Karen J. Atkinson, Program Co-Chair, is President of Tribal Strategies, Inc., a Washington D.C. consulting firm specializing in government relations, energy development and business development on behalf of tribal governments and companies that want to work with tribes. She was formerly Senior Counsel to United States Senator Daniel Inouye where she provided advice on tribal and renewable energy policy.

Maurice Richard, Program Co-Chair, is Founder of Marin Power Ventures LLC, with 30 years experience in power generation and 10 in mining. He was most recently President of Southwestern Power Corporation and a senior executive of Calpine Corporation, directly responsible for Ft. Mojave Power Plant, Glass Mountain and Coso geothermal projects.

Sandra Begay-Campbell is a Regent for the University of New Mexico and works at Sandia National Laboratories where she is a Principal Member of the Technical Staff. She leads Sandia’s technical efforts in the Renewable Energy Program to assist tribes with renewable energy development.

Garlyn Bergdale is President and CEO of Environmental Planning Group with more than 30 years of consulting experience. For both public and private sector clients in the Southwest, he has served as principal-incharge, project director, manager, advisor, coordinator, and technical expert.

Dwight Carey is Principal of Environmental Management Services, providing environmental support services to industry and government clients in evaluating environmental effects and maintaining compliance with changing environmental regulatory requirements.

Mike Connor works for US Senator Jeff Bingaman as Democratic Counsel to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the US Senate. In this position, he is responsible for water and Indian issues within the Committee’s jurisdiction. Prior to joining the Senate, he was with the Department of the Interior where he served as director of the Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office.

Woody Corbine is Executive Director of the Mni Sose Intertribal Water Rights Coalition. The Coalition’s objective is to strengthen the capabilities of the 28 Tribes in the Missouri River Basin to manage, control, and protect tribal water resources pursuant to tribal goals and values. Prior to joining the Mni Sose Coalition, he served as Executive Director of the Rapid City Indian Health Board, and is a current member of the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe.

Robert Gough is an attorney who specializes in cultural ecology and has worked with Indian Tribes on cultural and natural resource issues for 20 years. He was the first Director of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Utility Commission, and presently serves as its consulting attorney. He currently serves as a Rosebud Sioux Tribe delegate to, and the Secretary of, the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy.

Lyle Johnson has been a Public Utilities Specialist in Western Area Power Administration’s Colorado River Storage Project Management Office in Salt Lake City for 18 years. For the last three years he has been involved in the Post-2004 marketing program for the Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects, the program that has made Federal electricity available to tribes in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Mike King is a noted economist and management consultant with National Economic Research Associates. He has extensive experience in electric wholesale markets, electric utility restructuring, strategy, and regulation. His recent work has focused on the merchant generation sector, where he has provided strategy and valuation advice on mergers and acquisitions, the financing of merchant energy companies, and the financial restructuring of distressed companies.

David Lester is Executive Director of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes, a group composed of Indian Tribes that collectively represent more than half of all Indians residing on Reservations today.

David E. Lewis is a tribal member and Energy Director for the Yavapai-Apache Tribal Energy Office. He plays an active role in the planning, development, and implementation of energy projects, including a tribal utility authority for the Nation.

The Hon. Lynda M. Lovejoy serves as District 4 Chairwoman of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. She is a former New Mexico State Representative, and an active citizen of the Navajo Nation. In 2000, she was selected as one of New Mexico’s top 100 “Power Brokers” by NM Business Weekly.

Thomas R. Mancini is the Concentrating Solar Power Program Manager at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.  He has a distinguished 27-year career in solar energy R&D and has published more than 100 technical papers and reports.  As a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico State, he initiated and performed research in such broad topic areas as passive solar cooling, active heating and cooling, and solar power.  Since joining the staff at Sandia, he has worked as a Senior and Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff on concentrating solar power.

Gueta Mezzetti is Counselor on Energy for the US Air Force/ILE and Program Manager for DoD Renewables Assessment.

Mary C. Morton advises FERC Commissioner Nora Brownell on a wide range of electricity, natural gas and hydropower issues. Prior to joining the commissioner’s staff, Ms. Morton worked in FERC’s Office of General Counsel on various rate matters, including the California electricity crisis.

Don Mundy has been a consultant with Black & Veatch since 1975 where he is involved in consulting, engineering and construction related activities associated with electric Transmission Lines, Substations, Distribution Systems and Power Generation project.

Mark Nichols is Chief Executive Officer for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians where he functions in the traditional role of city manager with both non-profit and profit portfolios. He manages legal affairs, public safety, entitlements, citizen services, finance, government affairs, operations, planning, economic development, and strategic planning.

Thomas (Tom) M. O’Meara is a Vice President at Henwood Energy Services, Inc. where he manages corporate marketing and is a senior account manager for their largest clients. He consults to businesses that are interested in entering the US power markets providing a sound perspective of competitive power markets, asset valuation, and environmental activities associated with power generation.

The Hon. Harry Reid is Minority Whip (DNV) in the US Senate where he has developed a reputation as a consensus builder and an accomplished legislator. He provides valuable leadership by guiding legislation through the Senate and securing the votes to pass key measures.

Margaret M. Schaff has 12 years experience as an attorney in the utility, oil and gas industries, and for tribal governments. Previously she was with the Office of General Counsel at Western Area Power Administration as a power marketing attorney and as Chief Lands Attorney.

Thomas H. Shipps is a partner in the firm of Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel, LLP which serves as general counsel for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and special counsel for the Ute Mountain Tribe. His practice is devoted in large part to Indian natural resource development, mineral leasing and lease compliance, and tribal economic development.

Elizabeth Tail is Executive Vice President of the Alesek Institute, the development agency of the Franks Landing Indian Community. Currently working to site a 350MW power plant on an Indian Reservation in the South Sound, Ms. Tail’s recent accomplishments include provision of professional services to a rural eastern Washington tribe and their partner, a major utility company, on the development of the Initial Consultation Document required by FERC to operate existing hydroelectric facilities in the Pacific Northwest.

Robert E. Tucker is one of the founding principals of Global Power Solutions, LLC with nearly 30 years experience in the power industry and 20 years in the Geothermal Power Sector. His experience includes most forms of power generation specializing in geothermal power.

Mike Warwick has been with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a staff engineer for over 13 years. He has almost 30 years of experience in the utility industry and leads PNNL’s practice in utility resource planning, utility regulation and deregulation, and energy market structure and dynamics.

J. D. Williams is with Landye, Bennett, Blumstein, LLP in Portland, where he specializes in tribal issues focused on energy law, Indian corporate and business law, commercial formations and transactions, as well as Federal Indian law, gaming and housing.

Edward W. Zaelke heads the real estate practice in Arnold & Porter’s Los Angeles office. He has expertise in all aspects of real property law, including acquisition and disposition, development, construction, leasing, financing and loan workout transactions. His development and construction law experience includes office buildings, retail centers, residential developments, “build-to-suit” industrial parks, and several wind energy developments.