SUMMIT SPEAKERS
Matt Erskine
Connected DMV
Chief Strategy Officer,
Connected DMV
Matt Erskine serves as Chief Strategy and Economic Officer for Connected DMV, the Greater Washington, DC regional 501(c)3 that advances transformational economic development initiatives. Matt served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, and he served as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Virginia Governor Mark Warner. In addition, he has worked in management consulting including as Principal and Executive Advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton. He received his B.A. as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Josh Greene
A.O. Smith
Vice President, Government, Regulatory, and Industry Affairs,
A.O. Smith
Josh Greene currently serves as corporate vice president of government, regulatory, and industry affairs having served in that role since joining the company in 2016. As a member of the company’s senior leadership, he is responsible for advancing the company’s business goals and objectives in front of international, federal, and state policy makers and regulatory bodies, as well as working the company’s corporate development, ESG, and innovation teams in facilitating new business opportunities and industry relationships. Josh maintains very board relationships within the environmental, municipal, and business communities. Josh joined the company after 14 years with the international law firm Squire Patton Boggs LLP in Washington, D.C. where he was partner providing regulatory, policy, and business advice to private and public companies in the energy and environmental sector. Earlier in his career, Josh served as legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as a law clerk to the General Counsel of the Maryland Commission on Human Relations. Josh earned his BA with honors from the University of Delaware and JD with honors from the University of Baltimore School of Law. Finally, Josh is also a prior Chairman and member of the MCEC Board of Directors.
David Lapp
Maryland Office of People's Counsel
People's Counsel,
Maryland Office of People's Counsel
As a lawyer, policy analyst, and writer, David S. Lapp has focused on public policy and corporate accountability in the energy, tobacco, and health-care industries. Until his appointment as Acting People’s Counsel, Mr. Lapp worked from 2004-2020 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland (OAG). Mr. Lapp served for seven years as Deputy Counsel for the Maryland Department of Health. Before that, he served as Chief Counsel of the OAG’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit and helped lead state and national efforts to enforce the national tobacco Master Settlement Agreement against the major cigarette manufacturers. For over ten years prior to his work at OAG, Mr. Lapp advocated on behalf of consumer and environmental interests in the field of utility regulation, first as a writer and policy analyst and then as an attorney primarily representing and advising state regulatory commissions and environmental and consumer advocates. Mr. Lapp graduated in 1998 from the University of Maryland School of Law, Order of Coif. Following law school, he served as a law clerk on the Maryland Court of Appeals for Judge Howard Chasanow. Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh appointed David S. Lapp People’s Counsel in 2021.
Katherine Magruder
Maryland Clean Energy Center
Executive Director,
Maryland Clean Energy Center
MS. MAGRUDER is the Executive Director of the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC), a corporate instrumentality of the state created to advance the adoption of clean energy products, services, and technologies. In addition to administrative and budget management for MCEC she is engaged in government and industry stakeholder relations, event production, and innovation advancement.
Magruder led efforts to launch programs designed to provide access to capital for energy projects including the the Maryland Home Energy Loan Program, Maryland Clean Energy Capital Program, the Maryland Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (MDPACE) Program, and most recently- the Clean Energy Advantage Loan Program.
In her prior position Ms. Magruder served as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute; known for performing cutting edge research and transfer of newly discovered technologies to commercial applications; when it existed as part of the University System of Maryland.
As Director of Resource Based Industries, for the Maryland Department of Commerce, she initiated and managed a program focused on sustaining agriculture, forestry, mining, fisheries and maritime industry sectors. Working in collaboration with multiple agencies and in partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration, she helped develop a statewide approach to implement evolving energy policies and technologies.
Ms. Magruder previously served at the regional and county level in tourism, community and economic development as Director of the Department of Economic Development & Tourism for Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Emphasizing sustainability In that capacity, she led numerous agribusiness and ecotourism initiatives focused on environment, economy, and cultural character. Related efforts include creation of an interactive exhibit for visitors at the Chesapeake Heritage Center, state designation of the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, and national designation for the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway.
Kathy holds a professional Certificate in Destination Marketing & Management from George Washington University School of Business & Public Management, and is recognized as a Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic Development Council. She earned her BFA in Fine Art from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1982, and looks forward to every opportunity to use her creative skills.
Mark Stewart
Maryland Department of the Environment
Climate Change Program Manager,
Maryland Department of the Environment
Mark leads the Climate Change Program at the Maryland Department of the Environment where he and his team are responsible for developing and implementing policies to achieve the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals of any state in the nation. He is currently overseeing the development of Maryland’s next GHG Reduction Plan and regulations for Building Energy Performance Standards, which will guide large buildings statewide to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. Mark’s team is also responsible for conducting Maryland’s official greenhouse gas emissions inventory, staffing the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, and running other stakeholder processes. Prior to joining MDE, he worked for 14 years on sustainability and climate change issues at the University of Maryland. He was honored to be nominated by the Obama Administration for the White House Champions of Change Award. Mark lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, conveniently located near breweries that he wishes he had more time to visit.
Antoine Thompson
Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
Executive Director,
Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
Antoine M. Thompson is a nationally recognized leader for environmental justice, green business, housing, diversity, and urban policy. He earned dual bachelors’ degrees in History and African & Afro-American Studies from SUNY Brockport and is the Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCC), a public-private partnership that promotes the use of clean, American transportation fuels for homeland security, improved air quality, environment justice, diversity, and inclusion. Antoine is the former Executive Director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) the oldest organization of African American real estate professionals in the United States. He led efforts to increase advocacy on Capitol Hill on closing the racial wealth gap through increasing the rate of Black homeownership. Antoine was elected to the New York State Senate in 2006 and 2008 and served as the Senate Deputy Majority Whip and the first African American to Chair the Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation and Co-Chair of the Senate Minority and Woman Business Enterprise Task Force.
Nicola Tran
MD DHCD
Deputy Director, Energy Programs,
MD DHCD
Nicola Tran is an Energy Professional with 15 years of experience in sustainability and energy efficiency solutions. Nicola was born and raised in Germany, where she earned a master's degree in Sociology, focussing on the subject of environmental behavior. After immigrating to the US, Nicola joined a residential energy solutions contractor start-up, where she performed over 300 energy audits and designed systems and trainings to scale up operations from 1 to 25 employees. In 2017, she joined the Housing and Building Energy Program division at the MD Department of Housing and Community Development. Currently, as Deputy Director of the Energy Programs, she oversees the implementation of six statewide limited income energy efficiency programs, and leads program development efforts as well as stakeholder engagement. In her free time, Nicola enjoys gardening, baking, and hiking with her family.
Barbara Tyran
ACORE
Advisor, Macro Grid Initiative,
ACORE
Barbara Tyran is Advisor, Macro Grid Initiative, at the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). She also serves as Past President of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Council on Energy & the Environment (WCEE). She brings outstanding federal / state government relations experience, following two decades as Director, Washington & State Relations, in EPRI’s Washington DC office. She was the principal liaison between EPRI executive management and Congress, the Administration, the national trade associations, state legislators / regulators, and the Washington policy community. Her background includes federal advocacy for utilities and management consulting for public / private / non-profit sector clients, with engagements involving strategic planning, policy analysis, marketing, external relations and communications, and financial / economic analysis. She has held numerous leadership roles, including serving as General Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society 2014 and 2021 General Meetings. In recognition of her technical expertise, she was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Energy and Energy Services, advising the Secretary and USTR on international trade matters. She was elected and re-elected as Chair. She holds a BA degree with Honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Yale University.
