Hydrogen Americas Summit

Dr Sunita Satyapal

Director - Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

Dr Sunita Satyapal is the Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and is responsible for $150 million per year in hydrogen and fuel cell R&D. She has two and a half decades of experience across industry, academia and government, including at United Technologies managing research and business development, and as a visiting professor. She has served as the Chair – is currently the co-Chair – of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, a partnership among over 18 countries to accelerate progress in hydrogen. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and did postdoctoral work in Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University.

She has numerous publications, including in Scientific American, 10 patents, and a number of recognitions including a Presidential Rank Award.

Christopher Cannon

Director of Environmental Management & Chief Sustainability Officer

Port of Los Angeles

Christopher Cannon is the Director of Environmental Management for the Port of Los Angeles, a position he has held since October 2010. In 2015, he was named Chief Sustainability Officer of the Port.

In this role, Mr Cannon is responsible for balancing commerce and growth with ecological sustainability and social responsibility at the nation’s busiest container port. The Environmental Management Division provides full environmental services related to water, soils and sediments, air and biological resources, and is responsible for preparation of environmental impact assessments mandated by state and federal law; special studies involving dredging, noise abatement, water quality and air quality; site restoration, remediation and contamination characterizations; wildlife management; and establishment of policies regarding environmental quality issues.

Mr Cannon first worked at the Port of Los Angeles as a consultant, starting in 2004, where he worked with the Port Environmental Management Division’s Air Quality and CEQA groups, supporting the development of key air projects such as the Clean Air Action Plan as well as the Harbor Department’s efforts to complete critical environmental impact reports for Port-related projects. In 2008, he helped to develop and served as the Project Manager of the Port’s highly successful Clean Truck Program.

Mr Cannon has 21 years of experience in the environmental services industry, working on a range of projects while employed by ENVIRON International Corporation and TRC Environmental Solutions.

Mr Cannon also spent two years as a legislative assistant for environmental policy on the Washington, D.C. staff of U.S. Representative Martin Sabo of Minnesota. Cannon received a bachelor’s degree in Government from Dartmouth College and a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

J. Andrew McAllister, Ph.D.

Commissioner

California Energy Commission

Commissioner Andrew McAllister is serving his second term on the California Energy Commission.

He is focused on enabling modern, data-rich analytical tools to support strong clean energy policy. At the Energy Commission, he leads the policy areas of energy efficiency and energy assessments. Energy efficiency includes the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, appliance efficiency, and load management. Topics under energy assessments include energy forecasting and reliability modeling.

Commissioner McAllister has worked on energy deployment and policy since the early 1990s. He has worked across the world to deploy clean, cost-effective energy solutions with counterparts ranging from tiny remote communities to the largest of utilities. He administered two of California’s signature renewable energy programs, developed and operated energy efficiency programs for utilities, and conducted a broad range of policy-related research for California and the federal government.

He is chair of the board of directors of the National Association of State Energy Officials and a board member of the Alliance to Save Energy. His deep grounding in technology, policy, and the marketplace provides him with uncommon insight on the accelerating changes taking place in California’s energy sector.

Before joining the Energy Commission, he was managing director at the California Center for Sustainable Energy. He worked with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, Ltd. in countries in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa on renewable generation, load management, utility planning, and remote power projects. He was a project manager at an energy-consulting firm and an energy efficiency analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Commissioner McAllister holds a master of science and a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley; and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. Commissioner McAllister served as a Peace Corps volunteer.

William Zobel

Executive Director

California Hydrogen Business Council