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Link to original content: https://cnee.colostate.edu/people/
Our Team - cnee

Our Team

Our team believes that the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recession, patterns of racial injustice, and the persistent and real dangers presented by climate change can all be lenses through which we view our work as we in America re-build our economy generally and our energy economy specifically. Our pledge at the Center for the New Energy Economy is that, as we participate in the hard work of rebuilding America’s energy economy, we do so with the lens of equity and justice at the forefront of our consciousness.

Our Team

Bill Ritter, Jr.

Director

Colorado’s 41st Governor

Suzanne Tegen, Ph.D.

Deputy Director

Jeffrey Ackermann

Senior Policy Advisor

Dan Lloyd

Senior Policy Advisor

Susan Delja

Senior Policy Advisor

Katherine Heriot Hoffer, Ph.D.

Research Manager

Carlyn Petrella

Senior Policy Analyst

Alexandra Evans

Policy Analyst II

Ellen Eisenbeis

Policy Analyst

Evelyn Peterson

Administrative Coordinator

Hannah Baer

Executive Assistant

Pam Eaton

Consultant

Sarai Benitez

Graduate Research Intern

Brendan Davidson

Graduate Research Intern

Thomas Gifford

Graduate Research Intern

Brandon Slaboda

Graduate Research Intern

Ben Jones

Undergraduate Research Intern

Ian Johnson

Undergraduate Research Intern

Bill Ritter, Jr.

Director

Colorado’s 41st Governor

Bill Ritter, Jr. is the founder and director of the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University, which launched on February 1, 2011.

Governor Bill Ritter was elected Colorado’s 41st Governor in 2006 and was the District Attorney of Denver from 1993-2005. During his four-year term as Governor, Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in clean energy by building a New Energy Economy. After leaving the Governor’s Office, Ritter founded the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, which works with state and federal policymakers to create clean energy policy throughout the country.  Governor Ritter authored a book that was published in 2016 entitled, Powering Forward – What Everyone Should Know About America’s Energy Revolution.

Governor Ritter was formerly the chair of the Board of Directors of the Energy Foundation and currently serves on the board of The Climate Group American and the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy. Ritter is a member of Blackhorn Venture Capital and serves as an advisor to Green Alpha and Project Canary, among others. Ritter earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado State University (1978) and his law degree from the University of Colorado (1981). With his wife Jeannie, he operated a food distribution and nutrition center in Zambia.

Suzanne Tegen

Deputy Director

Suzanne Tegen is the Deputy Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy with expertise in energy economics and policy, and a Ph.D. in Energy Policy from the University of Colorado. At the Center, she works on clean energy policy education, research, and solutions for decision-makers including state legislators, governors’ energy offices, and others. Her current work also includes research on the equitable transition from coal power in rural America. Suzanne came to CNEE from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where she spent 14 years as an energy analyst, researcher, and manager of the Technology, Engineering, and Deployment group for wind and water power.

She has authored or co-authored over 50 reports focused on domestic renewable energy jobs, stakeholder engagement, and the levelized cost of wind energy. She co-wrote a report on clean energy policies for the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Clean Energy Solutions Center and received the Ministerial’s C3E Mid-career award in 2016. She represents the United States in the International Energy Agency’s wind energy social acceptance task and has made countless presentations on responsible renewable energy development across the country. Before graduate school, Tegen worked for the U.S. Antarctic Program at the South Pole and McMurdo stations and for the Center for Resource Solutions in San Francisco.

Beyond her job requirements, she is passionate about mentoring and energy education, diversity, and inclusivity. She is a founding member of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy and served on their Executive Committee for 9 years.

Jeffrey Ackermann

Senior Policy Advisor

Jeff Ackermann served as chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) from January 2017 until January 2021.  During that tenure Jeff presided over some of the most dramatic clean energy developments in Colorado’s regulated electric sector, spanning from accelerated retirement of fossil-fuel generating resources to grid modernization and electrification of the transportation sector.  Concurrently in 2019-2020, Jeff served as chair of the Energy Resources and the Environment Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Prior to serving as PUC chair, Jeff served as director of the Colorado Energy Office in the Hickenlooper Administration for four years, starting in 2013.  In this capacity, Jeff provided leadership for various initiatives that expanded the state’s clean energy agenda.

Jeff draws upon extensive experience in staff and leadership roles, within the Colorado PUC and various organizations developing and implementing innovative energy efficiency programs and addressing the needs of income-stressed households.  Jeff has a Master’s of Nonprofit Management degree from Regis University and an Environmental Economic Policy degree from Albion College.

 Jeffrey.Ackermann@colostate.edu

Dan Lloyd

Senior Policy Advisor

Dan Lloyd has been working on energy policy and project development in the West for over 15 years. Prior to joining the Center as a Senior Policy Advisor in July of 2023, Dan led the Montana Energy Office at the Department of Environmental Quality and was Treasurer of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). Dan has also served in leadership roles with the Western Interstate Energy Board, the Western Green Hydrogen Initiative, and the State Carbon Working Group.

Dan’s professional experience includes working for an energy development company on transmission and storage project buildout, and he has served the State of Montana for over a decade including positions with the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the Department of Commerce.

Dan has a business degree from the University of Notre Dame and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member focused on improving access to energy efficiency. He lives with his wife and daughter in Helena, Montana.

Dan.Lloyd@colostate.edu 

Susan Delja

Senior Policy Advisor

Susan Delja joins the Center with over 20 years’ experience in policy analysis and implementation, working collaboratively with international, federal, state and local partners. A former career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, Susan’s work focused on efforts to develop and execute energy policy solutions that promote a low-emissions future, energy security and economic prosperity through sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy access.  Most recently, Susan served as a U.S. energy and budget advisor to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and budget delegate to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. Prior diplomatic tours included Senior Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy to Belgium; the Environment, Science, Technology and Health Advisor for the Nordic/Baltic region, based at the U.S. Embassy to Denmark; and Economic and Commercial Chief at the U.S. Embassy to Cyprus.  Earlier, she served at embassies in Serbia, Hungary, El Salvador, and a domestic assignment in the State Department’s Executive Secretariat. A native of Nebraska, Susan received her BA from Texas Lutheran University and her MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver. 

susan.delja@colostate.edu 

Katherine Heriot Hoffer

Research Manager

After interning with CNEE as a Research Associate since 2013, Katherine (“Trina”) joined the CNEE team full-time as Research Manager in April of 2017. Trina oversees our research team, leads the development and maintenance of the Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker, the State Policy Opportunity Tracker for Clean Energy, The Clean Energy Policy Guide for State Legislatures, and contributes to a number of other CNEE projects.

Trina received her Ph.D in Political Science from Colorado State University. Her Dissertation examined policy diffusion and policy change through the lens of Renewable Portfolio Standards. Trina also received her M.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University, and has published research in Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Policy Sciences, and other venues.

Trina is proud to hail from Red Cliff, Colorado where she grew up exploring the White River National Forest and the Holy Cross Wilderness.

 

Carlyn Petrella

Senior Policy Analyst

Carlyn Petrella joined the Center for the New Energy Economy as a Policy Analyst in the spring of 2020, supporting the Center’s work across all initiatives. After earning her B.S. in Biotechnology from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Carlyn served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya working as a Secondary Math and Science Teacher. Post Peace Corps, she worked as a Regulatory Biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), developing and implementing federal pesticide use policy. After five years, Carlyn left the EPA to earn a M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. While earning her degree, she focused her studies on energy and environmental policy and was a 2019 EDF Climate Corps Fellow.

Carlyn.Petrella@colostate.edu

Alexandra Evans

Alexandra Evans

Policy Analyst II

Alexandra Evans joined the Center for the New Energy Economy as a Policy Analyst in 2021. After growing up in Fort Collins, Colorado, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability from Arizona State University. Alexandra then earned her Juris Doctor, with a Certificate in Law and Sustainability, from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she sat on the Executive Board of the Environmental Law Society. During that time, she was published in the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Natural Resources Journal. Before joining the CNEE team, Alexandra worked as a Policy Analyst for the Colorado General Assembly, and later as a litigation attorney in Denver, Colorado.

Alexandra.I.Evans@colostate.edu

Ellen Eisenbeis

Policy Analyst

Ellen joined Center for the New Energy Economy in 2020 as a Graduate Research Intern before working as a Research Associate. She currently works for the Center as a Policy Analyst. Ellen holds a M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver. She is focused on the intersection of environmental science and policy, and the creation of comprehensive, science-based environmental policy. Ellen received a B.S. in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, with a minor in Environmental Affairs in 2018 from Colorado State University. 

Evelyn Peterson

Administrative Coordinator

Evelyn started her career working in administrative support for a private career college in 2010. She was employed by Colorado State University in 2016 to support the Department of Political Science as Assistant to the Chair, later moving to the Department of Anthropology and Geography. Evelyn joined the Center for the New Energy Economy in 2022 to support the team as their Administrative Coordinator. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Organization Studies from the University of Denver in 2018.

 

Hannah Baer

Executive Assistant

Hannah started her career as an Executive Assistant in 2004 for a real estate firm in Saint Augustine, Florida. She went on to be a Buyer’s Agent and Office Manager until she left real estate to work in banking in 2008. After working in two highly profit driven industries she decided in 2015 to explore opportunities that enabled her to support executives and organizations with value driven missions. Since then, Hannah has provided Executive Support to the YMCA Orlando and a nonprofit mental health center upon her move to Denver, CO in 2017. Hannah joined CSU in 2022 to support Governor Ritter and his team at the Center for the New Energy Economy.

Pam Eaton

Consultant

Pam Eaton is founder of Green West Strategies where she works with clients, including CNEE, on clean energy and economic transition policy. She has served as a Commissioner on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council’s Scenario Planning Steering Group, and as an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. During a long career at The Wilderness Society, she led programs to manage energy development on public lands and to protect wildlands and wildlife. Pam is Vice Chair of the Grand Canyon Trust Board of Trustees and a founding board member of Four Corners Rising.

pam_eaton@outlook.com 

Sarai Benitez

Graduate Research Intern

Sarai is from South Texas and is driven by her passion for sustainable development and the preservation of the places people call home. The beauty and challenges of her surroundings have inspired Sarai to work towards creating a more sustainable future for communities and the environment. Currently, Sarai is pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Colorado State University, focusing on Public Policy and Administration, Environmental Policy and Politics, and American Politics. Sarai obtained a M.A. in Legal Studies from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

sarai.benitez2@colostate.edu

Brendan Davidson

Graduate Research Intern

Brendan is a PhD candidate in the Political Science Department at Colorado State University. His research seeks to understand the scope and nature of green jobs in the transition to low-carbon renewable energies. Prior to joining CNEE and returning to his studies, Brendan worked for 2 ½ years with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in wind energy and 4 ½ years with Colorado’s Office for Victims Programs addressing labor abuse and human trafficking in the state. Brendan received his M.P.A. in Environmental Politics and Policy from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2014.

 Thomas Gifford

Graduate Research Intern

Thomas is a Colorado native raised in Golden. He obtained his B.A. in Economics from Colorado College in 2018, and he is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Economics Department at Colorado State University. In 2021, Thomas completed his M.A. in Economics at University of Denver, where his research focused on the influence of psychology on economic decision-making. Particularly, he explored the implementation of low-cost strategies aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable behavior.

Thomas is thrilled to be working as a Graduate Research Intern with the CNEE team and is passionate about developing innovative and effective policy solutions that contribute to a sustainable future.

Brandon Slaboda

Graduate Research Intern

Brandon is from New Jersey and has found a new home in Colorado. His work varies across topics in environmental policy, but he is primarily interested in land use/recreation policy and environmental attitudes. Brandon’s most recent research has focused on rural American attitudes towards climate change and other environmentally focused policies, particularly what shapes our perceptions of the environment and how we relate to it. He is pursuing his Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Colorado State University in the Political Science Department. He attended Ursinus College for his undergraduate degree where he attained a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and International Relations.

brandon.slaboda@colostate.edu 

Ben Jones

Undergraduate Research Intern

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Ben is passionate about working towards just transitions. He is driven by a love for the outdoors and a deep interest in sustainability. Ben is currently an undergraduate student in the Colorado State University honors program, pursuing simultaneous degrees in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, and Political Science with a concentration in environmental politics and policy. Ben is thankful to work as an undergraduate intern with CNEE and excited to explore innovative sustainability solutions.

ben1474@colostate.edu 

Ian Johnson

Undergraduate Research Intern

Ian Johnson joined the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) in the Summer of 2024.  Originally from Minnesota, Ian moved to Colorado to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. Being passionate about the environment and with plans to further his education in the field of public policy, working for CNEE is an ideal opportunity. Ian is driven by environmental conservation and an equitable transition to a greener economy. Now located in Denver, Ian enjoys hiking, skiing, and playing with his two dogs.

ian.johnson@colostate.edu 

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