Inclusive Utility Investment: Beneficial Electrification, Virtual Power Plants and Equity

Matt is a Senior Associate in the Building Decarbonization program at Clean Energy Works. His prior professional experience spans work as an attorney, a climate change policy and programs manager, an energy justice researcher, and a professional runner and running coach. He also serves as an at-large city council member in Bloomington, Indiana. In his work at the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute, Mr. Flaherty led policy and program implementation assisting local governments in advancing climate action and community resilience. His research experience includes energy federalism, energy insecurity, and utility disconnection issues. Mr. Flaherty holds a bachelor’s degree in civil & environmental engineering from the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, as well as a law degree and master’s degrees in public affairs and environmental science from Indiana University – Bloomington.

Rusty joined SEPA as manager of research and industry strategy in 2020. He serves as staff leads for SEPA’s Customer Programs Working Group, is a primary contributor to SEPA’s Utility Transformation Challenge and SEPA’s Utility Carbon-Reduction Tracker, and coordinates responses to SEPA members’ research requests, among other project work.

Prior to joining SEPA, Rusty served as a policy research manager at EQ Research, where he tracked and analyzed state-level legislative and regulatory developments relevant to solar, battery storage, EVs, and other DERs for industry, non-profit, and government clients. He also served for seven years as manager of the DSIRE project — the nation’s most extensive public database of financial incentives for clean energy — at NCSU. Rusty received an M.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Rusty has traveled to 40 countries.

Margarita leads Clean Energy Works’ transportation decarbonization portfolio. Trained as a chemical engineer from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia with a masters in Environmental Engineering from New Zealand and a diploma in Sustainable Development from India, Margarita has worked for more than two decades in Latin America, China, India, and the United States to reduce local air pollution and global carbon emissions from transportation. Prior to joining Clean Energy Works, she managed the low carbon transport portfolio of the Hewlett Foundation’s Global Climate Initiative.  Margarita has served on the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, the Sustainable and Low Carbon Transportation Partnership and Hispanics in Philanthropy. In 2020, Margarita was highlighted as one of 50 global changemakers in the Remarkable Women in Transport publication from Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI).

Cathy Davison has a diverse background in executive management, economic development, finance and human resources including 20 plus years in local and regional government prior to retiring to start a second career with Roanoke Cooperative in October 2018.

Cathy currently serves as Roanoke’s Chief Financial Officer after serving as Roanoke’s VP of Finance and Accounting, and VP Corporate Services. Cathy oversees the Accounting Department and financial operations for Roanoke Cooperative and its subsidiaries, including its broadband subsidiary, Fybe, along with leading Roanoke’s Office of Strategy Management.

Cathy has enjoyed a variety of opportunities to expand her knowledge and skills, both academically and professionally. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Liberal Arts from Anderson University, a Masters of Arts from the University of Denver in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources Administration. Cathy holds a Masters of Public Administration in Finance and Budgeting from Norwich University. Cathy also holds a Cooperative Financial Professional Certification.

Cathy volunteers in her community and serves as the President of River City Toastmasters Club in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. In her free time,

Cathy enjoys spending time boating, fishing and laughing with her proud veteran sweetheart and husband Jim, and experiencing life through the eyes of their son John, head chef at Paradiso Roma Restaurante. She simply adores her two German Shepards Dogs, Cash and Ozzy; they keep her active. She is a working artist at Studio 32 in Sunbury, North Carolina where she volunteers and offers her custom jewelry. Cathy also advocates for Thyroid Cancer Awareness, Xylitol is Toxic to Dogs Awareness, and supporting childhood chronic illnesses with Beads of Courage.