William Tong is the 25th Attorney General to serve Connecticut since the office was established by the state constitution in 1897. He first took office in 2019 and is currently serving his second term. Attorney General Tong is a national leader in many of the most consequential lawsuits and investigations in our country today, including bipartisan, multistate efforts to hold the addiction industry accountable for their role in the opioid crisis; to restore fair competition and prices in the generic drug industry; to hold social media giants accountable for the harms they may cause to kids and young people; to stop robocall scammers; and to ensure corporations safeguard personal information from misuse and respect consumers’ rights regarding the collection and use of their information. Attorney General Tong previously practiced for 18 years as a litigator in both state and federal courts. He served for 12 years as a State Representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, where he served as House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee as well as the Banking Committee. During his service in the legislature, Attorney General Tong was the author and driver of several major Connecticut laws, helping lead the state’s efforts against gun violence and domestic violence, among many other critical laws and initiatives. A Connecticut native, Attorney General Tong grew up in the Hartford area and attended schools in West Hartford. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, Brown University, and the University of Chicago Law School. Attorney General Tong is the oldest of five children and grew up working side-by-side with his immigrant parents in their family’s Chinese restaurant. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Stamford with their three children and way too many pets. Elizabeth is the Senior Vice President of Tax for L’Oréal USA. In quieter moments, Attorney General Tong likes to fly fish (and tie flies), try all the great foods and restaurants across Connecticut, and is an amateur carpenter and cook. He is the first Asian American elected to statewide office in Connecticut history, and the first Chinese American to be elected Attorney General nationwide.
Clean Energy Panel
Moderator: John Moritz John Moritz covers energy and the environment for CT Mirror, a beat that has taken him from wind farms off the coast of Block Island to foraging for mushrooms in the Litchfield Hills and many places in between. Prior to joining CT Mirror, he was a statewide reporter for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Before that, he covered politics for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock. A native of Norwalk, John earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Temple University.
Panelists (alphabetical by last name) Ricardo Jordan is a Manager for Energy Efficiency at Eversource Energy, responsible for managing Connecticut’s statewide Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program portfolio. He has nearly two decades of experience in the industry, and in his current role focuses on equity, decarbonization, and energy affordability in delivering comprehensive offerings to commercial, industrial, and municipal market segments.
Peter Millman began exploring how to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy in 2015, when he started CT Green Energy News. He has taken the lead on a number of PACE initiatives such as Community Choice Aggregation, networked geothermal, and MEETS (Metered Energy Efficiency Transaction Structure). He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington. He has also worked in toy invention and real estate. Over the years he has been active on issues in the Town of Mansfield, including planning Storrs Center and the town’s recently completed net-zero energy elementary school. He serves on the Mansfield Sustainability Committee. He and his wife hike, cook, and visit their grandchildren in Toronto.
Bernie Pelletier (PACE) serves as a Vice President for PACE. He also volunteers at the state level, recently joining Connecticut’s Energy Efficiency Board as the Residential Representative. Prior to that he co-chaired the Building Working Group of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change. His focus is on building energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. Additionally, he is a member of the Connecticut Energy Network’s Steering Committee. Prior to coming to PACE, Bernie was a property casualty actuary working for Aetna and then Travelers. The technical training he received during his career has carried over to his work for PACE. Bernie received his B.S. in Mathematics and Peace Studies from Manhattan College and a Master’s in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford.
Charles Rothenberger (Save the Sound) As Save the Sound’s in-house Climate and Energy Attorney, Charles focuses on climate policy and legislation to ensure clean air and a robust green economy for Connecticut. With more than 15 years of experience working on environmental, energy, and land issues, Charles is well versed in lobbying before the CT General Assembly and appearing before state agencies and municipal boards and commissions in regulatory proceedings. Prior to joining Save the Sound, he served as law clerk at the Connecticut Appellate Court. He holds a JD from the UConn School of Law and an MA in public policy from Trinity College, and has been admitted to the Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts bars.
Mike Trahan is the founder of the Connecticut Solar & Storage Association, the primary business group representing the legislative and regulatory interests of home solar installers, commercial developers, finance companies, and equipment suppliers operating in Connecticut. For more than a decade, Mike has led contractors’ involvement in the passage or defeat of legislation that strengthened or threatened the state solar market. He worked with Energy Committee chairs to write the law that exempts commercial solar from property tax. Mike rallied solar and efficiency contractors to initiate a lawsuit v. the State of Connecticut to return $150M raided from ratepayer funds; worked with State Building officials to rewrite draft fire code proposals on setbacks and pathways; won approvals from utility regulators to update interconnection guidelines for home solar; and helped expand Connecticut’s voltage variation regulation, saving consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment upgrade costs. He secured legislative leadership’s support to create the bipartisan Clean Energy Caucus to better educate lawmakers on new renewable technologies and related legislation. Mike also proposed new statewide solar policy concepts as an appointed member of Connecticut Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy (2012) and Governor-Elect Ned Lamont (2018) Transition Team Energy Working Groups. He conceived the concept and was co-winner of a U.S. Department of Energy grant to pursue a multi-state partnership of solar associations representing more than 500 solar businesses in the Northeast U.S., designed to create solar policy harmony across state lines.
Superfund - Julianna larue
Julianna Larue is an organizer at the Connecticut Chapter focusing on Sierra Club’s legislative efforts. Julianna has always had a passion for the environment, beginning her journey by organizing beach clean-ups as a child and writing personal notes to her neighbors to stop littering. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a concentration in Compliance and Sustainability from Southern New Hampshire University, complemented by minors in Political Science and Biology and Culture. During her time at SNHU, she was President of the Environmental Club, interned for the 2020 Bernie Sanders Campaign, served as a Sustainability Representative, and advocated for gender and racial equity at the Women’s Center.
Pesticides - Louise Washer
Louise Washer serves on the board of the Pollinator Pathway, which she helped create in 2017 and which has since spread to over 300 towns across the region. She also serves as president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association, as a member of the Norwalk Mayor’s Water Quality Committee, and on the steering committee of the Hudson-to-Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H).
Water - Alicea Charamut
Alicea Charamut assumed the role of Executive Director of Rivers Alliance in May 2019. Prior to that she was the River Steward for the Connecticut River Conservancy. While her career began working in genomics during the height of the Biotech boom, she found an outlet for her passion for rivers through Trout Unlimited, serving in various roles at the chapter and state level. As a fly angler, paddler, and rower, water is as central to her play as it is her work. Alicea also serves as a volunteer in several capacities as Secretary of the Fisheries Advisory Council; on the Advisory Board of the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources; and as a former member of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality. She is also the Co-Chair of the Water Planning Council Advisory Group. Alicea holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Connecticut.
Organizing Breakout
Jimmy Tickey is a trusted political voice in Connecticut, providing guidance to local, state, and federal campaigns. Blending political strategy with public service, Jimmy Tickey is the Vice Chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party where he leads candidate and grassroots trainings. A volunteer, campaign manager, elected official, party leader, and staff member to government officials, Jimmy understands firsthand where politics meets policy: organizing. First elected to local office at the age of 24 in the City of Shelton, where his electoral support broke records, Jimmy continues to be deeply involved in the Naugatuck Valley community, across the State of Connecticut, and through his service on the Democratic National Committee. Jimmy is from Shelton, CT and serves on the City of Shelton Planning & Zoning Commission. Professionally he is the District Director for Congressman Jim Himes, representing Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District. Jimmy is involved in his community with the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Celebrate Shelton, and Griffin Heath Board of Directors.
Communications Breakout
Nick Abraham is the Senior State Communications Director for League of Conservation Voters. He's worked on environmental campaigns for 15 years, from stopping oil and coal projects to Presidential elections. Growing up in Washington state, he now lives in Washington DC helping state campaigns across the country hone their message, build support, and take on disinformation. Susan Wollschlager serves as the director of marketing and communications for The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut. Her many years with nonprofit organizations and previous work as a journalist shape her approach to storytelling. She’s also held roles in communications and public relations at the University of Hartford, Connecticut Humane Society, and West Haven Public School District. Susan is a graduate of Bucknell University originally from Connecticut and aims to connect people of all ages with nature and TNC’s mission.
Nathan Frohling is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of External Affairs. He leads federal and state government relations for the Chapter and oversees its climate and energy policy work. Passage of CT’s law committing the state to a zero-carbon electricity supply by 2040 is a highlight of his legislative work. Nathan’s leadership on the Long Island Sound Blue Plan helped achieve legislative adoption of this precedent-setting measure in 2021. Believing that engaging the business community in advocacy for important climate and clean energy legislation is essential, Nathan launched the CT Energy Future Initiative. As an active member of the State’s Commission on Environmental Standards, Nathan is helping assure the viability of offshore renewable wind energy while also helping assure marine life is protected in the process.
SOlar Breakout
Legislative Leaders
Senator Bob Duff has served as Majority Leader of the State Senate since 2015. He represents Connecticut’s 25th Senate District, which includes Norwalk and Darien. Prior to his election to the Senate, Bob represented Norwalk’s 137th Assembly District in the House of Representatives for three years. As Senate Majority Leader, Bob is most proud of his role in 2017 leading the rewrite of the state’s decades-old education funding formula (ECS) to better help children in urban centers and those who live in poverty. In addition, Bob and the Senate Democratic caucus have achieved numerous other legislative victories, including instituting one of the largest tax cuts in Connecticut history in 2023 and beginning to pay down seven decades of built-up pension debt. The caucus has also passed major legislation such as Paid Family Medical Leave, expanded sick days, efforts to make higher education more affordable, and bills supporting data privacy, health care access, increased gun safety, LGBTQ rights, equal pay for equal work, and children’s mental health.
Rep. John-Michael Parker was first elected in November 2020 to represent the 101st House District, which includes the towns of Madison and Durham. He currently serves as Chair of the Environment Committee and as a member of the Public Health and Education Committees. Ensuring that our state government takes care of all Connecticut’s residents, prepares them to succeed, and builds communities in which they can thrive are among Representative Parker’s top priorities. John-Michael is a Madison native and a graduate of Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He also brings his experience as an educator and artist to the General Assembly—he has worked as an elementary and middle school science teacher and toured professionally as a musician. Outside the legislature, he serves as the Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut. He lives in Madison with his wife, Joyce, and his son, Charlie.
Rep. Jonathan Steinberg was first elected in 2010 to represent the 136th Assembly District of Westport and is now serving his seventh term. He currently serves as House Chair of the Legislature’s Technology Committee and previously co-chaired the Public Health Committee. He also serves on the Transportation Committee. Steinberg is former chair of the Pension Sustainability Commission and the M.O.R.E. Commission. A marketing executive in NYC for over 25 years, Jonathan was employed by several Fortune 100 companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, American Home Products/Wyeth, and Revlon, and several healthcare organizations such as Mount Sinai Medical Center and The Jewish Home Lifecare System, where he was Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications. Jonathan graduated with a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from N.Y.U.’s Stern School of Business.
Waste Reduction
Jennifer Heaton-Jones is a recognized leader in sustainable waste management and a driving force behind Connecticut’s residential organics evolution. Since 2009, she has served as Executive Director of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA), a regional governmental solid waste management authority serving 14 municipalities in Western Connecticut. Under her leadership, HRRA launched the state’s first municipal curbside food scraps collection program in 2014, paving the way for regional transformation. Today, HRRA operates nine municipal transfer station food scraps drop-off programs and twenty container satellite locations, empowering communities to participate in organics diversion. A Certified Master Composter, Jennifer provides backyard composting education and workshops throughout the year. In 2022, she spearheaded Connecticut’s first permanent municipal solar-powered ASP composting system, showing that municipalities can be self-sustaining in managing food scraps. Building on that success, HRRA now oversees two municipal composting systems and plans to construct two in-vessel systems in 2025. Jennifer’s advocacy extends to local, regional, and state levels, championing comprehensive food scraps diversion programs and infrastructure investment. Beyond organics, Jennifer has been a leading voice for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Connecticut for over a decade. She led the first-in-the-nation EPR policy for gas cylinders (2022) and the Connecticut Tire EPR law (2023). She serves as President of the Northeast Chapter of NAHMMA, sits on the NAHMMA national board, chairs the CT Product Stewardship Council, and is a board member of Connecticut’s RecycleCT Foundation and the Product Stewardship Institute.
Karen Saggese is a dedicated advocate for a more just, sustainable, and resilient food system. As an expert in food policy and community building, she works to bridge the gap between food insecurity, waste reduction, and climate action. Karen holds a BA in Art History from the University of Pittsburgh and a JD with a Global Law and Policy Certificate from Syracuse University College of Law. Currently, Karen serves as the Site Director for Food Rescue US – Fairfield County and co-leads the Greenwich Foodshed Alliance. Her leadership extends to several policy-focused roles, including Chair of the CT Zero Waste Coalition Organics Subcommittee and the Greenwich Sustainability Committee’s Food Systems Sector. Through her work with the CT Food Sovereignty Collective, she champions regenerative and democratic food systems while centering the sovereignty of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. Karen is also a board member for the Greenwich Youth Conservation Program and the Greenwich Department of Human Services Foundation. She resides in Fairfield County with her husband, three children, and their lively household of pets and chickens.
Nature Based Solutions
Moderator: Amy Blaymore Patterson Amy joined the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) in 2010 as its first Executive Director. She co-chairs the State of Connecticut Natural Heritage, Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board. She was a member of the Environment Committee for the Lamont/Bysiewicz Administration transition team, the Forests Sub-Group of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change, and the Policy on Resilient Forests for Connecticut’s Future (PRFCT Future) Working Group. Amy is a member of the Working Lands Alliance Steering Committee and the Board of Directors of the Keney Park Sustainability Project. Prior to CLCC, Amy worked for The Trust for Public Land. She worked over twenty years as a land use attorney and served as a staff lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Panelists (alphabetical by last name) Eric Hammerling is the Director of the Office of Environmental Review & Strategic Initiatives (ERSI) based in the Commissioner’s Office at the CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP). ERSI staff conduct environmental reviews of renewable energy, storage, and transmission projects submitted to the CT Siting Council (CSC) as well as of state actions under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). Eric has been tasked with coordinating a few special legislatively required reports over the past couple of years on Batterson Park, the CSC, and nature-based solutions. Prior to joining DEEP’s staff in June 2023, Eric served as the Executive Director for the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (2008–2023) and the Farmington River Watershed Association (2003–2008).
Leigh Whelptonjoined the Connecticut Green Bank in 2023 as the Director of Environmental Infrastructure, where she leads the Green Bank’s expansion beyond clean energy into climate resilience, land conservation, parks and recreation, agriculture, water, waste and recycling, and environmental markets including carbon offsets and ecosystem services. Leigh oversees transactions and the development of new financing programs to leverage private capital, including a core goal of increased investment in vulnerable communities. Prior to the Green Bank, Leigh served as the Executive Director of the Conservation Finance Network (CFN). For over a decade she advanced CFN’s effort to expand the use of innovative funding and financing strategies for social and ecological resilience. Before CFN, Leigh managed professional training programs and conservation initiatives for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. Leigh holds a BS with honors from the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley and an MESc. from the Yale School of the Environment.
