2022 SPEAKER SERIES

Environmental Justice in the Energy Sector

Underserved and disadvantaged communities are front and center with new directives for the spend of public dollars dedicated to addressing and mitigating climate change. Panelists will bring their perspectives and offer ideas related to the challenges of broadening inclusivity for  climate justice. They will also discuss questions related to how the consumer audience defined, the assistance programs in place, and the initiatives needed to bring about environmental justice in relation to energy supply and demand in Maryland and the region. This session will explore what is missing from the equation and identify the economic opportunities associated with addressing this market sector.

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MODERATOR

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Brooke Smallwood

Associate VP, CARIAN

Brooke Smallwood

Associate Vice President
CARIAN

Brooke Smallwood is the newest addition to CARIAN leadership team, as Associate Vice President (AVP). Brooke has significant work experience with electric and gas utilities across North American including Exelon, Southern Companies and Alta Gas. Brooke has worked on several programs and projects in the field of energy efficiency, renewables and electrification.  She consulted with PEPCO and Delmarva Power to create the first EmPower Maryland and DC Demand Side Management Programs (DSM). Brooke was also the Senior Program Manager for PHI’s (PEPCO, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric) electric vehicle programs, building and launching those programs on behalf of the utility. All of the programs Brooke helped to launch are still around today. For her efforts, she has contributed to multiple ENERGY STAR Awards.

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PANELISTS

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Charmaine Brown

Vice President,
Finance of America

Charmaine Brown

Vice President
Finance of America

Charmaine Brown is Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Finance of America and President of Finance of America Foundation. She brings deep expertise to the Discipline and is known as a thought leader and innovator. Charmaine has won numerous awards for her ability to drive impactful DEI strategies. She is co-Chair of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change and leads the Climate Justice team. Charmaine is passionate about amplifying the voice of historically marginalized people.

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Joshua Galloway

Director of Green Building Services,
New Ecology

Joshua Galloway

Director of Green Building Services
New Ecology

Joshua has practiced public interest design and sustainability for twenty years in the fields of architecture and landscape architecture. After earning his degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996, he established a Landscape Architecture practice in Charlottesville, VA. He then received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Virginia, where he led the green roof and landscape work for the 2002 Solar Decathlon team. As a Rose Architectural Fellow with Enterprise Community Partners, Joshua worked with under-served communities in Richmond, VA on historic renovations and new communities. His work has included development and dissemination of sustainability guidelines for non-profit developers and municipalities. While a Project Manager at Community Housing Partners and then at Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners, Joshua worked on adaptive re-use, renovation and new construction of 2,500+ housing units in the Mid-Atlantic. The scales of work included high rise towers in Baltimore, master planning in West Virginia, and Net-Zero duplexes in Virginia. Joshua works with New Ecology’s clients on net zero energy multifamily housing, rowhome deep energy retrofits and regional resilience planning.

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Divesh Gupta

Director of Strategy, Utility of the Future
BGE

Divesh Gupta

Director of Strategy, Utility of the Future
BGE

Divesh has been with the Exelon family of companies for 15+ years. At BGE, his team develops and implements long term vision and strategy, and near-term innovations for BGE’s customers – e.g., EV infrastructure, BGE’s Path to Clean, Smart City tech, community solar, energy storage and more – all with a focus on “how might” BGE deliver equitable solutions for customers. Previously, Divesh led Constellation's Energy Solutions Team, pairing clean tech with creative energy contracts with on-bill funding. He has also worked as Chief of Staff for Constellation Retail's President, and as an attorney for Exelon, providing counsel and representation on regulatory activities involving competitive generation, wholesale and retail businesses. Divesh serves on the Board for Baltimore’s historic St. Frances Academy, the nation’s oldest operating African-American Catholic High School, established in 1828. He also serves on the Foundation Board for Bowie State University, Maryland’s oldest Historically Black College/University. He currently functions as First Vice President of the Maryland-DC Utilities Association, and as a Vice Chair for Environmental Justice/Just Transition for the American Bar Association’s Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Ecosystems Committee. Divesh earned his B.A. in Policy and Sociology from Rice University and his J.D. from Duke University.

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Berneta Haynes

Staff Attorney,
National Consumer Law Center

Berneta Haynes

Staff Attorney
National Consumer Law Center

Berneta L. Haynes is a staff attorney who focuses on consumer energy policy and medical debt. Before joining NCLC, she served as a director at Georgia Watch, a state-based consumer advocacy organization in Atlanta, where she worked to make energy programs, quality healthcare, financial protection, and civil justice more equitable and accessible for all. Her duties included leading coalitions, facilitating forums, steering the passage of crucial medical billing legislation, and authoring consumer-facing educational materials (such as the Georgia Consumer Guide for Medical Bills and Debt) and policy guides on energy equity (including Keeping the Lights On), financial protection, and healthcare billing. Previously, she practiced law at Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Southern Environmental Law Center in Atlanta. At Southern Environmental Law Center, she co-authored policy materials, including Solar for All. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, and Psychology from Drury University, her Master’s degree in English from University of Iowa, and her law degree from University of Iowa College of Law.

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Sam Impink

Chief Program Officer,
Fuel Fund of Maryland

Sam Impink

Chief Program Officer

Fuel Fund MD

Sam has been with the Fuel Fund for 8+ years and enjoys helping clients keep their power on and keeping families together.

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