Prizes, and honorary membership of the American Institute of Architects. He has lately led the redesign of $30 billion worth of facilities in 29 sectors for radical energy and resource efficiency. He has briefed nineteen heads of state, held several visiting academic chairs (most recently the 2007 MAP/Ming Professorship at Stanford), written twenty-nine books and hundreds of papers, and consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide. The Wall Street Journal named Mr. Lovins one of thirty-nine people worldwide "most likely to change the course of business in the '90s"; Newsweek has praised him as "one of the Western world's most influential energy thinkers"; and Car magazine ranked him the twenty-second most powerful person in the global automotive industry. Downloadable bios…
Amory's Executive Assistant is Missy Morgan

Michael Potts, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Institute, is a former Managing Partner with Galway Investments, an investment firm focused on alternative public offering strategies for small-cap and mid-cap companies, and a consultant. Prior to Galway, he served as CEO for American Fundware and Vice President of Public Sector Solutions at Intuit. His 25 years' experience in high-tech sales and marketing, and general management, began with IBM, BancTec, Recognition International, and American Fundware. Potts currently serves on RMI's Board of Trustees, as well as the boards of the Business School at the University of Colorado in Denver, Denver's Curious Theater, and Kripalu Center, the nation's largest spiritual retreat center. A Denver resident, Potts will be based in RMI's Boulder, Colorado office.
Michael's Executive Assistant is Shonda DesJardin

Marty Pickett, Executive Director and acting Vice President of Development, received her master's degree in land-use planning and community development from the University of Colorado and a law degree from the University of Denver. She manages RMI's staff, handles all Institute operations, and takes an active role in the leadership and direction of RMI's Research & Consulting. Since 1991, she has represented RMI on various legal issues, including the Institute's purchase of an interest in and creation of the conservation easement on the Windstar Land Conservancy land in 1996. She was a founding partner in the Aspen law firm of McFlynn Pickett & Whitsitt in 1989. For several years, she was a presenter at the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, headquartered in Denver, on the topic of legislative land-use issues. She is the organist at the Snowmass Chapel where her husband, Edgell Pyles, is the chaplain, and she rides regularly in local rodeo events.
Marty's Executive Assistant is Shelle de Beque

Greg Franta, FAIA, Principal Architect and Senior Vice President, RMI Built Environment Team. Since the early 1970s, Greg Franta, FAIA, has pioneered environmentally sustainable architecture around the world. Click here for full profile>>

Victor Olgyay, Principal, RMI Built Environment Team. Mr. Olgyay has a wide range of experiences in architectural design, planning, laboratory design and integration, environmental and acoustical systems, with specialization in lighting and daylighting design. Click here for full profile>>

James Scott Brew, FCSI, AIA is a Principal Architect and Sr. Consultant with the RMI Built Environment Team and has over 27 years design experience in commercial, institutional, and residential architecture. Click here for full profile>>

Aalok Deshmukh, Senior Consultant with the RMI Built Environment Team, has experience using a variety of building simulation tools, including energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics tools. Click here for full profile>>

Steve Brauneis is a Sustainable Design Consultant with the RMI Built Environment Team. Mr. Brauneis has worked in sustainable building design, eco-efficiency program design and implementation, sustainable building material purchasing, construction, environmental education, health care and commercial sustainability program development. Click here for full profile>>

Cara Taverna Carmichael, Consultant, RMI Built Environment Team, has a degree in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ms. Carmichael has experience with sustainable design, energy analysis, charrette development, computer modeling, and natural daylighting techniques. Click here for full profile>>

Ashley Muse, Consultant, RMI Built Environment Team. Ms. Muse's experience includes sustainable design consulting and technical analysis within the building industry. Click here for full profile>>

Coreina Chan, Analyst, RMI Built Environment Team, is a LEED Accredited Professional with a background in architecture and securities trading. Click here for full profile>>

Caroline Fluhrer, Analyst with RMI's Built Environment Team, has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree focused on energy engineering, both from Stanford University. Ms. Fluhrer has experience working on sustainable building and energy design strategies for a range of project types including large mixed-used developments, educational facilities and corporate headquarters. Click here for full profile>>

Josh Hathaway, Analyst with RMI's Built Environment Team, received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mr. Hathaway’s experience includes sustainable design consulting, charrette development, 3-D daylight modeling, and energy and daylight technical analysis. Click here for full profile>>

Chad Riley, Analyst, RMI Built Environment Team, has a diversity of experiences ranging from assessing the financial and sustainable feasibility of real estate developments to consulting on LEED projects. Click here for full profile>>

Allison Rutter, Analyst, RMI Built Environment Team, is a LEED Accredited Professional and EIT, with a background in mechanical engineering and business. Click here for full profile>>

Cherlyn Seruto, MS, Analyst, RMI Built Environment Team, has been investigating sources and effects of environmental degradation in research and consulting applications for the past nine years. Click here for full profile>>

Monika Magenheim, Administrative Assistant to the Built Environment Team, has many years experience in administrative and project management. Click here for full profile>>

Stephen Doig, Vice President of RMI's Energy & Resources Team. Mr. Doig is a physical chemist and energy strategy expert. He is an Adjunct Professor of Operations and Information Management, Wharton School of Business, and is currently serving as Department of Defense Air Force Highly Qualified Expert and Special Advisor to U.S. Air Force Smart Operations on Air Force energy strategy and implementation, lean operations applied to aircraft, facilities and vehicles. Previously, Dr. Doig was with McKinsey & Co. for ten years; where he focused on operations strategy, frontline change management, supply chain optimization, and operational cost reduction, strategy and growth. His consulting work involved a wide range of industries including airlines, automotive, aerospace, chemicals, armed services, mining, pulp and paper, health care, insurance, power generation, public transport, steel, food production, consumer goods, banks, and concrete products. Dr. Doig has a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (Thesis Topic: Understanding the primary events in vision and bacterial photosynthesis.) and an A.B. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. He held postdoctoral fellowships at Caltech and the Mayo Clinic.

Alexis Karolides, Principal for RMI’s Energy and Resources Team, is a registered architect who came to Rocky Mountain Institute with six years of experience in commercial, institutional, and industrial architecture. Her consulting projects for RMI's Green Development Services have included a retrofit project at Hickam Air Force Base to set a new "green" standard for the Air Force, a prototype energy-efficient supermarket for Stop & Shop, a sustainable design and energy plan for Madison, Wisc., environmental consulting for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and campus-wide energy planning and building retrofit strategies for Berea College. She has also provided educational seminars and integrated design workshops for communities, businesses, and institutions, including Shell, Perrier, the Departments of Environmental Protection and Urban Planning in Tianjin, China, and the cities of Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. Ms. Karolides is a frequent speaker at national conferences and guest lecturer at colleges and universities; she was the sole representative for the United States at the First International Symposium on Urban Eco Sustainability in Padua, Italy. As a frequent contributor for broadcast and print media, she provides input on topics of energy efficiency, healthy design, and environmental sensitivity for commercial and residential building projects. Ms. Karolides graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College with a bachelor of arts degree in physics and distinction for research work on solar and alternative energy systems. Following a Richter Fellowship in Germany, where she studied post-war architecture, Ms. Karolides completed a master of architecture degree at Rice University. Prior to coming to RMI, she was a project architect and sustainability manager for STG in Austin, a team member with the health care design firm Polkinghorn Cline, and a member of the Austin Sustainable Building Coalition and the local AIA Chapter Sustainability Committee. She was also an adjunct faculty member at Austin Community College in the Building Construction Technology Department.

Katherine Wang, is a Principal with the Energy & Resources Team. Ms. Wang has an MS in environmental engineering and science and a BS in civil engineering, both from Stanford University. She leads RMI’s research and consulting projects for utilities, governments, and industry. Ms. Wang has extensive experience in demand response, demand-side efficiency, utility regulation, and carbon management.  Her recent projects include program design for an electric load relief pilot for a northeastern utility, energy innovation workshop for a large mining company, statewide energy strategy recommendations for Hawaii, and evaluation of demand response pilots in California and Nevada.  She worked for Utility Engineering as a field mechanical engineer on Xcel Energy's Metro Emissions Reduction Project, overseeing the installation of three scrubber units at two large power stations in Denver and Boulder. Ms. Wang's prior employers also include the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy in Washington DC and the energy and environmental consulting firm Econergy International Corporation in Boulder, where she was a project engineer. Ms. Wang is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and has held various committee posts with that organization. She is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, and rock climbing.

Lena Hansen is a Senior Consultant with RMI's Energy & Resources Team. She holds a master's degree in environmental economics and policy from Duke University, where she was the first recipient of a certificate in energy and environment. She also holds a bachelor's degree in astrophysics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ms. Hansen leads RMI’s research and consulting work on renewable energy and biofuels, and has done extensive research on methods for managing the variability of wind power. She has authored a series of conference papers on renewable energy integration as part of RMI’s on-going research into the next generation electric utility. Ms. Hansen also has significant expertise in demand-side management and carbon strategy for corporations, industry, electric utilities, and governments. Recent project work in these areas has focused on electric utilities including Silicon Valley Power, Nebraska Public Power District, and Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Additional demand-side and carbon project work is on-going with governments including the State of Hawaii and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and private sector companies including Irving Oil and United Technologies Corporation. Ms. Hansen is a private pilot, a former theatrical stage manager, and an outdoor enthusiast.

Virginia Lacy is a Consultant with the RMI Energy & Resources Team and contributes to projects undertaken by RMI's Built Environment Team. She holds a Master's of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Virginia. At RMI, Ms. Lacy consults with utilities, corporations and governments in the development of integrated energy plans and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions strategies. Ms. Lacy has co-authored numerous client reports, providing quantitative modeling and analysis on a variety of topics including distributed generation, biofuels, energy efficiency, and fuel price volatility. At Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Ms. Lacy focused in energy policy and investment and served as the co-coordinator of the Yale Climate Initiative, an ongoing effort to recommend and implement greenhouse gas mitigation strategies at the University. Prior to her graduate studies, Ms. Lacy was a research analyst with the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC), a socially responsible investment research firm, where she analyzed the environmental performance of S&P 1500 companies for institutional investors and other clients. Prior to joining IRRC, Virginia worked in the political arena in Washington, D.C., serving as the Special Assistant to the Chairman of League of Conservation Voters (LCV).

Natalie Mims, is a Consultant with RMI's Energy & Resources Team. Ms. Mims holds a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in environmental law from Vermont Law School. Ms. Mims joined RMI as an intern in September 2004 and worked intermittently for RMI until 2005 when she became a full time staff member. Ms. Mims contributes to consulting projects for utilities, government entities, and private industry. Her recent work includes renewable energy market assessments and research on regulatory incentives for utilities. Ms. Mims has worked on regulatory and legislative issues surrounding the establishment of a sustainable, comprehensive energy policy for the State of Hawaii, which included contributions to the new regulatory structure for energy efficiency in Hawaii. In 2005, Ms. Mims co-authored “Legislative Options to Improve Transportation Efficiency,” a paper providing state legislatures with options to improve vehicle transportation within their states. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, surfing, hiking and climbing.

Kendra Tupper, is a Consultant with the Energy & Resources Team. Ms. Tupper holds an MS in Building Systems engineering from the University of Colorado, and a BE in Mechanical Engineering modified with Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. She contributes to RMI’s consulting and research projects for utilities and industrial process efficiency and serves as a liaison with the Built Environment Team. Ms. Tupper has extensive experience in the building energy and HVAC industries, and a solid background in alternative energy and fuels. While her graduate coursework focused on distributed generation and HVAC design, her master’s thesis investigated the life cycle impacts of various hydrogen production technologies. Prior to joining RMI, Kendra worked in the solar industry in Boston, contributing to the design and installation of a number of PV systems as part of the Million Solar Roofs project. A LEED Accredited professional, Kendra also worked as a project manager with the building energy analysis team at Flack + Kurtz, a large MEP design and consulting firm. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, road biking, trail running, and swimming.

Luisa Lombera, Analyst with RMI's Energy & Resources Team. Ms. Lombera received a bachelor’s degree in earth systems and a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering, both from Stanford University. At RMI, Ms. Lombera has worked with utilities, state governments, and private companies to help reduce their resource consumption and evaluate their environmental risk. Ms. Lombera is specifically interested in international energy issues and carbon markets. She participated in a summer academy on emissions trading in Germany and she worked with the Mexico Green Building Council to identify ways to promote affordable green housing. While at Stanford, Ms. Lombera researched the current state and future prospects of the Mexican electricity sector through a project conducted by the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD). Ms. Lombera’s experience also includes a MAP Fellowship at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). With NRDC, Ms. Lombera evaluated the prospects for registering an efficiency project in Jiangsu Province, China, as a clean development mechanism (CDM) and analyzed preliminary regulations for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Sam Newman, Analyst with RMI’s Energy & Resources Team, has a background in civil engineering, with B.S. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University. Mr. Newman came to RMI in 2007 through the MAP Sustainable Energy Fellowship program, which funds fellowships in several non-profit organizations. Prior to that, his graduate studies at Stanford focused on alternative energy, green building strategies, and construction project management. He has been a LEED accredited professional since 2006. At RMI, Mr. Newman’s expertise in building mechanical systems and energy efficiency opportunities has developed through research for RMI’s Next Generation Utility project. He has developed spreadsheet models to quantify the efficiency potential of state-of-the-art air conditioning systems and other residential and commercial electricity end uses. Mr. Newman has also contributed to the ERT’s consulting work with various industrial clients, focusing on corporate greenhouse gas strategy and integrated design for improved process efficiency.

Cynthia Knock, Administrative Assistant to the Energy & Resources Team, grew up in Oxford, Ohio, and attended Bowling Green State University, where she majored in English literature and sociology and minored in women's studies. Ms. Knock brings more than 15 years' office management/administrative experience to RMI. Prior to joining RMI, she worked in the software industry in Boulder and was on the management staff of a restaurant/catering business in Newburyport, Mass. Ms. Knock is an avid gardener and is active in the Boulder Community Gardens/Children's Peace Garden volunteer program, where she has been instrumental in implementing fund-raising events. She also enjoys volunteering in her son's elementary school class, and is the assistant organizer for an annual world music festival, which benefits the Black Biomedical Research Movement. Ms. Knock's hobbies (like she has time for those!) include hiking, environmental and social activism, art history, her family, reading, and extremely difficult crossword puzzles.

Michael Brylawski, Vice President, MOVE: RMI’s Transportation Innovation Group, is working with Winning the Oil Endgame implementation efforts and the MOVE: RMI's Transportation Innovation Group. Now in his second tenure with RMI, his diverse work portfolio includes positions at a top-tier management-consulting firm, a Fortune 50 aerospace company, and several roles within RMI in the 1990s, including co-founding RMI’s spinoff Hypercar, Inc. (now Fiberforge). He holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management (where he was a Leader for Manufacturing Fellow), an MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a BS with honors in Earth Systems Science from Stanford University. He brings to RMI functional expertise in whole-systems design, market research, operations, competitive and strategic analysis, financial modeling, technology strategy, and corporate venturing. Most recently, Mr. Brylawski was a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). At BCG, he worked in a variety of industries—including medical devices, athletic footwear and apparel, aerospace, and vacation ownership. His work included advising senior management on implementing innovative strategic planning processes; reconfiguring the supply chain to speed concept-to-shelf times; and conducting primary market research to unearth latent customer needs. Prior to BCG, he worked for Boeing’s Australian subsidiary Hawker de Havilland, where he advised senior management on non-core growth strategies in the aerostructures market, and established a corporate venturing program that led to two new product initiatives. During his first tenure at RMI, Mr. Brylawski was Senior Research Associate, where he led research and consulting engagements with automotive OEMs and suppliers on efficient light-vehicle design and advanced technology adoption strategies. He coauthored five technical papers and the pioneering study Hypercars: Materials, Manufacturing, and Policy Implications, lectured and spoke widely, and was named a “Thought Leader” by Ideascope. At Hypercar, Inc., he was co-founder and Vice President of market development. He was responsible for creating and leading the firm’s business and market planning processes, including authoring the company’s business plans and pro forma financials, and leading primary and secondary market research. He co-resides in Los Angeles and Snowmass, Colo., and is an avid biker, snowboarder, and (aspiring) surfer.

Lionel Bony, Senior Consultant, MOVE: RMI's Transportation Innovation Group. Lionel comes to RMI with a strong background in product and project management, market research, competitive and strategic analysis, financial modeling, entrepreneurship, and change management. On the MOVE team, Lionel has managed or collaborated on several research and consulting projects focused on vehicle platform efficiency. In addition, he is currently managing the implementation of Winning the Oil Endgame, RMI’s strategy to get the US of off oil by 2040, led by business and for profit. Since joining RMI in August 2006, Lionel has worked on numerous projects, including the launch of a PHEV manufacturer and the identification of business opportunities to increase the share of locally produced food on the Big Island of Hawaii. He also represents RMI on Wal-Mart's Packaging Value Network. Originally from France, Lionel is a 2006 graduate of the Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA program. At HBS, Lionel's passion for bringing together business and the environment drew him to become a vice president of the Business and Environment Club and president of the school’s Net Impact chapter. He also launched HBS’s Annual Green Week, a series of events aimed at raising environmental awareness on campus. Prior to joining RMI, Lionel worked at L’Oréal, as a financial analyst in Madrid and a product manager in Paris, and at Conservation International in Bolivia, where he focused on the NGO’s ecotourism strategy and marketing activities.

Michael Ogburn, a Senior Consultant with MOVE: RMI's Transportation Innovation Group, has worked in alternative energy and efficient transportation systems for nine years. While employed as a product development engineer with Ford Motor Company, he worked on the hybrid-electric Escape SUV and on the team of Fuel Cell System Engineers, which created Ford's hydrogen powered Focus FCV. His experience also includes Ballard, Ford's Atlanta Assembly Plant, Cummins Diesel, and GE's aircraft engine division. Mr. Ogburn received two degrees from Virginia Tech: a BSME and an MSME with specialization in hydrogen fuel cell systems for transportation. For three years at Virginia Tech, he led a team of more than 50 engineering students who designed, developed, and drove the world's first fuel cell hybrid five-passenger sedan not built by a major auto company. As part of his research on fuel cells, Mr. Ogburn worked collaboratively with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop advanced hybrid vehicles and the "ADVISOR" vehicle modeling software. Mr. Ogburn grew up in a passive solar home in the Appalachian Mountains and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. In an unusual mix of work interests and travel, he recently retrofitted a cruising sailboat with solar energy systems and sailed it to South America and back.

Stephanie L. Johns, Analyst, MOVE: RMI’s Transportation Innovation Group. Ms. Johns has a degree in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College with a minor in earth sciences and an ABET-accredited engineering degree from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Ms. Johns concentrated her studies in mechanical engineering, and has her Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certificate (state of New Hampshire). Her project work included the mechanical design, engineering, and fabrication of a remote control vehicle and a sailboat, as well as the design of a nano-satellite release mechanism. She worked in the Thayer School Machine Shop to gain hands-on experience fabricating components, and she also taught other students in the shop. Before joining Rocky Mountain Institute, Ms. Johns completed an ecological design program at the Ecosa Institute in Prescott, Arizona, where she studied architecture, bioclimatic design, and sustainable materials, and participated in design charrettes. At RMI she is involved in research on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), advanced energy storage systems, and energy efficiency in the trucking industry, as well as ongoing efforts to implement the strategies put forward in Winning the Oil Endgame.

Laura Schewel, Analyst, MOVE: RMI’s Transportation Innovation Group. Ms. Schewel recently graduated from Yale University with bachelors’ degrees in environmental engineering and comparative literature. She has worked on life-cycle analyses of industrial metals as a researcher with the Yale Stocks and Flows Project, and on environmental health and water quality concerns in sub-Saharan Africa as a field agent for GTZ. She also led a ten-person research team focused on optimizing biodiesel production from photosynthetic algae, and has written about her research for several publications. At RMI, Ms. Schewel focuses on automotive projects, sustainability strategy and life cycle analysis, and highway safety, as well as investigating how to reduce the impact of transportation systems, such as food distribution and container shipping. Ms. Schewel is newly an outdoor enthusiast, and continues to investigate the many overlaps between environmental science and literature.

Michael Kinsley, a Senior Consultant, co-founded RMI's Economic Renewal program in 1982. He holds a BS in political science from the University of Houston and has taken advanced environmental and governmental management training. As the Institute's senior practitioner of techniques for creating sustainable local economies, he has provided economic development planning, facilitation, and training to communities in forty states and three foreign countries. He is the author of the Economic Renewal Guide (1997)—a distillation of nearly three decades' experience — and several papers addressing community growth issues and sustainable development alternatives. As a Pitkin County (Colorado) Commissioner (1975–85), Mr. Kinsley pioneered programs in affordable housing, environmental and growth management, fiscal efficiency, and economic stability. A former journalist, he co-founded the Western Colorado Congress and a community-based mediation service, for two years chaired the Governor's Health Coordinating Council, and for four years directed the Pitkin County Environmental Task Force. He serves on numerous local committees and organizations. Outside of work, his two passions are kayaking and painting. He has won several local awards for his landscape paintings.

Alex Markevich, Ph. D., Vice President, Office of the Chief Scientist, is a former strategy consultant, most recently at Bain & Company, where he was a member of the management teams at both the London and the Moscow offices. Prior to Bain, he worked at Cannon Associates and LEK Consulting. Before starting a career in consulting, he worked at Hewlett-Packard in both technical and product marketing, with a special focus on computer systems performance. Prior to that he earned a Ph. D. in theoretical physics from Stanford University, and as an undergraduate attended UC Berkeley. Currently, he is based at RMI’s Snowmass office.

Imran Sheikh, Factor Ten Engineering (10xE, www.10xE.org) Analyst in the Office of the Chairman, received his Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin — Madison in Biomedical Engineering. While at the UW, he earned an Environmental Studies Certificate from the Nelson Institute which sparked his interest in system modeling and energy issues. Prior to joining RMI, he worked in the medical device industry doing research and development for Datex-Ohmeda, Agilent Technologies, and CardioDynamics with a focus on software development and digital signal processing. At RMI Mr. Sheikh is working on 10xE, an engineering education initiative that uses case studies to teach engineering students and practicing engineers how to develop far more resource efficient (and more profitable) solutions through integrative design. Mr. Sheikh is laying the foundation for this ambitious project by collecting cases, building a network of experts on integrative design, presenting at conferences, and writing articles in engineering publications. In his free time Mr. Sheikh enjoys exploring the Colorado backcountry, fishing, road biking, and landscape photography. He is an avid telemark and alpine skier who loves the deep dry powder that covers the local mountains.

Aaron Westgate, Analyst, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Pomona College in 2005. At Pomona, Mr. Westgate studied Environmental Analysis with an emphasis on energy policy and economics, as well as graphic and ceramic arts. He worked for the University of Hawaii Office of Sustainability where he drafted the school's first Charter of Sustainability, and worked for two years with Energy Harvester Inc., a solar energy company based in Southern California. Mr. Westgate's more recent endeavors have focused on integrating creative arts with environmental performance as expressed through whole-system architectural design. He has worked at Yestermorrow Design/Build School and continued applied ecological design work in Costa Rica until arriving at RMI in May ‘06. Here in Snowmass, Mr. Westgate provides planning and communications assistance to Mr. Lovins while managing several design projects at the headquarters building, including a comprehensive renovation of the greenhouse. Beyond the office, you're likely to find Aaron knee deep in fresh powder, painting with watercolors, or strumming his guitar.

Missy Morgan, Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Chief Scientist, likens her job to dancing with a tornado while juggling burning chainsaws. After three and a half years, she’s still stepping. Missy received a BFA in graphic design and painting from Delta State University. A native of the Mississippi Delta and a Roaring Fork Valley resident for twenty-plus years, Ms. Morgan has worked in the resort, medical, and real estate industries, for The Gabriel Foundation, and she has done kitchen design/sales. Translation: she is an organizing detail freak who was born to assist great people. Ms. Morgan's passions outside of work include horses, art, books, and Duke basketball...go, Blue Devils!

Llewellyn Wells, Vice President Communications and Media, has spent twenty years in the entertainment industry and has been involved in the production of fourteen feature films and five television series. Some of the films that he has worked on include "Bagdad Cafe," "The Grifters," "Dogfight," and "Under Suspicion." The highlight of his television career was working on the acclaimed series "The West Wing." As one of the original producers on the series, Llewellyn is honored to have won five Emmy Awards and two Producers Guild Awards. Leaving Los Angeles in 2006, Wells founded an Internet video production company, GreenFit, with his longtime friend Bob Wilson.



Bob Wilson, Director of Marketing, RMI’s Communications Department, has over thirty years of experience in a variety of growing organizations and start up environments. Prior to RMI, Bob did financial, business plan and new media consulting with a number of startup ventures. Mr. Wilson was co-founder of two international marketing consulting firms competing in the worldwide music, sports and cable television industries. He was a General Manager with Gaylord Digital, a division of Gaylord Entertainment, managing the creation of four web site operations. Bob is also a veteran of advertising media, as he spent nine years managing the Southern California marketing activities for the nation’s largest outdoor advertising company, currently Clear Channel Outdoor, a division of Clear Channel Communications. His staff was responsible for providing marketing and sales direction through strategic planning and market analysis, promotions, product development, research, presentations and creative services. Bob got started in business early, having been raised in a family business; a successful regional food manufacturer in Denver CO. Bob received his B.S. in marketing and finance from the University of Colorado and his MBA from the University of Southern California.


Cameron M. Burns, Senior Editor, received a bachelor's degree in environmental design from the University of Colorado, and has done graduate work in environmental management at Harvard. Mr. Burns is editor of RMI's newsletter RMI Solutions, the Institute's annual report, and he copyedits and contributes to dozens of consulting reports, conference papers, and other RMI publications every month. His articles about RMI's work have been reprinted in magazines, on websites, and in books around the world. He also authors two monthly columns for the Institute: one for Nikkei Ecology magazine, the other for the Aspen Daily News. Outside RMI, he has authored, co-authored, or contributed to nineteen books, and thousands of magazine, newspaper, and journal articles, and has won twenty-six national and regional awards for his writing including the North American Association of Travel Journalists' 2002 "Book of the Year" award. His book Postcards from the Trailer Park: The Secret Lives of Climbers was a finalist in the 2004 Banff Mountain Book Festival and World Mountaineering, which he coauthored, won the Festival's Grand Prize in 1998. Mr. Burns has more than 17 years experience in journalism, and has worked on marketing campaigns and materials for numerous firms, including The North Face, Gregory Mountain Products, Windjammer Cruises, and numerous ski areas.



Cindy Cash, Editor, earned a dual BA degree from Syracuse University in magazine journalism and English/creative writing. Ms. Cash assists other RMI departments on publications management, event production, and general administration. For four years she was a publications specialist with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she edited manuscripts and coordinated the production of all publications and proposals issued by a research lab and its staff of 120. As vice-president of Xmetrics Inc., she developed business and marketing plans, edited documents, and organized conferences. Ms. Cash has participated in a long list of volunteer projects and programs, notably the Boulder County Victim/Witness Program, Boulder County Safehouse, and CU's Conference on World Affairs. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for Voices For Children-CASA.


Cory Lowe, Media and Outreach Manager, has a BA in environmental studies from Middlebury College. Mr. Lowe coordinates RMI's media and outreach efforts, arranges interviews and speaking engagements, tracks media coverage, contributes to RMI publications, and leads RMI’s internal communications efforts. Mr. Lowe came to RMI after living in Vermont and exploring the green mountains. In the Roaring Fork Valley, he participates in the Buddy Program, a local youth mentoring program and enjoys playing outdoors by hiking, biking, and skiing. He also enjoys reading when he has the time, trying to imitate his Italian family’s cooking, and catching up with friends who come through the area.

Ginni Galicinao, Senior Development Officer, Ms. Galicinao, helped found and leads RMI's National Solutions Council. She is responsible for cultivating and nurturing RMI's major individual donors and foundations. Ms. Galicinao led the effort to bring in and successfully complete RMI's largest matching challenge gift. Ms. Galicinao was also the Celebration Director for RMI25: Celebrating Solutions (www.rmi.org/RMI25), a celebration of RMI's 25 years that included dignitaries such as President William Jefferson Clinton and Thomas Friedman. Her fund-raising experience includes individual donors, foundations, corporations, government, capital campaigns, and employee-giving campaigns. Ms. Galicinao has a BS in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco. She has served as Executive Director of LEAP (a nationally recognized arts and architecture in education program), Vice President with the United Way of the Bay Area, and Development Director for the Aspen Educational Research Foundation. Ms. Galicinao has advised or served on the boards of Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet, the Wilderness Workshop, the Science Outreach Center, the City of Aspen's Nonprofit Review Panel, and the San Francisco Arts Funders Collaborative. In addition to her non-profit experience, Ms. Galicinao is a certified and accredited Executive and Life Coach. Prior to her business career, Ms. Galicinao enjoyed a ten-year career as a professional dancer, performing primarily in New York City, Washington DC, and Colorado. Some of her more familiar roles include Christine in A Chorus Line, Eliza in King and I, dance captain for Jesus Christ Superstar, and most recently, She Loves Me.

Jim Kozel, Senior Development Officer, has a BA in psychology from John Carroll University and an MS in social administration from Case Western Reserve University. Jim is responsible for cultivating relationships between RMI and donors along the Colorado Front Range and across the country. Mr. Kozel began his fundraising career in 1979 with the United Way, and since then has served as major firms director with the Mile High United Way, executive director of the United Way of Medina County, Ohio, director of planned giving at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, and most recently as a development officer with the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mr. Kozel also spent eight years as an entrepreneur; founding then owning a successful Denver-based bike and ski-tuning shop. Jim is an avid bicyclist and musician. In his spare time he also enjoys building guitars, cedar-strip sea kayaks, and performing.

Justine Nathanson, Development Officer, has a BS in forestry from the University of California at Berkeley. At RMI, Ms. Nathanson is responsible for nurturing and growing RMI donor base along Colorado’s Front Range, and in various other communities around the country. Ms. Nathanson began her fundraising career at the age of eight, when she and a classmate collected unwanted items from around the neighborhood and held a sale that raised more than $700 to create books in Braille for blind children. Since that auspicious beginning, she has worked at ArtReach, Inc., a metro-Denver arts and human service organization, the American Heart Association, Colorado AIDS Project, Project PAVE and, most recently, at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. During her 20-year career in non-profits, Ms. Nathanson conducted all aspects of fund development including major donor solicitation and cultivation, special events, direct mail, and grant solicitation. One of seven children, Ms. Nathanson grew up camping and exploring the woods of Northern California with her family. She enjoys cooking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and curling up with a really good book on a rainy day. 

Ginny Yang, Development Associate, received a BSE in environmental engineering magna cum laude from Duke University. Her role at RMI is to cultivate relationships with individual donors, manage fundraising mailings, coordinate RMI's participation in Earth Share workplace giving campaigns, and manage the development database. Prior to working in Development, Ms. Yang volunteered at RMI, conducting research on biophilia in hospitals for the Built Environment Team. She also volunteered as a teaching assistant for the semester-long natural capitalism course for graduate students at Beijing University's School of the Environment. While in China, she coauthored a business case study on a boiler manufacturing company that was converting from coal to biomass. It was written for the Guanghua School of Management at Beijing University and the United Nations Global Compact, which is collecting case studies on companies upholding environmental practices. Before moving to Colorado, Ms. Yang worked for Accenture as a consultant for clients such as Nortel Networks, Cadence Design Systems, and Oracle in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys camping, kayaking, snowboarding, and yoga.

Liz Bauer, Development Administrative Assistant, is a Colorado native who has long been concerned with the protection of the environment. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in geography, she moved west, into the mountains. She is married and is raising her family here in the heart of the Rockies. She has held a number of positions in the skiing industry, including serving as an auditor for the Aspen Skiing Company. Ms. Bauer is a long time volunteer for the Town of Basalt Recreation Department, a volunteer high school softball coach, and she sits on the board of her homeowners' association. She enjoys jogging, camping, hiking, skiing, and family trips. She believes that being able to work for an organization that represents the ideals and beliefs that living in Colorado inspires is a great opportunity.

Kathy Appleton, Vice President of Finance, is a former consultant to the non-profit industry. Her strengths include a strong accounting, project management and IT management background. She has also served as Vice President of Finance for Clearbrook located in Chicago, a non-profit. She has been a consultant and auditor for the non-profit sector for over 30 years. She has a wide breath of experience in various types of non-profits including governmental and grant based organizations. She has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations as treasurer and president. She is a graduate of DePaul University. She received her CPA certificate in 1979. A Highlands Ranch resident, Appleton will be based in the Boulder, Colorado office. Ms. Appleton enjoys dancing, hiking and traveling.

Ruthanne Elkins, Accountant, works part time in RMI's Boulder, Colorado office. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in environmental design. She lives in Boulder with her husband and new baby. In her free time she enjoys camping, trail riding, and spending time with her family.

Frances Woolley, Bookkeeper, brings thirty years experience in bookkeeping/accounting to RMI, seventeen of which were with the same company. She and her husband moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1979 and enjoy hiking/snowshoeing with their German shepherds, mountain biking, kayaking, and listening to the variety of music around the Valley.

David Rothstein, Vice President, Human Resources, has BA and MA degrees from the University of California at Riverside and a PhD from the University of Oregon. David has over 26 years' of experience in operations management, organizational development, and human resource management, holding senior positions as a human resources and organizational development executive with several high technology companies, including Integrated Automation, Convergent Technologies and Unisys Corp. His industry experience includes five years as a human resources executive and five years' directorship positions in organizational and management development. David's consulting work focused on operations management, strategic planning/plan implementation, organization development, and human resource systems. He also evaluated the viability of businesses for asset based-lenders and other investors, and headed up the turn-around management activities for clients in technology, manufacturing, and service businesses ranging in size from $2 million to $40 million in revenues. Prior to his career in private industry David was a university professor and taught courses and conducted research in social psychology, inter-group relations, organizational behavior and employee relations. He has been an adjunct faculty member of the Haas School of Business, and the Extension School at University of California at Berkeley.

Siu Chan, Administrative Assistant, earned a BA in psychology from the University of Illinois. She has more than ten years' experience in human resources and before joining RMI worked in a hospital, a drug treatment program, and an applied art school. Her most memorable experiences have included dressing up as a pirate for a company Halloween party and collecting specimens for a pre-employment drug screening. Ms. Chan is proof that the American dream exists. She emigrated with her family from Hong Kong, grew up on the north side of Chicago (go Cubs!), and now lives happily in Colorado (go Rockies, too!) with her husband and red-haired dog.

Christopher Berry, Information Technology Manager, is a 20–year IT professional. He has worked for IT services firms in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Colorado, as well as for the University of Colorado, Denver, Rof.net (a non-profit ISP in the Roaring Fork Valley), and of course, Rocky Mountain Institute. He is also an educator, having taught Information Technology courses and seminars for several years at CU Denver and Colorado Mountain College. He graduated cum laude and with departmental honors from CU Denver with a BA in Anthropology. He also did his graduate work in Archaeology at CU Denver. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Roaring Fork Computer Society and Rof.net.

Shonda L. DesJardin, Executive Assistant to Michael Potts. Ms. DesJardin has 16 years’ experience working for executives in financial services, manufacturing, and satellite communications. She brings international experience to RMI, having worked for the United States Civil Service in Turkey, for two USAF colonels, and for the President of the British Council in England. During her time overseas she traveled extensively throughout Europe. Upon returning to the United States she moved to Colorado and worked at Berger Funds, Quantum Corporation, DigitalGlobe, and Ball Corporation. She and her husband, Eric, live in Westminster with their three dogs. She enjoys such activities as traveling, softball, and water sports.



Katherine Temple, Administrative Assistant, grew up in Portland, Maine and attended the University of Maine at Orono where she majored in business administration. She has spent the last fifteen years in the restaurant business in Boulder, Colo. Her hobbies include hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, gardening, and fixing up her new home.






Shelle de Beque, Administrative Assistant to Marty Pickett. Shelle is a fourth generation Western Colorado native and grew up in Carbondale. She attended the University of Utah for five years where she majored in many subjects but spent most of her time powder skiing in the Wasatch Mountains. After taking time off to have children, she went back to school and received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana School of Journalism. Shelle has worked in a variety of occupations including owning a laundromat, selling skiwear, working as an administrative assistant in the public schools and for a commodities trading company and, most recently as a legal assistant for a litigation attorney. She is married with 4 children and two (gasp) grandchildren. She serves on the Board of the Mount Sopris Historical Society in Carbondale and is working on a biography of her great-grandfather who was an early settler of Western Colorado. Somehow, she still makes time to ski, hike and travel.

Ethel Lossing, Facilities Manager, has had a long and diverse previous career, owning her own restaurant and lawn-care business, managing a resort motel, a restaurant, and a hunting camp, and as a bookkeeper, musical entertainer, warehouse owner's assistant, wrangler, guide, cook, hostess, gardener, waitperson, bartender, and photographer's assistant.

Tara Kelly, Receptionist

Nicole Marie Argyropoulos, Intern, RMI’s Built Environment Team, received a B.A. in Geography with an emphasis in international development and sustainability from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Robert Bishop, a Senior Adjunct Associate based in New Zealand, is owner and operator of an energy efficiency consulting business, Energy Solutions Ltd., in Wellington. He is a respected energy engineer and has published several books on energy efficiency. His work includes training professional engineers as part of an energy auditing accreditation program. Mr. Bishop is former chairman of the Energy Management Association. Canadian born, Mr. Bishop is a former research scholar at RMI in the United States.

William D. Browning, HAIA, is one of the world's leading practitioners and spokespersons for sustainable building design and real estate development. Mr. Browning had key roles in creating both the U.S. Green Building Council and its LEED™ rating system, and is active on the USGBC Board and LEED committees. He is a partner in a new green development consulting firm, Browning + Bannon LLC, and a principal in Haymount, an extraordinary green new-town development in Virginia. In 1991, Mr. Browning created Green Development Services (GDS), a group within RMI whose purpose is to help to define and promote energy-efficient and environmentally responsive design. Now known as the Built Environment Team, GDS's services were based largely on new thinking about basic real-estate principles that Mr. Browning developed while pursuing his master's degree in real estate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Mr. Browning specialized in energy-conscious architecture and resource management. Mr. Browning led the greening of the White House, and has consulted on more than 300 green development projects worldwide. Representative projects include Four Times Square, Wal-Mart, the Pentagon, Monsanto, Lucasfilm, Habitat for Humanity International, U.S. Naval Facilities Command, a speculative office prototype for Hines, and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Mr. Browning's work has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and on broadcasts by NPR, CNN, and PBS. He serves on the Board of Greening America, has served as national real estate advisor for The Nature Conservancy, and is on the Interface Eco-Dream Team.

Jonathan Koomey, PhD, is a Senior Fellow with Rocky Mountain Institute. He holds MS and PhD degrees from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California at Berkeley, and an AB, cum laude, in the history of science from Harvard University. Dr. Koomey is a coauthor of RMI's Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security. He also participated in RMI's Low-Power Data Centers Charrette. Dr. Koomey is on leave from his position as staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a position he has held since 1991. He is author or co-author of seven books and more than one hundred articles and reports on energy efficiency, climate change, and environmental policy. His most recent book is Turning Numbers Into Knowledge: Mastering the Art of Problem Solving. He has lectured at the Central European University in Budapest and University of California, Berkeley. In 2002, he was Visiting Scholar for the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Sydney. Dr. Koomey has served as consultant for the International Energy Agency in Paris. He served on the City of Berkeley Energy Commission for four years. He serves on the editorial board of the journal Contemporary Economic Policy, and has appeared on PBS's Nova/Frontline, CNBC, NPR's All Things Considered, KQED radio, and other broadcast outlets. Dr. Koomey received the 1994 National Research Council award for excellence in transportation research. He practices Aikido, plays classical contrabass, and is an amateur astronomer.

Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn, U.S. Navy, retired, is a Senior Fellow in International Security, at RMI. He is working with RMI CEO Amory Lovins and other policy experts on national security issues. Vice Adm. McGinn is a 1967 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He also attended the Naval War College and the Program for Senior Officials in National Security at Harvard University, and served as a chief of naval operations fellow on the Strategic Studies Group. He is a designated naval aviator, test pilot, and national security strategist. In 1995 Vice Adm. McGinn served as commander, Carrier Group One, responsible for operational training and combat readiness for all Pacific Fleet carrier battle groups. He was assigned as director of the Air Warfare Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1996. In 1998, he became commander of the U.S. Third Fleet. Vice Adm. McGinn assumed duties as the deputy chief of naval operations, warfare requirements and programs in 2000.

Dr. Eric Rasmussen, an Adjunct Research Scholar and Consultant, is a Navy physician, an instructor in humanitarian medicine for the United Nations, a medical evaluator for torture victims, and a Principal Investigator for both DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the National Science Foundation. He has served in nuclear submarines, on aircraft carriers, on the ground in Bosnia and Africa, and as the Fleet Surgeon for the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet. His current focus is medical support to humanitarian operations.

Norman Smith, a Senior Adjunct Associate based in New Zealand, has carried out RMI economic renewal programs with support from the Tindall Foundation and EECA, an organization that applies New Zealand government strategies for energy efficiency. He has established energy management programs at two tertiary institutions and has done research in residential energy efficiency. He has set up residential energy efficiency installation businesses to manifest the economic, social, employment, health and environmental benefits of energy efficiency. Mr. Smith collaborated with RMI for several years before the formal establishment of an RMI presence in New Zealand.

Robert C. Wilkinson, PhD, a Senior Fellow with Rocky Mountain Institute, is also a lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program and in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For the past five years he has served as coordinator for the climate impacts assessment of the California Region for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy through the National Center for Geographical Information Analysis at UCSB's Department of Geography. Dr. Wilkinson's teaching and research focus is on environmental policy issues, water policy, climate change, and sustainable communities. Dr. Wilkinson consults for corporations, governments, foundations, and non-profit organizations in the United States and internationally on water, energy, environment, and resource issues. He is a founding member of the California Environmental Dialogue, and he was a founding participant in the Aspen Institute's The Environment in the 21st Century. Dr. Wilkinson advises various government agencies, including the California Department of Water Resources on state water planning and the California Energy Commission on climate and energy research. In 1990, Dr. Wilkinson established and directed the Graduate Program in Environmental Science and Policy at the Central European University based in Budapest, Hungary. He has worked extensively in Western Europe and in every country of Central Europe, from Albania to the Baltic States, and throughout the former Soviet Union, including Siberia and Central Asia. He has also worked in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, and China.