Download 14 BIOGRAPHIES Stephen Brick Senior Fellow on Energy and

BIOGRAPHIES
Stephen Brick
Senior Fellow on Energy and Climate, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Steve Brick, a senior fellow on energy and climate, joined The Chicago Council in
2009. He brings broad experience to the Council, having worked for thirty years
at the intersection of energy and environmental policy. From 2005 to 2009, Mr.
Brick was manager of the environment program for the Joyce Foundation in
Chicago. He directed a $6 million per year grant portfolio focused on energy and
water issues in the Great Lakes region. Prior to his work at the Joyce Foundation,
Mr. Brick worked as associate director of research for the Energy Center of
Wisconsin, where he was responsible for a wide range of studies on energy efficiency, renewable
energy, and on the environmental impacts of energy systems. His previous positions include
director of environmental affairs for PGE National Energy Group, science and policy director for the
Clean Air Task Force, and cofounder and vice president of the energy consulting firm MSB Energy
Associates. Mr. Brick received his BA and MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he
studied at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
Rachel Bronson
Vice President of Studies, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Rachel Bronson joined The Chicago Council in January 2007. Before joining the
Council, she served as senior fellow and director for Middle East studies at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Earlier positions include senior fellow
for international security affairs at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies, fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International
Affairs, and adjunct professor at Columbia University. In addition to her book,
Thicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Relationship with Saudi Arabia, Ms. Bronson's
writing has appeared in publications such as Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, the National Interest,
the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. She has also commented widely
on foreign affairs in outlets such as CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC, and al-Jazeera. She earned a BA in
history at the University of Pennsylvania and an MA and PhD in political science from Columbia
University.
George Crabtree
Director, Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory
George Crabtree is Distinguished Professor of physics, electrical, and mechanical
engineering at University of Illinois-Chicago, senior scientist and distinguished
fellow in the materials science division at Argonne National Laboratory, and
director at Joint Center for Energy Storage. His research interests include next
generation batteries, sustainable energy, materials science, and nanoscale
superconductors and magnets. He has led several workshops for the Department
of Energy, most recently on basic science supporting energy technology, and he has co-chaired the
Undersecretary of Energy’s assessment of DOE’s Applied Energy Programs. Dr. Crabtree is a
member of the National Academy of Sciences and has testified before the US Congress on the
hydrogen economy and on meeting sustainable energy challenges.
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Lars Hänsel
Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
In May 2011, Dr. Lars Hänsel was named the director of the Konrad Adenauer
Stiftung in Washington, DC. Dr. Hänsel’s responsibilities include the promotion of
transatlantic dialogue between the US, Canada, and Europe to enhance
understanding and cooperation. Previously, he served for six years as the director
of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Israel. While in Jerusalem, he led efforts to
facilitate peacebuilding, integration, and cooperation with a number of Israeli,
Palestinian, and German partner NGOs and institutions. Prior to this, Dr. Hänsel held a number of
positions at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s headquarters in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Hänsel studied
theology, Jewish history, and interreligious studies at universities in Leipzig, Tübingen, and
Jerusalem. He concluded his academic pursuits with a doctoral thesis at the University of Leipzig on
historical aspects of the social and justice systems of ancient Israel and Persia.
Jeanene Lairo
Project Manager, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Jeanene Lairo joined the staff of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Washington, DC
in October 2011 as Project Manager. In this capacity Ms. Lairo is tasked with
executing the Stiftung’s mission of improvement of transatlantic relations by
relaying US policies and developments to partners in Germany. Before joining the
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Ms. Lairo was employed as director of trade policy at
the Representative of German Industry and Trade in Washington, DC. During her
almost eight-year tenure there, Ms. Lairo liaised with principal German
organizations of the Federation of German Industry and the German Chambers of Industry and
Commerce. In her early career, Ms. Lairo was employed by the US Department of Commerce as an
international trade specialist. Ms. Lairo, after her Abitur in Germany, and a degree from the McGill
University, Canada, plus studies at Bonn University, she received an advanced degree from the
London School of Economics specializing in public policy and European affairs. She was appointed
as Fellow to the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program.
Howard Learner
President and Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Howard Learner is responsible for the overall strategic policy direction and
leadership of the Environmental Law & Policy Center – the Midwest’s leading
environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization. Before
founding the center, Mr. Learner served as the general counsel for business and
professional people for the Public Interest, a public interest law center. He is an
adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School and the Northwestern
University School of Law, teaching advanced seminars on energy law and climate
change policy, and on environmental law and sustainable development. He serves as vice chair of
the US EPA Administrator’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
and as a commissioner of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission, which oversees the Illinois
Power Agency, and he has previously served on the boards and executive committees of ACORE and
the Environmental Law Institute. Mr. Learner received his law degree from Harvard Law School,
and his BA from the University of Michigan.
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Fay Levin
Senior Advisor, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Ambassador Fay Hartog Levin was the 65th Ambassador of the US to the Kingdom
of the Netherlands from 2009-2011. Prior to her appointment as ambassador, Ms.
Levin was a senior consultant at Res Publica Group in Chicago. Previously, at
Chicago’s Field Museum, Ambassador Levin served on the executive management
team as vice president for external affairs. She began her career as a legal advisor
to the Illinois State Board of Education. In private practice, she joined the law firm
Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather, and Geraldso. Ambassador Levin has been an active
member of Chicago’s civic community. She currently serves as a senior advisor of European affairs
to The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She was a member of the Illinois Arts Alliance Board and
also served on the board of trustees of the Merit School of Music, DePaul University, and Columbia
College Chicago. She was a member of the advisory board of US Bank in Chicago and the board of
the Chicago Area Central Committee. She was the founder and chair of the Illinois Council of School
Attorneys. Ambassador Levin is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Russian
language and literature. She received her JD from Loyola University School of Law.
Tristan Sanregret
Executive Director, United States, Alberta International and Intergovernmental
Relations
As executive director of Alberta-US International and Intergovernmental
Relations, Tristan Sanregret is responsible for the coordination of Alberta’s
overall relationship with the US. From 2005-2012, he served as director of
Alberta-US Relations, in the Alberta office in Washington, DC, a position he
assumed shortly after the office first opened in 2005. During his time, Mr.
Sanregret worked with three successive Alberta representatives to promote and
defend Alberta’s economic and political interests in the US capital as well as throughout the US.
Prior to this, Mr. Sanregret was with Alberta Economic Development and supported Alberta’s trade
and investment activities in a variety of geographic areas, including the Middle East, South Asia, and
North Asia. He was also temporarily posted to the Canadian Consulate in Mumbai, India. Mr.
Sanregret holds a bachelor of commerce degree with distinction, following studies at the University
of Alberta and Edinburgh University.
Adele Simmons
Vice Chair and Senior Executive, Metropolis Strategies
Adele Simmons is vice chair and senior executive of the Chicago based regional
planning group, Metropolis Strategies, and president of Global Philanthropy
Partnership. Since 2007, she has been working to develop and implement the city
of Chicago’s sustainability plans. From 1989-1999, Mrs. Simmons served as
president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, making grants of
$175 million per year. The international programs focused on peace and
international security, the environment and population. In 1991 she co-founded
the Energy Foundation which promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United
States and China. She served on the board for the Environmental Defense Fund and has been a
member of the board of the Union of Concerned Scientists since 1985. She currently serves on a
number of other boards including Marsh and McLennan Companies, the Field Museum of Chicago,
the Synergos Institute, Demos and The American Prospect, and the Chicago Council on Global
Affairs. She led the World Economic Forum’s program on Philanthropy from 1997-2007, working in
close collaboration with the European Foundation Center. Mrs. Simmons was president of
Hampshire College and a senior officer and member of the faculty of Princeton University and Tufts
University.
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Tyler Strom
Senior Program Officer, Studies, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Tyler Strom joined The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2011 and is
currently a senior program officer of studies. He assists in developing The
Chicago Council’s evolving energy agenda. Mr. Strom grew up on an Illinois
farm outside of Chicago. He has a BSc in agricultural business and economics
with a focus on international agriculture from Iowa State University. He was the
recipient of a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to Lund University in Sweden
where he earned his MSc in environmental studies and sustainability science.
Kay Torshen
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Torshen Capital Management, LLC
Kay Torshen is a registered investment advisor and commodity pool operator,
while also managing an investment fund for over 10 years. Dr. Torshen is the
author of numerous articles and a book, The Mastery Approach to CompetenceBased Education, regarding the field of educational psychology. Prior to founding
Torshen Capital Management, LLC, she was a market maker on the Chicago
Board Options Exchange, a specialist on the Chicago Stock Exchange, and owner of Torshen
Securities, Inc., a Broker/Dealer and Clearing Member. She received her BA from the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, her MEd from Harvard University, and her PhD in Educational Psychology
from the University of Chicago.
Tom Wolf
Executive Director, Energy Council, Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Tom Wolf serves as the executive director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s
Energy Council. He is responsible for leading the Council’s charge to encourage
the development and availability of all kinds of energy and conservation measures
in an environmentally responsible and cost effective way. Mr. Wolf joined the
Chamber after more than 20 years as a public affairs executive, most recently as
vice president with the Chicago-based firm of Jasculca/Terman and Associates. Prior to his work at
Jasculca/Terman, he worked with an international political consulting and public relations firm in
Washington, DC. Mr. Wolf received his bachelor’s degree in international relations from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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