Board of Directors

IREC Board Chair Polly Shaw has 28 years of energy and climate policy experience in the U.S. and China. Polly is Head of Policy and Communications at Plus Power, a developer of standalone battery energy storage systems that foster grid flexibility by providing capacity, energy, and ancillary services as more renewable generation enters wholesale energy markets. Previously, Polly was VP of Regulatory Affairs and Communications for Stem and Vice President of External Affairs at SunEdison. Her earlier career posts include: senior executive at Suntech, California state regulatory program manager for the California Solar Initiative, foundation grantmaker at the Energy Foundation, and EPA consultant. Polly holds a B.A. from Tufts University, a Certificate in Chinese Law from the University of London, and speaks English, French, Chinese, and basic Spanish.

Marc is Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ENGIE Storage, a U.S.-based provider of energy storage systems and services owned by ENGIE, the largest independent power producer in the world. He has been active in U.S. distributed solar energy and energy storage markets since 1992. Before joining ENGIE Storage, Marc served in a variety of executive leadership roles in companies engaged in emerging distributed renewable energy markets, including Alta Energy, a sustainable energy advisory and procurement services for multi-site corporate and commercial real estate clients in the U.S.; Sovereign Modular, a solar development company focused on the California education sector; Coda Energy, a provider of energy storage services to the C&I marketplace; Tioga Energy, a solar PPA provider that successfully developed more than 100 solar PPA projects around the US; Turner Renewable Energy, a leading solar power systems integrator (acquired by First Solar in 2007); and photovoltaic manufacturer SCHOTT Solar. Marc also managed residential markets for PV manufacturer AstroPower (acquired by GE Energy in 2004), and led renewable energy programs for the State of Colorado’s energy office. He earned an MS in Civil Engineering, a BS in Engineering Physics, and a BA in Music from the University of Colorado. Marc has served on the boards of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), and the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC).

Ronny Sandoval is a Principal at Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) where he works with regulators and other energy stakeholders to develop strategies, best practices and thought leadership on issues that increase the efficiency of the electric system and maximize opportunities for the energy transition. He has extensive experience working across major segments of the utility industry including transmission planning, distribution engineering, distributed energy resources, grid modernization and customer engagement.

Mr. Sandoval has led various strategic efforts with energy stakeholders to modernize the energy system as business strategy manager at Accenture, regulatory director at Vote Solar and president at ROS Energy Strategies.

Mr. Sandoval has also managed national efforts to modernize the electric grid through direct intervention in regulatory proceedings, partnerships and effective communications as senior director at Environmental Defense Fund. He also led various efforts in developing long-range system plans and expanding the role of distributed energy resources to meet the ongoing energy needs of customers at Con Edison.

Mr. Sandoval holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from New York University and a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He earned a Master of Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business.

Jacob Parks, JD, CFE, currently serves as Associate General Counsel at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). In this role, he provides day-to-day counsel within the organization and works with various departments to provide education and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Jacob also serves as liaison to the ACFE Board of Regents in matters regarding the Code of Professional Ethics and Code of Professional Standards. He authored several courses for the ACFE, including a primer on fraud against nonprofit organizations. Jacob attended Texas Tech School of Law, during which time he worked for the civil litigation firm of Todd Hurd & Associates. Additionally, he had an externship at the Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas, working on issues involving criminal search and seizure and whistleblower protection. Jacob graduated in 2010, and gained admission to the State Bar of Texas that same year. Texas Tech University is also Jacob’s alma mater, where he served as president of the speech and debate team. Originally from parts unknown in western Texas, Jacob now calls Austin home. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, traveling, and karaoke.

Larry is President of Shirley Associates, a firm providing consulting services in sustainable energy and environmental programming and philanthropy. Prior to forming his company, Larry directed the operations and strategic planning initiatives for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. From 2009-2012, he was Director of the Green Economy in the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Prior to assuming this position in 2009, Larry directed the State Energy Office in North Carolina for nine years. He also served as the founding Executive Director of the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University from 1988-2000. While there, Larry was elected as Chairman of the American Solar Energy Society in 1996-97. Prior to his work at the Solar Center, he served as the Assistant Director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem and founded the Nonprofit Energy Management Program for the Advanced Energy Corporation. Larry also served as Director of Field Operations for the Center for Renewable Resources in Washington, DC. Larry is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As President/CEO of LHA Ventures, Lorraine is a recognized thought leader with technical expertise and knowledge in the development of Hawaii’s renewable and clean energy policy and regulatory framework. Previously, she was Commissioner at the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, which presides over all regulated public utility matters in the state. Prior to this appointment, she was a partner at McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP and at Cades Schutte LLP, and led the environmental practice teams at both firms. Lorraine co-chairs the Low Income Consumer Solar Working Group of the Low Income Energy Issues Forum, a diverse national consortium focused on innovations that make utility service more affordable. Specifically, the solar working group is addressing actions and recommendations for successful integration of community solar. She is also a member of the Resiliency Strategy Steering Committee for the City and County of Honolulu and is a member of the U.S.-Japan Council. She has served on the advisory council to the board of directors, Electric Power Research Institute; the board of directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and its energy resources and environment committee; the U.S. DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Future Electric Utility Regulation Advisory Group; and the State and Local Efficiency Action Network Financial Solutions Working Group. Previously Director of the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Chair of the State of Hawaii Environmental Council, she has also held leadership positions at numerous professional organizations and non-profits. Lorraine holds a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and graduated with honors from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA in political science.

As Managing Director/CEO, Trenton founded Sustainable Capital Advisors (SCA) as a consulting and financial advisory firm that provides a comprehensive suite of services to support the successful deployment of capital for sustainable energy projects, domestically and internationally. Under Trenton’s hand, SCA has financed a wide range of infrastructure projects including water, wastewater, energy efficiency, fossil and renewable energy for utility, business, and governmental clients. Trenton has been an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy teaching a graduate level course on Sustainable Energy Finance. Prior to founding SCA, Trenton was a director at Citi, developing financing strategies for utility-scale and distributed renewable energy projects including solar, biomass, and energy efficiency that combined traditional project finance structures utilizing equity and debt investments with tax and environmental credit monetization strategies. Trenton holds an AB degree in Chemistry from Harvard University.

Passionate about emerging clean technologies and intelligent infrastructure, Bonnie is an international market strategist who brings to bear a combined policy and business background to positively impact decarbonization pathways, with deep expertise in transport electrification and grid modernization. Armed with a multi-disciplinary, cross-industry skillset, Bonnie is a policy expert with advocacy depth engaging policymakers and industry stakeholders globally. She is the Founder of Plug to Grid Strategies, a niche advisory firm that works with a very select group of high-potential climate tech start-ups, with a focus on the autonomous, electrified and connected transport ecosystem, and DER-grid connectivity. Prior to founding her firm, Bonnie was Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs & Market Development, Americas and SE Asia, Siemens Digital Grid and eMobility, where she was the Siemens “voice” engaging with policymakers in advancement of smart energy policy positions, and leading key customer accounts. Before she moved to the US, she worked at the elite Singapore government agency responsible for the nation-state’s inward investment programs—a pivot from her earlier position in mobile telecom managing product marketing for 15 countries in Asia Pacific. Bonnie holds Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. She speaks and writes on EV infrastructure, and her vision in serving on the IREC Board is to be a resource at a time when the fast-changing worlds of energy and transportation find their nexus in electrification.

Anne is SVP of Policy and Market Development – Energy Technology for Generac Power Systems. Previously, Anne was Chief Policy Officer of Sunrun, the largest residential solar and storage company in the United States—leading Sunrun’s policy efforts to expand consumer access to solar energy and modernize the grid for the benefit of all users.  Anne is a member of the Board of Directors of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Prior to joining Sunrun, Anne served as a Commissioner on the Maryland Public Service Commission where she was a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Board of Directors, Chair of the NARUC International Relations Committee, and a board member of the Organization of PJM States (OPSI).  Anne’s prior professional positions include Senior Vice President for Policy and Sustainability at Public Service Enterprise Group, Visiting Research Scholar and Instructor at Princeton University, Senior Regulatory Counsel at Verizon Wireless, and Policy Advisor to New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, and Cornell University, where she currently serves on the Advisory Council to the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Dan is an entrepreneur, investor, policymaker, and lawyer focused on clean energy and climate change. He served three U.S. presidents, testified before the U.S. Congress more than 50 times, helped launch Google’s pathbreaking energy work, set new energy efficiency standards and accelerated wind deployment as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, and co-founded one of the nation’s earliest clean energy project investment firms. Dan was also founding Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, a joint center of the Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. At Google, he served as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, following multiple federal roles, including Assistant Secretary of Energy and Department of Energy Chief of Staff; Co-Chair of the energy and environment team for the Obama administration; and as a staff member of President Carter’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Dan is currently a Stanford lecturer and research fellow, President of Fifth Letter Solutions, where he advises clean energy companies, and CEO of an energy storage start-up. He holds a BA in biology from Dartmouth College, a JD from Stanford Law School, and also studied at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and MIT. Dan and his wife, Carole Parker, have three children and live in Piedmont, California. An avid kayaker, he was a member of the first expedition on record to navigate the entire 1888-mile Rio Grande (with support from the National Geographic Society) and to kayak the Yangtze River in China.

Tom Starrs is Vice President, Government and Public Affairs of EDP Renewables North America. EDPR is one of the largest global developers, builders, and owner/operators of renewable energy projects. Prior to his current role, Starrs served as SunPower Corporation’s vice president for market strategy and policy, where he was responsible for the company’s global market analysis, policy analysis, and policy advocacy. He has 25 years of experience in solar and renewable power, including senior management positions with Iberdrola Renewables (now Avangrid), PPM Energy, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Schott Solar. Starrs is widely recognized as a leading strategist on solar energy market development, business strategy, and policy. He is the current Chair of the Board of Directors of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Starrs holds a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Program at the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

John has had a long career in a broad range of energy policy issues with a focus on energy efficiency.  Most recently he was the Energy Foundation’s Buildings Program Director for 10 years. In that role he supported advocates working on public policies that reduce carbon emissions in the building sector, with a focus on building codes, appliance standards, building performance benchmarking, and affordable multifamily housing.  Prior to joining the Energy Foundation in 2008, John was a Special Advisor at the California Energy Commission for 31 years, working on efficiency standards, public interest energy research management, and integrated energy resource planning. In 2006, he was a winner of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s “Champion of Energy Efficiency” award for his work on increasing the efficiency of consumer electronics.  In 2018, the US Department of Energy awarded John the “Jeffrey Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes.” He has served on the boards of the New Buildings Institute (founding board member), Global Cool Cities Alliance (currently board president), and has served on the steering committees of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the Building Code Assistance Project (projects of ACEEE and Alliance to Save Energy). John has BA and MA degrees in economics from the University of California (Berkeley and Davis).

Amanda is the Senior Manager for Workforce Education and Training at Richard Heath and Associates (RHA). She oversees workforce training initiatives, collaborating with federal, state, utility and non-profit energy efficiency programs. Amanda has been the Principle Investigator for two National Science Foundation grants, focusing on innovative approaches to building science training. Her industry involvement includes serving on the IREC 01022 ANSI Standard Committee, the IREC Green Building Career Map advisory group and national and local boards.

As President and CEO of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Larry has worked with IREC in different capacities for more than 10 years. Prior to becoming President/CEO, he was IREC’s Vice President/COO, the author of IREC’s U.S. Solar Market Trends report, and editor of IREC’s Small Wind Newsletter. Larry has also served as President of Sherwood Associates, a renewable energy consulting firm, and has more than 35 years of experience in renewable energy. He was Project Administrator for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards and Executive Director for a number of renewable energy organizations including the Small Wind Certification Council, American Solar Energy Society, and Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Larry has received a Special Recognition Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and lives in a PV-powered house in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Janet, and daughter, Morgan.