Staff

Elise Jones is the Executive Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), managing the organization and its impactful work on energy efficiency, electrification, and clean transportation over the six-state Southwest region. She brings to this position more than three decades of public policymaking experience, accumulated from a variety of vantage points: as a local elected official, former chair of the Denver Regional Council of Governments, gubernatorial appointment to the Air Quality Control Commission and Regional Air Quality Council, Congressional legislative staff person, and a conservation advocacy nonprofit leader.

Background

Elise served as a county commissioner for Boulder County from 2013-21, where she focused on climate action, sustainability, equity, and multimodal transportation issues. Prior to running for public office, for 13 years she directed a statewide conservation organization, Colorado Environmental Coalition (now called Conservation Colorado), advocating for policy change on climate, energy, wilderness, land use, transportation, and a host of other environmental issues. Elise has also worked as a regional director for the League of Conservation Voters, a senior legislative staff person for Oregon congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, and a policy advocate for the National Wildlife Federation.

Education

MS in Resource Policy, Planning, & Administration, University of Michigan
BS in Natural Resources, Cornell University

Favorite Movies

Hidden Figures (So inspiring to watch strong, smart, resilient women break barriers!)
The Birdcage (Triggers belly laughs every time you watch it!)
Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman is one of the greatest!)

Location

Boulder, CO

Christy Bolognani is a Program Associate with the Buildings Program at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), where she advances energy efficiency policy across the Southwest in collaboration with utilities, state energy offices, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. Her work includes leveraging building efficiency policies and tools such as the energy codes, benchmarking and building performance standards, building electrification, low-income housing tax credits, and other programs to reduce energy waste, climate emissions, and consumer utility bills.

Background

Prior to joining SWEEP, Christy served as Marketing Manager for a commercial general contractor specializing in green building projects where she managed sales, marketing, and business development activities for the company’s vertical construction, civil/utility, renewable energy, and real estate development divisions. She is also a licensed realtor.

Education

MBA, Northern Arizona University
BA in Environmental Studies, Prescott College

Favorite Movies

Happy Gilmore
Spaceballs
It’s A Wonderful Life

Location

Flagstaff, AZ

Justin Brant is Utility Program Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), where he leads work at public utilities commissions around the Southwest advocating for stronger energy efficiency, demand management, rate design, and beneficial electrification. Justin works collaboratively with utilities and policymakers to implement best practice programs across the region, and leads much of SWEEP’s work around the gas transition and decarbonization of gas utilities.

Background

Prior to SWEEP, Justin worked as a consultant working on greenhouse gas accounting and corporate sustainability. Before that, he was Assistant Director of the Electric Power Division at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, leading state oversight of energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid modernization, and emerging technologies. Justin also worked at the Washington State Department of Ecology developing the state’s climate policy.

Education

MS, Oregon State University
BA, Wesleyan University

Favorite Movies

The Big Lebowski
Star Wars
Pulp Fiction

Location

Boulder, CO

Christine Brinker is a Senior Buildings Policy Manager for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) Buildings Program, where she specializes in state and local policies such as energy codes, benchmarking and building performance standards, appliance standards, incentive programs, beneficial electrification, climate action planning, and net zero planning. Her work at SWEEP involves helping state and local governments plan or improve energy efficiency policies and programs for the built environment, writing state legislation, serving as an expert witness for bills or dockets, designing and expanding beneficial electrification strategies, facilitating networks of local officials and industry stakeholders, designing outreach materials and strategies, and delving into new and innovative energy efficiency tactics.

Background

Christine has been with SWEEP since 2007, and before that worked at E Source, advising utilities on clean energy technologies and distributed energy strategy. She also spent two years living and working in Niger, West Africa, teaching environmental science in French and Zarma.

Education

BA in Economics and Environmental Studies (specialization in clean energy), University of Colorado Boulder

Favorite Movies

Shaun The Sheep
Whale Rider
The Martian

Location

Denver, CO

Angie Dykema is the Nevada Representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), where she oversees state regulatory and legislative processes to advance transportation electrification, decarbonization, and energy efficiency.

Background

Angie most recently worked as a consultant engaged in regulatory, legislative, and government affairs on behalf of nonprofit organizations and other clients focused on advancing clean energy and transportation, distributed resources, and energy efficiency. Prior to starting her own consulting business, she served as the Director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy under former governor Brian Sandoval from 2015-19, where she advised the Governor on energy matters as a member of his cabinet and guided the development and passage of multiple clean energy legislation and regulation. Before her public service, Angie worked as Business Development Manager at Ormat Technologies, a global leader in the geothermal industry, where she managed project development including transmission and interconnection processes, power purchase agreements, project proposals, and federal, state, and local permitting.

Education

MS in Natural Resources Law Studies, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
BS in Environmental Policy and Political Science, Michigan State University

Location

Reno, NV

Rachel Ellis is a Communications Fellow at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). Since the fall of 2022, Rachel has helped build capacity through storytelling. She works alongside staff to engage with stakeholders, allies, and local and state leaders in order to produce case studies that highlight the various program work and successes that are related to SWEEP’s campaigns.

Background

Rachel’s background is in photojournalism, and she has interned and freelanced for various news outlets in the country, including The Denver Post and The Washington Post, finding her passion in telling stories related to environmental and social justice. Most notably, she received an honorable mention in 2019 as Michigan Photographer of the Year during her year-long internship in Saginaw. Since 2021, Rachel has been a very active volunteer for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.

Education

BA in Photojournalism, Ball State University

Favorite Movies

Dead Poets Society
Erin Brockovich
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Location

Denver, CO

Kevin Emerson is Building Efficiency & Decarbonization Director at Utah Clean Energy. In this role, he serves as the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s primary Utah representative — leading building and utility efficiency and decarbonization advocacy efforts. Kevin also supports all transportation electrification efforts in Utah.

Background

Kevin has worked in the field of building and utility energy efficiency advocacy for nearly two decades, with a focus on local and state government policy and utility regulation. His experience includes policy analysis and development, policymaker education, service on Utah’s Uniform Building Code Commission, and currently serving on the board of The Association of Energy Engineers, Utah Chapter.

Education

MS in Environmental Sustainability, University of Edinburgh
BS in Environmental Studies, University of Utah

Favorite Movies

The Mission
Baraka
Raya And The Last Dragon

Location

Salt Lake City, UT

Nissa Erickson is the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) Federal Funding Implementation Coordinator for Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. She is responsible for implementing SWEEP’s Federal Funding Implementation Project to ensure that state and local governments maximize the benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to reduce climate emissions, improve equity, save people money, and create clean energy jobs.

Background

Before SWEEP, Nissa was the Development Director for nonprofit mountain organizations focused on filling gaps in community health and social services. She also spent a decade as Senior District Representative for former Congressman Jared Polis, engaging in local policy outreach and constituent services.

Education

MBA, University of Denver
BA in Political Science and Sociology, St. Olaf College

Favorite Movies

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi

Location

Dillon, CO

Tammy Fiebelkorn is the New Mexico Representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). She leads the organization’s work on buildings and transportation efficiency, serves as lead on all legislative work, and represents SWEEP in coalitions throughout the state.

Background

Tammy has worked in the energy efficiency field for nearly 30 years. She has been a consultant to utility energy efficiency programs, led transportation efficiency coalitions, and developed and implemented efficiency policies for a vast array of companies, governments, and utilities.

Education

MS in Natural Resource Economics, Colorado State University
BA in Economics, Louisiana State University

Favorite Movies

Earthlings
Cowspiracy
Pulp Fiction

Location

Albuquerque, NM

Matt Frommer is Senior Transportation Associate at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and works to advance policies that cut transportation pollution, accelerate vehicle electrification, and build more healthy, walkable, and equitable communities. He works closely with policymakers and transportation planners to increase funding for multimodal transportation options like transit, biking, and walking, and support more efficient, compact land use. Matt’s goal is to make our communities less car-dependent and in the process, improve access to opportunity, lower emissions, and save people money on housing and transportation.

Background

Prior to working on climate and transportation policy, Matt was an architect working on mixed-use and residential development in New York City and Abu Dhabi. Throughout his work in architecture, he gravitated toward projects that support sustainability and affordability, sparking an interest in climate, transportation, and land use that eventually brought him to SWEEP.

Education

MS in Environmental Science in Sustainable Planning and Management, University of Colorado Boulder
BS in Architecture, University of Michigan

Favorite Movie

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Location

Denver, CO

Kirsten Frysinger is Operations Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and strives to ensure the efficient and effective management of the day-to-day operations of the organization including company policies, purchasing, grant management, bookkeeping and financial reporting, and human resources. She focuses on supporting cross-functional teams within SWEEP’s six-state region while resolving problems and addressing a variety of inquiries on the fly.

Background

Prior to joining SWEEP in 2017, Kirsten managed operations for a HERS rating company in Boulder. She also owned and operated a videography company for four years and was a technical writer for magazines.

Education

BA in Environmental Studies (specialization in sustainable development), University of Colorado Boulder

Favorite Movies

My Octopus Teacher
The Big Chill
Finding Nemo
Rear Window
Forrest Gump

Location

Superior, CO

Howard Geller is Founder and former Executive Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), who led the organization from 2001-21. He currently holds a seat on the SWEEP Board of Directors and acts as a Senior Policy Advisor, assisting SWEEP on legislation as well as utility policy and program design.

Background

Howard served as the first employee and then Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington, D.C., from 1981-2001. He then moved to Colorado in 2001 to launch SWEEP. Howard has also worked on energy efficiency issues in Brazil, including helping the nation start a national electricity conservation program.

Education

PhD, University of São Paulo
MS, Princeton University
BA, Clark University

Favorite Movies

Casablanca
The Night Of The Iguana
Rear Window
(All classics!)

Location

Boulder, CO

Michael Kenney is a Senior Program Manager with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) Utility Program, in which he develops policies and programs that further energy efficiency and decarbonization across the southwestern U.S. Michael works closely with consumer advocacy groups, utilities, state energy offices, state utility commissions, and other stakeholder groups to solve energy efficiency and decarbonization challenges.

Background

Before joining SWEEP, Michael worked on energy efficiency and decarbonization policies, programs, and regulations with the California Energy Commission. This included assessments of energy and peak demand savings, strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, and ways to ensure energy benefits are delivered to underserved communities.

Education

MS in Geology, University of California, Davis
BS in Geology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Favorite Movies

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy
Wayne’s World
La La Land

Location

Socorro, NM

Neil Kolwey is Industrial Program Director for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), where he leads programs to advance energy efficiency in the industrial sector and to decarbonize buildings and industry through beneficial electrification. In partnership with the SWEEP Buildings team, Neil works to promote beneficial electrification in buildings through use of efficient and cost-effective heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and other electric appliances. In addition, since June 2020, Neil has been co-leader of the Beneficial Electrification League of Colorado.

Background

Before joining SWEEP in 2010, Neil worked for E Source for nine years, focusing on greenhouse gas consulting and writing reports on utility programs for large customers, climate change business strategies, and other topics.

Education

MS in Environmental Management and Policy, Lund University
BS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Iowa

Favorite Movies

Bull Durham
Shrek
The Naked Gun

Location

Boulder, CO

Travis Madsen is Transportation Program Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and directs the clean transportation program — driving the organization’s overall work to reduce transportation energy use, save money, prevent pollution, and increase equitable access to convenient, clean, and affordable mobility options. He works with elected leaders, nonprofit partners, and private sector stakeholders to accelerate vehicle electrification, increase investment in multimodal transportation infrastructure, advance shared mobility strategies, and promote location-efficient land use.

Background

Travis joined SWEEP in 2019, after spending five years overseeing state-level climate advocacy work at Environment America, and more than a decade providing thought leadership and policy analysis at Frontier Group, a nonprofit multi-issue think tank. He began his career working on a successful campaign to win adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars program in New Jersey in the early 2000s.

Education

BA (summa cum laude) in Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder

Favorite Movies

Everything Everywhere All At Once
Sorry To Bother You
Being John Malkovich

Location

Denver, CO

Tyler Merriweather is the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) Federal Funding Implementation Coordinator for Arizona and Nevada. He is responsible for implementing SWEEP’s Federal Funding Implementation Project to ensure that state and local governments maximize the benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to propel climate progress at the state and local levels, craft a set of principles to guide investment decisions — focusing on emissions reduction, equity transparency, and other values.

Background

Tyler’s background ranges in various roles in project coordination, economic analysis, and a breadth of experience with utility bill management systems.

Education

MBA in Project Management, Grand Canyon University
BS in Communications, Arizona State University

Favorite Movie

The Lion King

Location

Mesa, AZ

Jim Meyers is Buildings Program Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and directs the building efficiency and electrification program. He leads programs to advance energy efficiency in buildings through building energy codes, benchmarking programs, decarbonizing building codes, and the importance of electrification in the built environment. Working with national, state, and local building coalitions to improve building performance to ultimately reach zero energy buildings. Jim serves on International Code Council committees and leads stakeholder collaboratives in our states to support the building industry to adopt these policies and construct buildings to these new standards.

Background

Jim joined the SWEEP team in 2009 after working in the building trade association industry, the energy performance and auditing industry, and the software industry. He has also worked on the power generation side supporting fuel cells on flight vehicles for the space program.

Education

BS in Aeronautical Engineering, San José State University
LEED Green Associate, U.S. Green Building Council (Certified Green Professional)

Favorite Movies

Star Wars
Empire Of The Sun

Location

Denver, CO

Caryn Potter is Arizona Representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). She crafts policies and programs that advance utility energy efficiency and other demand-side resources, as well as transportation electrification through state regulatory and legislative processes.

Background

Before joining SWEEP, Caryn worked at the World Resources Institute as Research Assistant, in which  she assessed climate mitigation goals of Fortune 500 companies. She also worked with the Laboratory of Biological Invasions in Concepción, Chile, where she researched the role of forestry carbon credit projects in restoring native land in southern and central Chile. Before both positions, Caryn was an independent marketing strategist, working with clients in the information technology and sustainability sectors.

Education

MS in Climate Science (with concentrations in Energy Policy and Greenhouse Gas Accounting), Northern Arizona University

Favorite Movies

Contact
The Matrix
Many, many Pixar films

Location

Phoenix, AZ

Josh Valentine is Communications Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). He works on all facets of communications and marketing for the organization, including coalition policy and environmental advocacy campaigns, media relations, website development, social media, and original content (reports, blog posts, webinars, publications) in collaboration with all departments.

Background

Prior to joining SWEEP in 2020, Josh worked as Communications Manager for the Clean Coalition, a nonprofit based in Northern California. During that same timeframe, he was also volunteer Digital Communications Director for the Colorado Renewable Energy Society. Josh also ran his own digital marketing firm, Promenade Media, that focused solely on eco-conscious clients interested in people-over-profit. During off-times, he volunteers for a few Colorado animal sanctuaries.

Education

MA in Digital Media Production, Emerson College
BA in English, Wheaton College (Mass)

Favorite Movies

Sideways
Blue Velvet
Goodfellas
Glengarry Glen Ross
Midnight Run
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day

Location

Longmont, CO