C3 Fund Investment Oversight Committee

Jimmy Rhee

Chair

Jimmy Rhee’s public service spans international trade, economic development, and job creation. As Cabinet Secretary for Maryland Governor and Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Virginia Governor, he orchestrated trade missions, fostering collaborations with Asian leaders and launching economic development programs that fueled entrepreneurship.

In Maryland, Jimmy advised Governor Larry Hogan on small, minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses overseeing economic and procurement programs across 70 state agencies including universities and casinos. In Virginia, Jimmy promoted business growth and connected investments to energy and infrastructure projects, all while expanding local product exports.

Jimmy has over 20+ years of private sector entrepreneurial experience in change management and enterprise growth, including turnarounds in manufacturing and software companies by leveraging evolving macro factors (e.g., shifts in politics/policies, technology, demographics, etc.) for economic strength.

Currently, in partnership with the Livingston Group in Washington, D.C., Jimmy advises international companies and investment firms on the U.S. government and market, secures capital infusions, and facilitates middle-market M&A deals in energy, technology, and real estate sectors.

Jimmy earned degrees from Johns Hopkins University (MAS/MBA) and the University of Maryland (BS). He also studied law for two years, holds a professional certificate in sustainable energy from Stanford University Center for Development, and is a certified performance coach.

Andrea Pelletier

Vice Chair

Andrea Pelletier is Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking at Sandy Spring Bank. A graduate of the University of Marylad, Andrea has more than 20 years of banking experience, having successfully managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of business banking clients and is certified in Consumer and Commercial Lending.

Elorm Addae-Nuku

Committee Member

Elorm Addae-Nuku is a sustainable finance and climate investing executive with over 16 years of experience driving strategic financing and investments globally. He currently serves as Director, Climate Finance, at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), where he structures blended finance solutions to catalyze private investment into renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric mobility, and climate-resilient infrastructure across emerging markets.

Previously, Mr. Addae-Nuku was Managing Partner at NativeCap Ventures, where he helped build a venture studio with a focus on sustainable housing development and helped deploy capital into projects utilizing clean technologies and green building materials. He has also held senior finance roles at BlackIvy Group, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and General Electric.

Mr. Addae-Nuku holds an MBA from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School, with a focus on Competitive Strategy and Finance. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Ghana.

Karin Berardo

Committee Member

Karin has worked to create enduring impact for the planet for over 30 years, from developing sustainable agriculture and forestry policy in the Brazilian Amazon, to expanding affordable housing in the US and Africa, and from leading renewable energy financing innovations on 5 continents to creating cutting edge natural capital finance solutions for sovereigns and entrepreneurs to protect and restore the world’s oceans, coral reefs and coastal communities.  Developing and financing projects that balance the needs of people, the environment and capital requires care and insight, and has been the cornerstone of her career.

In Karin’s asset management and development work, she has helped raise over $3 billion to finance natural capital solutions renewable energy, affordable housing and real estate, water, waste and food projects around the world.  This includes helping to establish the first commercial solar programs in Thailand, the Philippines, and Rwanda; and the first workforce housing financing facilities in South Africa, as well as working with investors and corporations to embed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into business planning, reporting, product offerings and investment criteria.  Karin realized this work with ABREN clients, and at The Nature Conservancy, Fannie Mae, Stumpf Energy, Exyte Energy, CleanPath Ventures, Fotowatio, MuniMae and Accenture.  She received her MBA, MPP and BA from the University of Chicago.

Cari Harris

Committee Member

Cari A. Harris is the founder of The CCT Foundation and The Butterfly Effect with a focus on economic development, stakeholder engagement, and project management. She is also co-founder of the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative (HEJT Collaborative), a group of HBCU-affiliated technical experts invested in sustainability and environmental justice. Her commitment extends to operationalizing and evaluating DEI macroeconomic targets and metrics to increase equity.

Elias Hinckley, LL.M., J.D.

Committee Member

Elias Hinckley is a Partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He focuses his practice on assisting clients navigating a changing energy, tax, and financial landscape by efficiently and creatively structuring deals.

He incorporates tax, policy, and market insight to solve complex financing challenges for renewable energy companies, private equity, hedge funds, tax equity investors, real estate investors, independent power companies, and public utilities. He has been at the forefront of the development of several financing structures for the clean energy industry.

He has experience representing clients across energy sectors, including solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biofuels, hydroelectric, batteries, fuel cells, energy efficiency, demand response, electric transmission, natural gas, and advanced coal.

Previously, Elias led the energy practice at another international law firm and was the Head of the Alternative Energy Practice for Deloitte USA for several years. He is also an Adjunct Professor of International Energy Policy and Markets at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Pamela Kelly

Committee Member

Pam Kelly has more than 25 years of experience in the public finance industry providing investment banking and advisory services to the government and not-for-profit sectors. She has significant experience evaluating and implementing financing plans structured with various funding and credit sources and has a particular interest in economic and community development initiatives. She has advised clients in the State of Maryland and nationally on tax-exempt and taxable financings utilizing general obligation and revenue bonds, appropriation and lease structures, tax credits, energy performance contracts, tax increment districts and community development authorities.

Ms. Kelly is a registered Municipal Advisor, serves on the board of the Maryland Women in Public Finance and is a member of Maryland Government Finance Officers Association, Maryland Economic Development Association and Maryland Association of Counties. She received her undergraduate degree from Towson University and lives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Jon Kucskar

Committee Member

Jon Kucskar, JD, serves as the inaugural Deputy Chief Risk Officer at Johns Hopkins University. He plays a key role within the Office of Institutional Risk Management (IRM) – including as Chair of the university-wide IRM Committee – in implementing JHU’s long-standing IRM program; developing JHU’s crisis management framework and coordinating crisis response efforts; leading issue-specific risk-related workgroups; and on a variety of other risk-related issues.

Prior to joining JHU in 2023, Jon served as Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Vice President for Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). Notably, Jon led UMB’s ERM program in developing and implementing a new risk assessment framework; oversaw the Office of Risk Management (which includes the Insurance function); and played critical leadership and coordination roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Jon served as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Governor of Maryland, Senior Advisor to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Senior Attorney at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and a federal law clerk.

Jon has extensive experience teaching graduate classes and sharing best practices in national fora. Each year since 2014, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. He also teaches as an Adjunct Instructor at the JHU Carey Business School. Jon has presented multiple times about ERM best practices at the University Risk Management and Insurance Association’s annual conference and previously presented numerous times at other associations’ events. His written publications include a law review article examining advantages to pursuing policy changes at the state level and a multi-author article about how best link an ERM program to strategic planning.

Jon earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Maryland Carey School of Law; his Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from Boston College; an executive certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School; and a certificate in Intercultural Leadership from the University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate School. He was named to The Daily Record’s VIP List and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland.

James McDonnell

Committee Member

im McDonnell is the Chief Operating Officer of Avalon Energy Services, LLC.  In this role, Jim oversees the economic analysis, transaction structuring, and implementation of energy supply management, energy efficiency, and distributed energy resource projects.  He also works with clients developing energy-related commercial ventures.

Jim has extensive experience in the energy industry, having held senior-level positions in a variety of areas; he has worked in capacities including operations, consulting, finance, and planning.

Jim is a past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the US Association for Energy Economics and a founding member of the Cornell Energy Systems Institute Advisory Council.  He earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Engineering at Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from Oklahoma State University.

Jim is passionate about expanding access to clean, reliable energy while protecting the environment, especially his beloved Chesapeake Bay, where he spends much of his leisure time.

Marissa Ramirez

Committee Member

Marissa Ramirez is the Senior Director of Strategy, Planning, and Operations for the Equity, Environment, and Justice Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council.  She believes that meaningful change happens locally. Marissa has worked with neighbors and local leaders primarily in underserved communities of color on revitalizing communities by providing best practices and tools for a more equitable and sustainable future. Fostering a collaborative basis for bringing community knowledge and strategic analysis is core to her work to meaningfully adapt to climate change and collectively design solutions that advance community priorities. She is a co-author of “4-Steps to a Climate Savvy Community,” which is designed for communities to find solutions to climate, health, and racial equity issues where they live. She is also author and co-author of “Green Neighborhoods: Advancing Strategies that Create Strong, Just, and Resilient Communities” and “The Sustainable Square Mile Handbook: Cultivate Your Green Village with Community-Based Principles and Practices.” She has led new research to uncover the links between climate change, displacement, and gentrification in U.S cities.

Marissa serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Green Bank supporting residents and businesses in her community. She has a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she focused on urban environmental economics.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Yale University.  Previously, Marissa was a scientist at the National Institute of Health and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and continues to bring both her passion for human and environmental health to her professional work in communities.