Drew Bohan, Executive Director— California Energy Commission
Drew held a variety of posts in the Schwarzenegger Administration, including Assistant Secretary for Policy at the California Environmental Protection Agency, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, and Executive Director of the Ocean Protection Council. Prior to joining state service, Drew was Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. From 1994 to 2000, Drew was Chief Counsel to the House of Delegates of the Republic of Palau. Drew lives in Sacramento with his wife Angela, and two children, Linnea and Landon.
Daniel Emmett, CEO— Next Energy Technologies
Daniel Emmett is principal and co-founder of Innovo Energy Solutions Group LLC, a private services consulting firm specializing in bringing clean technologies to market. Mr. Emmett’s particular focus is on the environmental impacts of traditional and emerging technologies, and the economic factors and shifting regulatory and political landscapes affecting markets for these technologies. Mr. Emmett is also the Executive Director and a founding Board Member of Energy Independence Now (EIN) where he directs programs in policy development and advocacy in support of advancing clean transportation to address climate change, air quality and petroleum reduction objectives. Mr. Emmett served as advisor to the California Environmental Protection Agency on the development and implementation of the California Hydrogen Highway Blueprint Plan, and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the California Energy Commission’s AB 118 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. Previously, Daniel worked with one of Southern California’s largest owner/operators of commercial office buildings, where he developed and coordinated a portfolio-wide energy efficiency and conservation program that retrofitted over 10 million square feet of commercial office space, saving millions of dollars in energy costs, and resulting in a Flex Your Power Award from the State of California. Mr. Emmett also worked on clean fuels and energy conservation issues as the Energy Programs Director at Environment Now Foundation, and at the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, co-directing the Stanford University, USAID-funded, Agricultural Policy Research and Training Program. He holds a B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies and Economics and an M.A. in International Development Policy from Stanford University.
Mati Waiya, Executive Director— Wishtoyo Foundation
Chumash ceremonial leader and Dolphin Dancer Mati Waiya, a lifelong resident of Ventura County, created the Wishtoyo Foundation, a non-profit organization, in 1997. Mr. Waiya addresses cultural resource laws protecting sensitive archaeological sites as well as endangered species and natural resources. He is involved with Chumash cultural preservation and educational programs teaching the Chumash values and environmental preservation. Waiya appears in full regalia to present programs for schools, public events, government functions, and grassroots foundations; he has presented programs to thousands of school children, sharing his knowledge about Chumash sustainable lifeways and environmental responsibility. Mati Waiya is the first Native American to be named a Keeper in the International Waterkeeper Alliance. Wishtoyo's Ventura Coastkeeper program is one of over 140 Keeper organizations that operate globally under the Waterkeeper Alliance, created and headed by Robert Kennedy, Jr. Mr. Waiya's belief is that education is the primary tool for a healthy, sustainable environment, awakening a passion for our natural surroundings in young people today to be passed on for generation to come. He has worked tirelessly to foster environmental awareness through teaching of his native Chumash cultural values.