About Us

Advisors

Below are some of the many individuals who’ve contributed their expertise to Our Power:

Dr. Jono Anzalone is Executive Director of The Climate Initiative, working to empower 10 million youth to climate action by 2025. He served as the Head of Disaster and Crisis, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the Americas and Caribbean region, and as a Vice President at the American Red Cross overseeing programming in more than 34 countries. He holds an MS in Economics and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Higher Education from the University of Nebraska.

Judy Berk of Northport has been a keen observer of energy issues in Maine since the 1970s when she sold wood-burning stoves and solar collectors in Belfast, wrote the Power Play newspaper column for three Maine weeklies, and co-established Maine’s Energy Extension Service for the Maine Office of Energy Resources. Later, she directed advocacy communications and media relations for the Natural Resources Council of Maine for 28 years, where she helped protect the nature of Maine’s woods, waters, wildlife and climate, through supporting laws to bring more energy efficiency and clean energy to our state.

Anne Butterfield is an environmental advocate and former journalist. She worked for 7 years as an energy columnist in Boulder, Colorado, where she bore witness to the city’s efforts to establish a municipal utility. She is also a board member with WildEarth Guardians and served 10 years on the board of Clean Energy Action, two climate and conservation focused nonprofits.

Senator Stacy Brenner of Scarborough is the Senate Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, serving her first term in the Maine Legislature, and a cosponsor of LD 1708. She began her career as a nurse-midwife and is an organic farmer and small business owner of Broadturn Farm. She is a board member of Maine Farmland Trust and Board President of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Organization (MOFGA).

Representative Nathan Carlow of Buxton is serving his first term in the Maine Legislature as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. He was a cosponsor of LD 1708 and has focused his work in committee on promoting a clean environment, ensuring affordable rates, and demanding reliable service for Maine people and businesses. He holds the distinction of being the youngest legislator ever elected in Maine history. Rep. Carlow is serving his fourth year on the Bonny Eagle School Board and is a member of the Board’s Policy Committee.

Richard Davies served two terms as Maine’s Public Advocate, representing the interests of of consumers in proceedings before the Maine Public Utilities Commission. He also served as senior staff to two Maine Governors, worked for the Maine State Housing Authority, founded Public Policy Associates, Inc., and was elected to four terms in the Maine House of Representatives, as well as two terms as county treasurer. Richard’s many decades of public service were well described by former Governor John E. Baldacci: “Dick has been a key public servant who progressed the quality of life for all the people of Maine throughout his career. He embodies the principles of democracy in all his actions.” Richard passed away in 2023 leaving behind a remarkable legacy of public service.

Jonathan Fulford is a carpenter and lives in Belfast where he serves on the Belfast Energy Committee. He is a member of the Sierra Club Executive Committee, represents Sierra Club on Maine Climate Action Now, and is a former democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Maine’s second congressional district.

Sue Inches has worked in public policy for over 25 years. Sue previously served as Deputy Director of the State Planning Office and as a Director at the Department of Marine Resources. Sue now works as a consultant, teacher, and advocate with a focus on broadband connectivity, the environment and climate change. Her book Advocating
for the Environment: How You Can Make a Difference will be released in July 2021. Sue holds a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire.

Kevin J. Mattson is the Managing Partner of Dirigo Capital Advisors. He has overseen the execution and development of several large scale commercial real estate projects totaling more than $200 million, primarily in Northern New England. Kevin was appointed to the Maine Uniform Building Code Task force by Governor King, and was appointed to the Finance Authority of Maine by Governor Baldacci, on which he served as Treasurer. Kevin was awarded a BA in Accounting from Skidmore College and received an MBA from the University of Maine.

Emily Rochford is a climate activist and recent Unity College graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Energy Management. She serves as a core member of the Maine Youth for Climate Justice coalition and has worked with organizations such as the Maine Partnership for Environmental Stewardship, Window Dressers, Efficiency Maine, and ReVision Energy.

Dr. Richard Silkman holds a Yale Ph.D. in economics and is a nationally recognized expert in the regulation of public utilities, the development of competitive energy markets and the development, licensing and operation of power plants, including hydroelectric generating stations. He is the CEO of Competitive Energy Services, a Maine-based energy consulting firm.

Dr. David Vail is Adams Catlin Professor of Economics emeritus and former Director of Environmental Studies at Bowdoin College. He participates in the Citizens’ Climate Lobby as a member of its Economics Policy Network. He also serves on the Solar Energy Association of Maine board and the Coastal Enterprises, Inc (CEI) Policy Committee,
which he formerly chaired. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University.

Hon. Dr. Richard Woodbury is a Program Administrator at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a former Maine State Senator. He has also served as a visiting scholar with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and has written extensively on tax reform in Maine. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Vaughan Woodruff is the former CEO and founder of Insource Renewables and previously served as the chair of Maine’s solar industry trade group. He serves as an appointed member of the Maine Workforce Board and, in his multiple roles in Maine’s homegrown solar industry, he has been involved extensively in proceedings at the Maine Legislature and Maine Public Utilities Commission to modernize the state’s energy policy.