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Harvesting Clean Energy: Agriculture & Rural Communities

Balancing rural land use with decarbonization applications for commercial purposes with traditional agriculture has been a subject of stakeholder debate. As clean energy harvesting technologies have improved, there are more options for profitable installations and systems to accommodate mixed use applications on farms. This session will examine the policies that help or hinder land use changes and discuss solutions that support meeting clean energy production target and GHG reduction goals, in addition to providing economic benefits and resilient energy supply for rural communities.

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MODERATOR

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Dan Bresette

President
Environmental & Energy Study Institute

President

Environmental & Energy Study Institute

Daniel Bresette serves as President of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute in Washington, D.C.—a non-profit education and policy organization. Before joining EESI, Daniel served as the Vice President of Policy at the Alliance to Save Energy, which also involved leading the Energy-Efficient Codes Coalition as its Executive Director. Previously, Daniel was the Maryland Energy Administration’s Senior Energy Policy Manager and oversaw a diverse portfolio of state energy efficiency financing initiatives. He has provided expert testimony to Congress, the Maryland General Assembly, and other regulatory agencies on energy efficiency topics, presented at national conferences, and served on a range of national committees and work groups. Previously, he worked in the strategy practice at Booz Allen Hamilton. He began his career with U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT). Daniel attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations. Later, he graduated from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with a master’s degree in business administration.

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PANELISTS

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Kevin Atticks

Secretary
Maryland Department of Agriculture

Secretary,

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Kevin Atticks was sworn in as Secretary on March 2, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Atticks was CEO (and founder) of Grow & Fortify, a company supporting value-added agricultural organizations and the businesses they represent. Grow & Fortify published the first assessment of the state’s value-added agricultural industry, illustrating the expansive impact generated by this sector, which includes wineries, creameries, meat processing, agritourism, equine and dozens of other industry segments. Atticks was also the Executive Director of the Maryland Wineries Association, Brewers Association of Maryland and the Maryland Distillers Guild, and served as the President of the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council, and the Chair of the WineAmerica State & Regional Associations Advisory Council.​ Atticks formerly served on the University of Maryland College of Agriculture's Global Leadership Council, the board of Future Harvest and the board of the Maryland Tourism Coalition.​ Originally from Bowie, Maryland, Atticks graduated with a journalism degree from Loyola University Maryland. Shortly thereafter, Atticks received a master's degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. He later earned his doctorate in communications design from University of Baltimore. He holds a faculty position at Loyola University Maryland where he teaches book publishing.​

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Yinka N. Bode-George

Founder & CEO
Sustain Our Future Foundation

Founder & CEO,

Sustain Our Future Foundation

Yinka N. Bode-George is the Founder and CEO of Sustain our Future Foundation - a national philanthropic nonprofit transforming sustainability to maximize community impact and achieve environmental justice. Through consulting services and social impact programs, Sustain Our Future Foundation enables environmental justice-oriented sustainable development through the lens of reparative justice. As an environmental health advocate, Yinka works to advance environmental justice and sustainable development through infrastructure development and social impact strategies. Prior to starting Sustain our Future Foundation, she led the strategy and management of Volt Energy Utility’s environmental justice and community impact practice as the Director of Sharing the Power Foundation - Volt’s community impact nonprofit. There, she managed programs associated with Volt’s Environmental Justice Power Purchase Agreement (EJPPA) to assist renewable energy buyers achieve their clean energy goals and commitments to Environmental, Social and Governance standards. Yinka received a BS in Environmental Science, and a BA in Public Health, from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She received a Master of Health Science degree in Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

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Charlotte Davis

Executive Director
Rural Maryland Council

Executive Director,

Rural Maryland Council

Charlotte Davis has over 25 years of professional experience in government, advocacy and political consulting. She has spent over ten years working within the Maryland General Assembly most recently as Chief of Staff for a Committee Chair. She has experience in non-profit management, managing a small organization dedicated to educating and advocating on behalf of Montgomery County, Maryland. In the fall of 2012, Ms. Davis was a part of the successful campaign to change Frederick County’s form of government from Commissioner to Charter. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for the Rural Maryland Council, an independent state agency, which seeks to improve the quality to life while preserving the cultural heritage of Maryland's rural communities. She holds a BA in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Middletown, Maryland with her husband and two sons.

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John McAuliff

Senior Advisor for Climate
Rural Business Cooperative Service at Rural Development

Senior Advisor for Climate

Rural Business Cooperative Service at Rural Development

John McAuliff is the Senior Climate Advisor for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service at Rural Development. Prior to joining the administration, he served as a policy advisor at a clean energy thinktank and utility watchdog in Charlottesville, Virginia, and several years as a Chief of Staff in the Virginia Legislature as they overhauled their outdated energy infrastructure. He is a small business owner in rural Fauquier County, Virginia, and has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Richmond.

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John Miller

Director of Development
Chaberton Energy

Director of Development,

Chaberton Energy

John has more than 14 years of experience in the solar energy industry, with the last decade being focused on Distributed Generation and Community Solar. John has been involved in the development of 150MW+ of community solar projects, including leading development on the first completed community solar project in Connecticut. At Chaberton, John leads Community Engagement and Mid Atlantic policy efforts, serving as the Community Solar Chair for the Maryland Committee of the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association (CHESSA). John is a proud resident of Howard County, Maryland.

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