Meet the Team

Abraham Aiyash recently served the 9th House District, a diverse community that covers Detroit’s Eastside, Downtown and Hamtramck communities.

Aiyash is Michigan’s first Muslim in House majority leadership, setting House priorities in a legislative term where Democrats have the majority for the first time in over a decade. His priorities include protecting the rights of all people, championing solutions to address social and health disparities in poor and working-class communities, clean energy and environmental stewardship, and stronger consumer protections in Michigan. In 2024, he was instrumental in the passing of monumental clean energy policy (HB 5120 and HB 5121) and continues to work on progressive environmental policy for Michigan and his community.

Aiyash decided to run for office as a part of his deep and lifelong commitment to public service. The son of immigrants, Aiyash’s value of service was taught by his parents — a homemaker in Hamtramck and an UAW auto worker in Detroit.

Aiyash began working as an organizer for the 2008 Obama campaign. After studying at James Madison College at Michigan State University, Aiyash founded a nonprofit that mentored refugee youth and then went on to work for the Michigan House of Representatives. He worked to engage the community to fight back against a corporation expanding a toxic waste site on the Hamtramck-Detroit border.

While working in Lansing, he recognized the need to build the bench of public service with shared lived experiences of the communities they represent. Aiyash served as the political leadership director for Michigan United, the state’s largest progressive advocacy group. Born and raised in Michigan, Leader Aiyash represents his hometown and lives in the neighborhood that raised him. Aiyash enjoys FIRST Robotics, hiking, sports journalism, technology, and coffee.

Rep. Stephanie Barnard brings a state-led perspective to environmental policy grounded in innovation, energy reliability, and long-term economic sustainability. In Washington, she has built a growing body of work focused on how states can address complex energy and environmental challenges through practical policy, regional collaboration, and advanced energy solutions, with a particular emphasis on nuclear energy.

She serves on the House Energy and Environment Committee. She is the ranking member on the House Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee, where her work focuses on the intersection of environmental policy, nuclear innovation, grid reliability, energy affordability, and economic growth.

Rep. Barnard is the founder and chair of the Washington Legislative Nuclear Energy Caucus, launched in 2023 to expand education and policy engagement around nuclear energy and emerging technologies. She also founded the Western States Advanced Nuclear Consortium, a multistate effort exploring collaboration on advanced nuclear development, transmission planning, and future energy needs across the West. She is also a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Nuclear Workgroup.

State Rep. Devin Carney proudly represents the 23rd General Assembly District, which includes the towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. He was elected to his fourth two-year term in November 2020.

For the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions, Rep. Carney was appointed by House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora to serve as the Ranking Member for the Transportation Committee.

Having been a member of the committee for the past six years, the familiarity of responsibilities that come with this appointment is one Rep. Carney knows well, having served in the same capacity from 2017 to 2018 under former Minority Leader Themis Klarides.

In addition, he will also return as a member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee and the Ranking Member of the Transportation Bonding Subcommittee and will begin his first term on the Education Committee. Rep. Carney was also named an Assistant House Republican Leader and chosen, again, to serve on the House Republican Screening Committee. He serves as the co-chair of the bipartisan Clean Energy Caucus and as a member of the bipartisan Tourism Caucus.

As a life-long resident of the 23rd, he knows first-hand what is important to the residents of this district. Having gone through the Old Saybrook public school system from kindergarten through high school, he knows just how vital the success of our children is as well as the quality of education they receive.

Carney graduated from Brandeis University in 2006 where he received a BA in Political Science and a BA in American Studies with a minor in Film. In addition to the legislature, Carney works in finance at John A Bysko Associates and as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker.

Rep. Carney volunteers his time with many local organizations including serving on The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Board of Trustees, as the Treasurer of the Board of Saybrook Senior Housing, as a member of The Rotary Club of Old Saybrook, and as a member of both the Lyme-Old Lyme and Old Saybrook Chambers of Commerce. In addition, he serves as a member of the bipartisan Millennial Action Project, which brings together legislators 45 and under, and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. 

The various aspects of life, business, and community that Carney experienced in Connecticut have given him the means to fully relate to his constituents. The 23rd district is deeply rooted in both his past and present; he is fully vested in this community and seeks to represent these communities with distinction as their voice in Hartford.

State Senator Chuck Hufstetler has represented the Northwest Georgia area in the Georgia State Senate since 2013. He has served as the Chair of the Finance Committee since 2017. He also serves on the Health Care, Higher Education, and Appropriations committees. Nationally, he serves on the Finance board for the National Conference of State Legislators and is a board member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.

Professionally, his early career was in Corporate Manufacturing and Finance in New York, Texas, Georgia, and California. In mid-life, he attended the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a Master of Medical Science degree in Anesthesiology, where he has practiced Anesthesia in Georgia since 2008.

He served at the local level for the County Commission in Floyd County, Georgia, from 1998-2006. He also served as Chair of the Commission and was the negotiator in bringing the minor league team of the Atlanta Braves to Rome. He was also co-chair of the stadium construction, the only public stadium in Georgia built on time, under budget, and completely paid for by opening day. As part of the stadium plan, numerous bike trails have been completed to connect it to other parts of the city of Rome and Berry College (the largest college campus in the world by land mass).

He has worked hard for consumers in Georgia to keep energy rates affordable with several pieces of legislation, including a three-year rate freeze for residential bills. He and others fought hard to successfully keep the Okefenokee Swamp, the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi, from recent corporate mining encroachment attempts. After a six-year battle, the mining company in 2025 agreed to sell the land to The Conservation Fund, which will protect its future. His district has become a hub in Georgia for renewable energy with SK/Hyundai batteries, QCells Solar, and others locating multibillion-dollar manufacturing facilities in the area in the last several years.

His wife, Joan, and he have three children: Caleb, an MBA graduate and financial advisor, Schell, a PhD in Developmental Psychology employed by the CDC, and Rebeckah, a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon in Geophysics. They also have two grandchildren.

Chris Lee was first elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2008. He represents District 25 in the Senate. He previously served as House Majority Whip and as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Senator Lee was named Best Policymaker in 2016 by the US Green Building Council Center for Green Schools and Green Schools Network for authoring legislation directing all public educational campuses to become energy net-zero facilities. He is a 2015 recipient of the Transformational Achievement in Advancing Clean Energy Award presented by the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum for passing a law making Hawaii the first state to require electricity sold by utilities to come from 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.

Senator Lee has a strong focus on energy and the environment, also authoring the Hawaii Climate Adaptation Initiative, the nation’s first tax credit for organic food production, and legislation directing the state of Hawaii to eliminate fossil fuels for ground transportation, and establish renewable transit alternatives.

He currently serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, volunteers his time at local schools, and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in political science.

Meredith Wingate is an energy and climate consultant with experience managing ambitious decarbonization initiatives delivered in partnership with national nonprofits, community groups, foundations, government and corporations. Currently the founder and Principal at Wingate Strategies, Meredith advises clients on designing and executing programs, strategies, and policies to advance renewable energy, decarbonize electric power sector, stop fossil fuel infrastructure expansion, and attract philanthropic funding and partnership. Prior to founding Wingate Strategies, Meredith managed three programs at the Energy Foundation over a span of fifteen years, focusing on electric utility regulation, wholesale market policies, and building decarbonization. Prior to the Energy Foundation, Meredith advocated for renewable energy policies in the U.S. and China and helped develop early REC tracking systems in the Midwest and West. Meredith has a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Aimee brings over 20 years of experience in climate, energy, and sustainability, with leadership spanning the state, federal, and international levels across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She founded Hua Nani Partners in 2019 and serves as its Founder and CEO.

Prior to founding Hua Nani Partners, Aimee served as Senior Advisor to California Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr., where she helped launch the U.S. Climate Alliance and played a key role in advancing California’s global climate leadership. Her work included supporting the landmark 2018 Global Climate Action Summit and Executive Order B-55-18, which committed California to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

Previously, Aimee served as Deputy Secretary for Border and Intergovernmental Relations at the California Environmental Protection Agency, where she led strategic climate and environmental partnerships with international governments including China, Mexico, Japan, and the Netherlands. In the lead-up to COP21, she also helped launch the Under2 Coalition, a global alliance of more than 200 subnational governments committed to ambitious climate action.

Earlier in her career, Aimee was a Partner at Allotrope Partners, where she focused on clean energy development and innovative climate finance in emerging markets. She also worked with the government of the United Arab Emirates to help establish the Directorate for Energy and Climate Change within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to this, she served as an Advisor to the UK Government in the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Strategy Directorate and as Senior Manager of U.S. Regulatory Affairs for carbon offset developer EcoSecurities. Aimee began her career at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in San Francisco.

In addition to her work at HNP, Aimee previously served as the Oʻahu representative on the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources following her appointment by Governor David Ige in 2021. She currently serves on several boards, including the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth College. She previously served as a Board Advisor to Elemental Impact, where she helped launch its Policy Lab on Earth Day 2021. In recognition of her leadership, she received the 2018 Government Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative.

Aimee is  the founder of Powerwomen, a database highlighting leading women in climate and energy, and the co-founder and Board President of  Bright Spot Network, a nonprofit supporting young parents navigating cancer while raising small children. In 2019 she recorded a children’s album, Rainbow Connection, with proceeds supporting Bright Spot Network’s work.

Aimee holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. She lives on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi with her two children.

Representative Debra Lekanoff  represents the 40th legislative district of Washington state, which includes parts of Whatcom, Skagit, and San Juan counties. She is a proud mom who fights every day to ensure younger generations, including her daughter Emma, can continue to flourish. She is inclusive in her decision-making process by listening to stakeholders, citizens and governmental bodies. She is known for her experience and capacity to work with vast parties, and on vast issues, and get the job done. Sworn into the Washington State House of Representatives in January 2019, Representative Lekanoff is the only Native American woman to currently serve in the Washington Legislature.

Representative Lekanoff has called the Skagit Valley in Washington home for almost 20 years. In addition to serving in the Legislature, Representative Lekanoff served as Governmental Affairs Director for the Swinomish Tribe. With over 20 years of government relations experience, she engages on a variety of issues at the international, federal, tribal, state, and local levels. Her background and experience provide valuable knowledge and perspectives that allow her to lead on a wide range of policy issue areas, including but not limited to, the environment, natural resources, climate change, education, housing, and agriculture.

A public policy leader, Jackie Dingfelder brings judgment born of three decades of environmental consulting, an academic’s access to new insights, and an elected official’s leadership abilities. An adjunct professor at Portland State University’s Hatfield School of Government in public policy, she earned her Ph.D. there in 2017 after serving as a Fulbright/Ian Axford Scholar in New Zealand. As senior advisor to Portland, Oregon Mayor Charlie Hales, she led the development of Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, No-New-Fossil-Fuels Ordinance, and award-winning 2015 Climate Action Plan. Elected to office five times, she achieved numerous significant environmental and public interest policy reforms during 13 years as an Oregon legislator. Jackie has directed two environmental non-profits and currently serves as a public policy consultant advising public and non-profit clients. Jackie also holds a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a BA in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.

David Fraser-Hidalgo has represented District 15, Montgomery County, in the House of Delegates since 2013. He is a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee and is the Chair of the Motor Vehicle and Transportation Subcommittee.  He also serves as the Chair of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus.

David has been a resident of Montgomery County since he was 5 years old. A product of Montgomery County public schools, David attended Albert Einstein High School, Montgomery College, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he earned a degree in history. He brings a local’s perspective to the issues and challenges that face District 15. David’s background and experience place him in a unique position to work with and for other Marylanders.

David has a proven track record as an advocate for the environment in his 8-year career as a Delegate. He has been named a “Green Champion” by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters every year since 2017 for supporting and sponsoring priority environmental legislation.

In 2017, he spearheaded the charge in the General Assembly to ban fracking in Maryland, making it only the third state at the time to successfully enact such a ban. He has led efforts to phase out our reliance on fossil fuels and encourage the use of electric vehicles in Maryland, with the passage of the Clean Cars Act of 2019 and the Clean Cars Act of 2021 this session. He is also a leading advocate for legislation to electrify the state’s school buses and state vehicle fleets.

As the Chair of the Motor Vehicle and Transportation Subcommittee, David is dedicated to ensuring that roads in Maryland are safe for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. For his efforts, he was named Legislator of the Year in 2016 by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

When not in Annapolis, David lives in Boyds with his two wonderful children, Samantha and Scott, and his dog Wally. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, hiking, running, and biking on the many outdoor trails that Montgomery County has to offer.

David Hochschild was appointed chair of the California Energy Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2019. He fills the environmental position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members are required by law to have professional training in specific areas – engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.

Chair Hochschild’s career has spanned public service, environmental advocacy, and the private sector. He first got involved in the solar energy field in 2001 in San Francisco as a special assistant to Mayor Willie Brown where Chair Hochschild launched a citywide $100 million initiative to put solar panels on public buildings. He also cofounded the Vote Solar Initiative, a 60,000-member advocacy organization promoting solar policies at the local, state, and federal levels. He was executive director of a national consortium of leading solar manufacturers and worked for five years at Solaria, a solar company in Silicon Valley. From 2007 to 2008, he served as a commissioner at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

For his work to advance clean energy, Chair Hochschild was awarded the Sierra Club’s Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association’s Clean Air Hero Award, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. Chair Hochschild holds a bachelor of arts from Swarthmore College and a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.

Stephanie Howse is a caregiver, mentor and public servant, presently serving as Ward 7 Councilwoman in Cleveland City Council. Her journey in civic engagement spans over 30 years, beginning as a campaign street team member helping her mom, the Honorable Annie L. Key, pass out flyers to help candidates get elected. Through the years, she has grown to understand the interconnections between the laws created and the social, economic and physical environments community members face in working toward breaking generational poverty.  Prior to joining Cleveland City Council, Stephanie served as an Ohio State Representative, Educator, Consultant and Engineer. Her range of lived experiences keeps her grounded in the realities of everyday people and motivates her to use her public platform to share uncomfortable truths and engage in uncomfortable conversations to move our community forward for the benefit of all and not just a select few.

Stephanie earned her B.S. in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from Florida A&M University and her M.A. in Environmental Studies from Cleveland State University. Go Rattlers, Go Vikings! A few of her notable honors and recognitions: 2020 Trainer – Progressive Governance Academy, 2019 Honorary Chair – Cleveland Walk to End Alzheimer’s; 2017 Fellow – Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (Council of State Governments); 2016 Youth Voice Awards Civic Leader Recipient – MyCom.

Today, Stephanie uses her voice to advance racial and environmental justice, close the gender pay gap and create spaces where community members can be heard and valued. Beyond her civic responsibilities, Stephanie enjoys cooking new recipes, watching Netflix, singing/rapping karaoke and is an ever-enduring Cleveland Browns fan.

Alissa Keny-Guyer represented HD 46 (NE/SE Portland) in the Oregon House from 2011-2021, where she served on the Oregon House Committees on Human Services & Housing (chair), Energy & Environment, Health Care (vice chair), Early Childhood & Family Support, Consumer Affairs (interim chair), and Revenue, as well as on the Ways & Means Joint Subcommittee for Human Services.

She earned high ratings each term from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), including “(bipartisan) dynamic duo” and “persistence” awards for championing the Toxic-Free Children’s Act, which passed after four sessions – building on the prior work of Sen. Jackie Dingfelder!

Before moving to Portland in 1994, Alissa earned a Masters in Public Health and worked in Indonesia, Hawaii (including in the legislature), and California. After her legislative last term ended in January 2021, Alissa served as senior advisor to the Oregon Department of Human Services director until she and her husband moved to Santa Fe in July 2021. She currently serves on the boards of the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund and the Penney Family Fund and on the City of Santa Fe Community Development Commission.

Representative Chris Rabb is a father, educator, author, and social justice activist.

While a visiting researcher at Princeton University, Rep. Rabb wrote the ground-breaking book, “Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity” (2010).

Shortly after an appearance on WHYY’s Radio Times in 2011, he was recruited to teach at Temple University’s Richard J. Fox School of Business and Management where he was the Social Impact Fellow at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and taught social entrepreneurship and organizational innovation.

In his fourth year of teaching at Temple, Rep. Rabb helped to successfully unionize 1,500 fellow adjunct professors in a landslide victory for worker rights.

He is currently a board member of Friends of the Wissahickon and Race Forward and has been on the faculty of the Institute for Strategic Leadership at Drexel University’s Bennett S. LeBow College of Business.

He has been a fellow at Demos, the Poynter Institute and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Rep. Rabb previously served on the boards of the Bread and Roses Community Fund, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, which was founded by his great-great grandfather in 1892.

A former U.S. Senate legislative aide and writer, researcher and trainer at the White House Conference on Small Business in the Clinton administration, Rep. Rabb is a thought leader at the intersection of politics, media entrepreneurship and social identity.

He has appeared as a guest on several local and national media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, NPR, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press.

A graduate of Yale College and the University of Pennsylvania, Rep. Rabb is an avid family historian and genealogist. He lives in East Mt. Airy with his two sons.

John Rutherford Seydel III (John R.), an Atlanta native, is the Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience. Seydel works with department leads within the City of Atlanta, as well as with external community partners, organizations, and leaders to achieve Atlanta’s sustainability and resilience goals.

While in his role, Seydel has worked through two administrations, currently working on sustainability efforts including projects supporting waste diversion, urban agriculture, energy and water efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles, and renewables. When Atlanta was chosen to be in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Program, the Mayor’s Office of Resilience was tasked to create a resilience strategy, representing a means to address the shocks, stresses, and greatest vulnerabilities in Atlanta based on feedback from thousands of Atlantan stakeholders. Seydel shares the responsibility with the Mayor’s Office of Resilience team to implement the actions listed from the Resilient Atlanta Strategy.

Seydel received his Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Denver. He is a conservationist and an environmental justice advocate, previously serving as the CEO of Revolution Nation, an organization which aims to empower and connect millennials with their elected representatives. He has also worked in the renewable energy space with the United Nations Foundation and Southern Company. In addition, he has worked with the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and is a board member for The Turner Foundation, Ideas for Us, and the Captain Planet Foundation, organizations which promote hands-on environmental stewardship, ecological conservation, and education projects worldwide for youth.

Alex Valdez was born and raised in the Denver Metro area, and now resides in and represents House District 5, which encompasses downtown Denver, as well as one of the most polluted zip codes in the country. Prior to serving in the Colorado Legislature, Alex founded EcoMark, one of Colorado’s largest solar companies.

In the Colorado House of Representatives, Alex is the chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, using his position to amplify environmental justice issues, and serves on the State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. As Chair of the Latino Caucus and member of the LGBTQ Caucus, Alex is proud to bring representation to the State House and work amongst a diverse cohort of legislators.

Since being elected, Alex has authored and passed laws to bolster Colorado’s community solar garden industry, protect the public from air toxic emissions, improve the state’s mechanisms for dealing with cases of animal cruelty, implement marijuana reform measures, and phase out single-use plastic bags and styrofoam products. Alex will continue his work advancing environmental policies and equitable legislation, while also focusing on supporting families, marijuana legislation, and COVID-19 relief measures for all Coloradans.