PLANNING COMMITTEE

Brandy M. Dixon is the Communications Director for the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), the state’s energy office and lead agency for statewide energy policy and program development. In her position, she manages AEA’s communications activities including community and public outreach, organizational partnerships, government and media relations, social media, online and print publications to promote public awareness, strengthen AEA’s reputation, and help fulfill its mission.

Brandy has more than 15 years of diverse experience managing communications in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Before joining AEA, she was the Communications and Events Director for the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, the largest state trade association. While there, she was instrumental in achieving the United States Chamber Accreditation designation for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures, and positive impact on the community.

She also worked at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the largest, most comprehensive Tribal health organization in the United States serving 180,000 Alaska Natives and American Indians. There she held several roles, the last one being Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) where she provided essential support to the CEO as he led the organization in accomplishing its goals.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Clay Koplin is the Chief Executive Officer of Cordova Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CEC), where he has worked with a small, dynamic team to develop an advanced micro-grid system featuring 100% underground distribution lines, 100% LED lighting, 75% renewable power generation, and fully automated diesel and hydroelectric power plants. He has worked with the US State Department and US Department of Energy to develop and share remote microgrid and energy storage technologies and currently serves on the Federal Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity. As the Mayor of Cordova, Alaska, Clay brings the community impact, value-based electric cooperative perspective to grid projects and investments. Clay enjoys community service, writing, hunting, fishing, and gardening.

Gwen is the founder and Director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), an applied energy research program based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks which focuses on community-scale fossil and renewable/alternative energy technologies. Specific areas of emphasis include power systems integration for microgrids, hydrokinetic energy, high latitude solar, low temperature geothermal, and diesel efficiency. Prior to joining the University of Alaska, Gwen worked in the private sector as a design engineer and project manager, including the design and construction of the only operating geothermal power plant in Alaska at Chena Hot Springs. This project received several awards including a R&D 100 award (R&D Magazine) and Project of the Year in the Renewable Energy Category (Power Engineering Magazine). Gwen has been inducted into the Alaska Innovator’s Hall of Fame, and was selected as a member of Alaska’s Top Forty Under 40, and is a former Arctic Fulbright Scholar. She has a BS in Physics from Bradley University and an MS in Energy Engineering and Policy from UAF. She is the mother to three children, ages 13 (twins) and 11, and has competed in the Yukon Quest and Iditarod sled dog races.

Chris Rose is the founder and Executive Director of REAP. He has worked as a fundraiser for various non-profit public interest groups around the United States, receiving his law degree from the University of Oregon with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law along the way.

For 12 years, his private practice in Alaska included representation of Native Alaskans from Northwest Arctic villages and the mediation of a variety of disputes around the state. He has been very active in local community affairs and has served on various statewide boards, including the Renewable Energy Grant Fund Advisory Committee, which he currently chairs.

From 2004 to 2008 he wrote a monthly opinion column for the Anchorage Daily News. He enjoys traveling, gardening and exploring Alaska.