Tuesday, May 14th, 2019 – 5:00-7:00pm

**NECI on Main – the Basement, 118 Main St, Montpelier**

**Note the new location! Due to a conflict at Down Home, we have moved to NECI for this event!**

Up next for the Leveraging Change Speaker Series: a conversation about how strategic investments in clean energy can transform the New England economy and transition us away from fossil fuels. We’ll be hearing from Phil Huffman (The Nature Conservancy) and EAN Board Member Christine Donovan (VEIC) about their recent report with Coastal Enterprises, Inc., “Advancing Clean Energy Investment in Northern New England.” They’ll discuss the context for the report and how some of the key recommendations may move forward in our region.

Please RSVP by filling out the form to the right.

Phil Huffman is Director of Government Relations and Policy for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont www.nature.org/vermont). He leads the Chapter’s work on state and federal policy advocacy to sustain and enhance Vermont’s lands and waters for nature and people, as well as emerging efforts to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote a clean energy future, and slow the pace of climate change. He has served as co-chair of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition since 2016, and has played a leadership role since 2009 in the Staying Connected Initiative (www.stayingconnectedinitiative.org), an innovative bi-national partnership of nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the U.S. and Canada working to sustain and enhance landscape connectivity in the Northern Appalachian-Acadian region. Phil holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College, and Master’s degrees from Yale University in both Environmental Studies and Public and Private Management. He considers himself truly lucky to live with his wife, two sons, and the family dog in the Mad River Valley, in the heart of the Green Mountains.Phil Huffman is Director of Government Relations and Policy for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont www.nature.org/vermont). He leads the Chapter’s work on state and federal policy advocacy to sustain and enhance Vermont’s lands and waters for nature and people, as well as emerging efforts to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote a clean energy future, and slow the pace of climate change. He has served as co-chair of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition since 2016, and has played a leadership role since 2009 in the Staying Connected Initiative (www.stayingconnectedinitiative.org), an innovative bi-national partnership of nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the U.S. and Canada working to sustain and enhance landscape connectivity in the Northern Appalachian-Acadian region. Phil holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College, and Master’s degrees from Yale University in both Environmental Studies and Public and Private Management. He considers himself truly lucky to live with his wife, two sons, and the family dog in the Mad River Valley, in the heart of the Green Mountains.

Christine Donovan - Vermont Energy Investment Corporation - Director, Business Strategy and InnovationChristine Donovan is a national energy efficiency and renewable energy leader with more than 30 years of experience leading non-profit organizations and businesses seeking to advance the use of solar electricity, solar thermal, biomass energy, and other renewable energy technologies for buildings and transportation.  Christine joined VEIC as a Managing Consultant in 2008 after founding and leading her own renewable energy and environmental consulting firm for 25 years.  Christine currently serves as a  Managing Director of the $4 Million Flexible Capital Fund in Vermont and is Vice-President of the Board of the national Biomass Thermal Energy Council.  She served on the VEIC Board of Directors for six years before, during, and after the creation and launch of Efficiency Vermont.  In addition, Christine is past Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Solar Energy Society, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and Maine Solar Energy Association.  She was selected by the Electric Power Research Institute and National Audubon Society to serve on the prestigious National Biofuels Roundtable; was a Founding Board Member of the Renewable Energy Policy Project based in Washington, D.C; and was appointed by President Clinton to serve on his national Climate Change Task Force.  Christine was voted Solar Energy Industry Professional of the Year by the New York Solar Energy Industries Association in 2008, was the first woman distinguished nationally as an American Solar Energy Society Fellow, and has received numerous other awards and distinctions.  Christine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Hampshire College.   She received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for her thesis, one of the first community-wide energy plans completed in the nation. She and her husband have had the joy of raising two children in Stowe and can be found weekends and vacations enjoying the great outdoors near and far!