Board

John Bennett, Secretary

Senior Vice President, Hunt Energy

John Bennett is responsible for general management, operations, product management, vision, sales and customer development for Hunt Energy IQ Enterprise Energy Management Software Company reporting directly to Hunt Consolidated Senior Management. Prior to joining Hunt, Bennett was a founder and Vice President of TransDecisions, Inc. from 2000 to 2006, a leader in advanced routing scheduling and logistics solutions. He led TransDecision from concept and raising its venture capital to TransDecision’s commercialization and successful acquisition.

Read more about John Bennett

Previously, he was twice with Oracle Corporation from 1998 to 2000 and 2006 to 2008, where he helped launch Oracle Spatial, Oracle’s advanced Geographic Information system and captured one of the largest Public Sector Security and Identity Management transactions at the State of California. He has a diverse technology background spanning computer Aided Design (CAD), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Logistics, Security Identity Management, Call Center, Voice Response and Energy Management.

Jared Ficker, President

Principal, California Strategies, LLC

Jared Ficker is the President and Founder of the Greentech Leadership Group. He also leads the energy and environment practice as a Principal at California Strategies, LLC where he focuses on issues affecting land use, environmental policy, renewable energy, climate change, alternative fuels, development, mitigation, water supply, water quality and local, state and federal permitting. Ficker also is a principal Consilience Partners, LLC, which invests in early stage clean technology companies.  He is serving as CEO of Clean Marine Systems, LLC, a portfolio company for which his company has invested.

Read more about Jared Ficker

Ficker’s previous government experience was with the Department of Interior working on legislative issues and setting up a network of environmental research institutions with universities around the country. He also has been active on a number of candidate and issue campaigns, including most recently the No on Prop. 23 effort with Greentech Leadership Group.

Ficker completed coursework for a doctorate at the University of California, Davis and has a B.A. in both Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was recognized as one of the Environmental Studies Program’s outstanding students.

Cassie Gilson

Founder & Principal, Gilson Government Strategies

Cassie Gilson is a registered lobbyist and lawyer with considerable political and legal experience and contacts, having served as an attorney and political advisor to a variety of clients on issues throughout California. Since founding Gilson Government Strategies, Gilson has represented energy, alternative transportation, land development, food and beverage, consumer products, insurance, healthcare and other business interests. She is a recognized policy expert in environmental and land use law, including the implementation of AB 32 and SB 375, the state’s landmark global warming legislation, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Proposition 65, among other issues. Gilson regularly lobbies on tax and corporate governance issues, including Enterprise Zones, tax credits and local and statewide tax initiatives.

Read more about Cassie Gilson

Gilson’s government experience includes serving as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Gray Davis and on the legal staff of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in The White House. Gilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a law degree from Stanford Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of California and also sits on the Sacramento Valley Conservancy board.

Bob Hines

Renewable Energy Projects, Hawaii State Energy Office

Bob Hines joined the Hawaii’s State Energy Office in January 2012. He assumed project lead for managing approximately $5 million in U.S. Department of Energy ARRA funding for the installation of Electric Vehicle charging networks on Hawaii. He was recently assigned to help lead the Hawaii’s Energy Office’s Permitting Team that is responsible for helping Renewable Energy developers navigate Federal, State and County permitting requirements for clean energy projects.

Read more about Bob Hines

In his last position before relocating to Oahu, he served as the General Counsel and Vice President of Energy for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He had the opportunity to work closely with the Valley’s clean tech and renewable energy companies. Through this involvement, Hines gained a strong understanding of the operational challenges of these companies and type of policy and regulatory support they need to thrive in a global economy. Founded more than 30 years ago by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is one of the most influential and progressive business trade associations in California. Notably, it was the first business group to publicly endorse and lobby for the passage of AB 32, California’s landmark global warming legislation. Bob is an attorney and a member of the California Bar. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and has Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics with Honors and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri.

Andrew Malk, Treasurer

Malk Sustainability Partners

Andrew Malk, Managing Partner of Malk Sustainability Partners, founded the firm after recognizing that sustainability strategies are becoming ever more critical to long-term business success and observing that even the most innovative, well-managed companies need guidance to develop strong strategies and implement value-generating change. Prior to founding the firm, Andrew led strategy and acquisitions for the Midtown Niki Group, a real estate private equity firm. At Midtown Niki, Malk was responsible for anticipating industry trends and ensuring that the company’s strategy was innovative. He started the firm’s Green Finance program, an investment program promoting high-performing, green buildings.

Read more about Andrew Malk

Before joining Midtown Niki, Malk built the business development group at Entrisphere, a telecom start-up bought by Ericsson. At Entrisphere, Malk developed partnerships with industry leaders such as Cisco, Nortel, Lucent and Siemens. Malk began his career at the World Resources Institute, a globally respected environmental think tank and leader in sustainability and climate change issues.