Agenda
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Day One: Monday, December 15th

Day Two: Tuesday, December 16th

Time
7:00-8:00	BREAKFAST
8:00-8:15	OPENING REMARKS Rolf Nordstrom, Executive Director, Great Plains Institute
8:15-9:00	PLENARY ADDRESS Climate Impacts on Agriculture, Water and Land Resources: Implications for a Bioeconomy Jerry Hatfield, Laboratory Director, USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Research Laboratory
9:00-9:15	Synthesizing Climate Information and Agriculture Doug Kluck, Climate Service Manager, National Weather Service
9:15-10:30	AGRICULTURAL LEADERS PANEL Moderator: Mike Doherty, Illinois Farm Bureau Sue Beitlich, Wisconsin Farmers Union Jim Burg, Firesteel Ranch Roger Johnson, Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Agriculture Paul Taylor, District 1 Director, Illinois Corn Growers Association Ed Woolsey, Green Prairie Energy LLC
10:30-11:00	Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, 9th District, Illinois
11:00-12:15	SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS Going Forward: A Small Group Facilitated Discussion on Implementing Agriculture and Carbon Policy
12:30	LUNCHEON Growing the Midwest Clean Technology Industry: Bridging the Gaps Between Innovators, Economic Developers and Investors Doug Cameron, Managing Director and Chief Science Officer, Piper Jaffray
2:00-2:15	25x’25 Carbon Work Group Presentation Nathan Rudgers, Farm Credit of Western New York
2:15-2:45	NEXT STEPS
2:45-3:00	CLOSING REMARKS

Speaker Information

Sanjana Ahmad
Solutions Fellow, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Ms. Ahmad assists the Director of Innovative Solutions on transportation and other state-level policy issues. Her work also includes researching and communicating transportation technology solutions for reducing greehouse gases. Ms. Ahmad is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Masters in Public Policy, Environmental Policy concentration. Prior to coming to Maryland, she worked at the National Transportation Research Center at the Oak Ridge National Lab for three years. While there, she co-authored papers on corporate average fuel economy, the effects of CAFE standards on safety, and the cost of U.S. oil dependence.

Sue Beitlich
President, Wisconsin Farmers Union
Sue Beitlich was elected President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union in February 2003 and is the first woman to serve in that capacity. Sue serves on several boards including the Wisconsin Farmers Union Board, the WFU Foundation, the National Farmers Union Board of Directors, the Farmers Union Enterprise Board, the Wisconsin Farmers Union Specialty Cheese Company Board of Directors, and was elected to the Executive Board of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers Women’s Committee in May of 2004. She currently represents Wisconsin Farmers Union on several state boards and committees, including the Wisconsin State Technical Board and the State Superintendent’s Rural Advisory Board. She served a 3-year appointment to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board from 2001-2004 where she was vice chair of the Nutrition Issues Subcommittee. She was also a member of the Churches Center for Land and People Board from 1999-2004. She has served on several of her local, county and state Farmers Union committees and boards and was the Farmers Union Youth Leader for her local chapter from 1988–2003. She was a member of the La Crosse School District’s Montessori Farm School Research Committee from 2002-2003. Sue was born and raised on a small registered-Brown Swiss dairy farm in Western Wisconsin and attended school in La Crosse graduating from Central High School. She has held off-the-farm employment in several capacities working at the Gundersen Clinic and La Crosse School District. She resigned her position as office manager of the School Nutrition Program with the La Crosse Schools to serve as WFU president. Sue owned and operated two farms totaling 330 acres in Western Wisconsin. Her family rented an additional 325 acres raising alfalfa, oats, corn and soybeans for their 50-cow dairy herd and 50+ replacement heifers. Sue’s family has hosted several international visitors, political leaders, and numerous school field trips for kindergarten children over the years. Her family also participated in a month-long farmer exchange to Kazakhstan in 1993 as a result of their involvement in Farmers Union. In 1998, Sue was the recipient of the La Crosse YWCA Woman of the Year Award in the activist category for work in family farm agriculture. She credits Farmers Union for this award through the inspiration she received from NFU Women’s Leadership Conferences and from her involvement as a Farmers Union youth leader. Over the years she has served as a pageant judge and been a guest speaker to several college classes at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Viterbo University. She truly enjoys advocating for family farmers and loves her job as President of Wisconsin Farmers Union.

Mary Blanchard
Director of Marketing, Virent Energy Systems, Inc.
Mary is responsible for marketing, public relations, and government relations initiatives at Virent Energy Systems in Madison, Wisconsin. Virent is a venture-funded company developing a catalytic technology that refines plant sugar into hydrocarbon gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel which are compatible with today’s engines and pipelines. Mary currently serves on the Midwestern Governor’s Association Bioeconomy and Transportation Advisory Group, the State of Wisconsin Legislative Council Special Committee on Domestic Biofuels, and the North Central Bioeconomy Consortium Low Carbon Fuels Policy Advisory Group. Prior to Virent, Mary worked in international and domestic marketing and product management at Tellabs, Inc., a global telecommunications equipment manufacturer. She earned a BS, Electrical Engineering, and a BA, English, from the University of Notre Dame, a MS from the London School of Economics, and a MBA from Northwestern University.

Jim Burg
Firesteel Ranch
Jim Burg is a lifelong farmer operating a family-run diversified livestock and grain corporation, Firesteel Ranch, with his two sons and brother. During his time in the South Dakota legislature, Jim served as Assistant Minority Leader in both the South Dakota State Senate and State House. Jim also served on the South Dakota State Public Utilities Commission for 18 years, where for 12 years he was Commission Chair (1987-2004). He has also been involved in a variety of professional organizations including the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Electric Power Research Institute, New Mexico State Forum, Powering the Plains, Wind on the Wires, and American Wind Energy Association. Jim received a B.S. in Animal Science in 1963 from South Dakota State University and served in the South Dakota National Guard from 1959-1989 as Lt. Colonel.

Ron Burke
Midwest Office Director, Union of Concerned Scientists
Mr. Burke is responsible for implementing UCS’ agenda in the Midwest on climate change, clean vehicles, clean energy and sustainable agriculture. Prior to joining UCS, Mr. Burke was Associate Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for five years. He helped organize the state’s global warming initiative, which included managing the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group, overseeing Illinois’ membership in the Chicago Climate Exchange, coordinating Illinois’ communication with Congress on federal climate legislation, participating in the Governors Association’s Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform, and managing the state’s participation in The Climate Registry, a multi-state project to measure and track greenhouse gas emissions. At Illinois EPA, Mr. Burke also supervisesd policy, outreach, community relations, pollution prevention, small business assistance, and “Green Government” programs and staff. Prior to joining IEPA, Mr. Burke served as a consultant to the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago, where he dealt with issues such as Great Lakes restoration, energy policy, and fundraising. Mr. Burke worked at the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago for nearly twelve years as Director of Environmental Health, Deputy Executive Director of Programs and Policy, and Acting Executive Director. He also worked for USEPA Region 5 in Chicago. Mr. Burke earned an M.S. from Washington University’s Department of Engineering and Policy and did his undergraduate work in life sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mark Calmes
Vice President Environmental Office of Compliance and Ethics, Archer Daniels Midland Company
ADM is a U.S. agribusiness with operations throughout the world. Every day, the 27,000 people of ADM turn crops into renewable products that meet the demands of a growing world. At more than 240 processing plants corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa are converted into products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. ADM operates the world’s premier crop origination and transportation network, connecting crops and markets in more than 60 countries. The global headquarters is in Decatur, Illinois, and net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, were $70 billion. Mr. Calmes is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and has been a practicing Environmental Engineer for the past 27 years. Since joining ADM he has held various engineering, production and management positions in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Calmes currently manages compliance and other environmental activities for ADM worldwide, including contacts with federal, state and local environmental agencies. He serves on the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord Advisory Group, the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group, and the North Central Bioeconomy Consortium’s Midwest Low Carbon Fuel Policy Work Group.

Doug Cameron
Chief Science Advisor, Piper Jaffray Investment Management
Doug Cameron is managing director and chief science advisor at Piper Jaffray. His major responsibility is in building the firm's global franchise in renewable energy and clean technology. Cameron joined Piper Jaffray from Khosla Ventures in Menlo Park, Calif., one of the premier venture capital firms in clean technology investments. As chief scientific officer at Khosla Ventures, he led technical due diligence for many of the firm’s clean technology investments. He was on the board of directors of Gevo, LS9, Mascoma, Segetis, Lanzatech, Kior and Draths, and had senior management roles in several of these companies. He also served on the scientific advisory boards of these companies. From 1998 to 2006, Cameron was chief scientist and director of biotechnology at Cargill, Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn., where he built and led Cargill’s corporate biotechnology research group. While at Cargill, Cameron worked closely with NatureWorks, Cargill’s bioplastics joint venture; helped form the industrial bio-products business unit; was principle investigator on a Department of Energy grant for the production of chemicals from renewable resources and spearheaded Cargill’s biotech activities in China. Prior to joining Cargill, Cameron was a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, were he taught biochemical engineering and established a leading research laboratory in the areas of metabolic engineering and bioprocess technology. Cameron earned a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his did research on microbial fermentation for the production of fuels and chemicals. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree in biomedical engineering. He is a Fellow of the Society of Industrial Microbiology and of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, a consulting professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, and adjunct professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Vincent Camobreco
Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. EPA
For the past two years Mr. Camobreco has worked in the U.S. EPA’s Transportation and Climate Division, his main focus being on the life cycle GHG impacts of renewable and alternative fuels. Prior to that he worked on EPA’s Climate Leaders program, helping develop protocols to calculate and report corporate greenhouse gas inventories to the EPA. Mr. Camobreco’s previous work experience includes over five years as an environmental consultant with Ecobalance, Inc. doing life cycle analysis for numerous industry and government clients, and several years working for an automotive parts supplier producing steering columns. His education includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and a Masters of Engineering in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University.

Robert Carlson
President, North Dakota Farmers Union
In January of 1997, Robert Carlson was elected president of North Dakota Farmers Union, the largest farm organization in the state of North Dakota with 40,000 members. As president, he leads the Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company and the Farmers Union Service Association, an insurance agency wholly-owned by NDFU. Prior to his election, Carlson served as vice president of NDFU for 10 years.

In the national arena, Robert Carlson represents North Dakota as a board member for National Farmers Union and Farmers Union Enterprises. He serves as chairman of the NFU budget committee for the National Farmers Union board. On behalf of NFU, he has participated in World Trade Organization talks in Japan, Switzerland and Mexico. Additionally, he has represented family farm interests at world food summits and International Federation of Ag Producers’ gatherings in Rome, Japan and France. He has participated in trade missions to Cuba, China and Brazil.

Carlson earned a master’s degree in history from the University of North Dakota and has co-authored several works, including The Legacy of North Dakota’s Country Schools. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Minot State University and is a Vietnam veteran.

Nathan J. Clark
Vice President and Director of Emission Offsets, Chicago Climate Exchange
Nathan Clark serves as Vice President and Director of Emission Offsets of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the world's first and North America's only active, voluntary, legally-binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six greenhouse gases, with offset projects in North America and worldwide. He is responsible for oversight of all aspects of the emissions offsets program of the Exchange. Mr. Clark holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky.

Geoff Cooper
Vice President of Research and Analysis, Renewable Fuels Association
In this role, he conducts economic analysis and policy research for the association and its members. He also manages the association’s programs related to ethanol co-products. Prior to working for RFA, Geoff was the Director of Ethanol Programs for the National Corn Growers Association. He previously served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, where he specialized in bulk petroleum logistics, fuel storage, distribution, and quality assurance. A Wyoming native, Geoff graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a bachelor’s degree and earned his master’s degree at Webster University in St. Louis.

Robert Finley
Director, the Energy and Earth Resources Center at the Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, Illinois
Robert Finley joined the Illinois Survey in February 2000 after serving as Associate Director at the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. Rob’s area of specialization is fossil energy resources. His work has ranged from large-scale resource assessment, addressing hydrocarbon resources at national and state scales, to evaluation of specific fields and reservoirs for coal, oil, and natural gas. He is currently heading a major project on geological carbon sequestration in the Illinois Basin aimed at addressing concerns with global climate change. Rob has served on committees of the National Petroleum Council, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the National Research Council, the Stanford Energy Modeling Forum, and the U.S. Potential Gas Committee. He has taught aspects of energy resource development since 1986 to numerous clients domestically and overseas in Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia, among other countries. Rob holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of South Carolina; he is currently also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steve Flick
Chairman, Show Me Energy Cooperative
Show Me Energy Cooperative is a cellulosic biomass facility owned by 400 farmers. The 7 million dollar project has been completed and is expected to be operational July 2008, developing and processing energy crops and agricultural residues into biomass engineered fiber fuel. This fuel is used for coal-firing at a local utility and for heating residents’ homes. Steve is a graduate of University of Missouri Columbia with a Bachelor of Science Agriculture in 1980. Steve is CEO/CFO of Flick Seed Company Kingsville Missouri. The company specializes in Native/Energy/Conservation Seeds and under writes a PBS show, Jerry Adams Outdoors for the hunting and fishing enthusiasts. Mr. Flick is a trained Environmental Ecologist and has consulted for 20 years for EPA, D.O.D., and D.O.E. along with several state agencies. Missouri Bioenergy LLC-a research and development company of Flick Seed Co. is developing planting and harvesting techniques involving Miscanthus Giganteus. Mr. Flick lives on the farm in Kingsville, Missouri with one daughter Kaitlin Marie Flick age 15.

Paul Gipe
Wind-Works
Paul Gipe has written extensively about renewable energy for both the popular and trade press. His most recent book, Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, & Business, is also available in French as Le Grand Livre de l'Eolien. In 2004, Gipe served as the acting executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association where he created, managed, and implemented a provincial campaign for Advanced Renewable Tariffs. The resulting Ontario feed law is being hailed as the most progressive renewable energy policy in North America in two decades.

John Goss
Executive Director, Indiana Wildlife Federation
John Goss is a member of the Midwest Governors Advanced Coal and Renewable Energy Advisory Group. He also served on the planning committee for Indiana’s Carbon Capture and Storage Summit. John joined the Wildlife Federation in January, 2006 and was previously Director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. John has over 30 years of administrative policy experience in State, Federal and Local Government as Deputy Mayor of Bloomington, Indiana, District Director for Congressman Frank McCloskey, Chief of Staff for Lt. Governor Frank O’Bannon and as the Director of Tourism for Indiana. John majored in Economics at Indiana University and holds an MPA from the Indiana School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Jerry L. Hatfield, Ph.D.
Laboratory Director, USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory
The USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory is located in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Hatfield’s research focuses on understanding the interactions among soil-plant-atmosphere processes and the impact of farming systems on environmental quality. Dr. Hatfield currently serves as the Technical Leader for the air quality projects within USDA-ARS and responsible for fostering interactions among research locations and is co-leader of the Air Quality Working Group of the USDA-EPA AFO Research Task Force. He is the lead author on the Agriculture section of the Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 on “The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity” and part of the IPCC process that received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America and Past-President of the American Society of Agronomy. He is the author or co-author of 358 publications and the editor of 10 monographs including Nitrogen in the Environment: Sources, Problems and Management.

Nancy Jackson
Executive Director, Climate & Energy Project
The Climate & Energy Project (CEP) is a program of The Land Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded 30 years ago in Salina, Kansas. Land Institute scientists are developing perennial cropping systems that mimic nature to preserve ecosystems and offer farmers new options. CEP promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure long-term resilience in Kansas and the Midwest. Jackson sits on the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord Advisory Group, the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group, and the Kansas Wind Working Group. She holds an MA in environmental history from the University of Kansas and brings experience in corporate finance, equities research, scholarly publishing, and development.

Mark Jenner
Chief Analyst at Biomass Rules, LLC.
A biomass economist, Jenner’s vision for bioenergy opportunities and challenges is unparalleled. His monthly newsletter, Burning Bio News, is a ‘scorecard’ for bioenergy adoption and can be found on his website along with links to breaking biomass news (www.biomassrules.com). Biomass Rules, LLC is rooted in agriculture and environmental compliance. Current projects include biomass inventories, value-added feasibility studies, moving livestock producers from compliance to manure revenue, and developing a model regulatory index that credits the environmental benefits. Jenner writes Biomass Energy Outlook for BioCycle Magazine and wrote the 2006 BioTown, USA Sourcebook which is a biomass primer on locally available materials. As an independent contactor to his clients, he plays a significant behind-the-scenes role in shaping biomass systems. Prior to forming Biomass Rules, LLC, he served nine years as manure visionary for the Farm Bureau.

Roger Johnson
Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Commissioner Johnson is the immediate past president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). As chairman of NASDA’s Rural Development and Financial Security Committee from 2000 to 2007, he played a leading role in the development of the “safety net” policies for agriculture contained in the 2002 and 2007 Farm Bills. As NASDA president, he pressed for Farm Bill priorities that benefit agricultural producers, such as a permanent disaster program, the re-balancing of loan rates for northern tier crops and farm-based renewable energy. A third-generation family farmer from Turtle Lake, Roger Johnson was elected Agriculture Commissioner in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2004, and 2006. As Agriculture Commissioner, he serves on the three-member State Industrial Commission, which is the board of directors for the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and State Mill and Elevator. He is also a member of the North Dakota Trade Office Advisory Board, the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education and many other boards and commissions. Commissioner Johnson strongly supports programs and initiatives to strengthen economic growth and entrepreneurship in rural areas, especially through his active sponsorship of Marketplace for Entrepreneurs, the state’s largest and longest running economic development initiative. He has emphasized the need for North Dakota to play a leading role in the development of value-added agricultural industries, animal agriculture and renewable energy resources. He believes that North Dakota must develop new businesses, industries and agricultural technologies to fuel further growth in the rural sector and to ensure that agriculture remains the backbone of the state’s economy. Commissioner Johnson graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics. He has an extensive background in agricultural mediation, serving as administrator of the North Dakota Agricultural Mediation Service from 1989 to 1996. Commissioner Johnson is a member of First United Methodist Church of Bismarck. He and his wife, Anita, are the proud parents of a daughter and two sons.

Jim Kleinschmit
Director, Rural Communities Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Within the bioeconomy, Rural Communities work focuses on “greening” the entire value chain and assuring that family farmers and local communities benefit from this sector. Specific work includes establishing sustainable biomass policies, criteria and markets; promoting sustainable, rural-based renewable energy and bioindustrial development projects; and working with rural communities to identify and capture opportunities linked to these emerging markets and sectors. Jim grew up and is still active in the operation of his family’s organic grass and beef farm in Nebraska. He first joined IATP in 1995 and has a M.A. from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington-Seattle, and a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Doug Kluck
Climate Service Program Manager, Central Region of the National Weather Service
Mr. Kluck serves on the multi-agency National Integrated Drought Implementation System housed in NOAA as well. In general Doug works closely with partners such as the state climatologists, academia and other institutions to deliver climate information to the public. Everything from past weather data to future climate outlooks are provided through climate services in the National Weather Service/NOAA. A pilot project has just begun to engage extension agriculture more fully in Iowa. This is a pilot program that will hopefully expand to other nearby states.

Dr. Adam Liska
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Nebraska
Dr. Adam Liska is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of Nebraska. He completed his Ph.D. in biology in 2003 at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, in Dresden, Germany, and his B.S. in biochemistry and biology at the University of Nebraska. He is a member of a team of faculty studying the energy efficiency and environmental impact of biofuel production systems. His current research includes the life cycle assessment of GHG emissions from ethanol production based on corn grain and cellulose. Before involvement in bioenergy research, he spent 10 years in biochemistry and molecular biology research.

Dr. Bruce McCarl
Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association
Dr. McCarl has been involved with cost benefit modeling of biofuels, greenhouse gas mitigation, climate change along with agricultural, forest, and natural resource policies for over three decades, during which he has been funded by many agencies. Among other activities he recently was

• Agricultural sector modeling economic analyst on the US Government appraisal of Proposed Renewable Fuel Standard Rule.
• Lead author on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III, Agricultural Mitigation Chapter a part of the IPCC effort that was awarded 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. McCarl is author of over 183 refereed articles, of which over 40 relate to biofuels and climate change. His research projects on biofuels are reflected on this Web site.

David Miller
Chief Science Officer, AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation and director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
As director of IFBF’s research and commodity services division, Miller helped IFBF become a leader in carbon credit aggregation. He has also been a key player in helping to establish the rules of the Chicago Climate Exchange on carbon offsets. As the Chief Science Officer for AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation, Miller has been instrumental in developing carbon credit protocols for agriculture and developing the contracts and aggregations services so that farmers, ranchers and landowners can participate in carbon programs. Miller serves on the Offset committee of the Chicago Climate Exchange and is member of several working groups that are developing carbon policy proposals including the Midwest Governors Association Climate Initiative, the Iowa Climate Council, the 25 by 25 Energy Coalition Carbon Workgroup and the Carbon Credit Workgroup of the Chicago Economic Council. In addition to his work on carbon and climate issues, Miller coordinates the research programs of the Federation and the various commodity services offered by the Federation. He oversees the research programs of the Federation and provides economic analysis of agricultural issues. He is a primary liaison for the Federation with state and national commodity organizations. He does extensive research on energy issues and how they affect agriculture. Miller received a BS degree in Agriculture and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri and completed the course work for a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics.

Rolf Nordstrom
Executive Director, Great Plains Institute
Mr. Nordstrom is Executive Director of the Great Plains Institute, a regional, non-partisan, non-profit corporation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Institute primarily serves the states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the province of Manitoba, but increasingly works with the 12 states represented by the Midwestern Governors Association. The Great Plains Institute brings together key public and private leaders from across the Midwest to identify and implement policies, technologies, research and educational efforts that will accelerate the transition to a renewable and low-carbon energy system by mid-century. Rolf joined the Great Plains Institute in 2003 as director of the Institute’s public-private Upper Midwest Hydrogen Initiative (UMHI), one of the first regional, industry-led hydrogen partnerships in North America. Rolf was the original author of Minnesota’s first-ever report on the coming hydrogen economy and its implications, and has written, or helped shape, state laws on sustainable development, land use, building design and hydrogen technologies. He serves on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Education Review Panel, the National Hydrogen Association’s Renewable Hydrogen Working Group, and sits on the steering committee for Minnesota’s Renewable Hydrogen Initiative. GPI is pursuing hydrogen as part of a suite of zero and low-carbon transportation options including electricity and next-generation biofuels. Before taking over as Executive Director at the Great Plains Institute, Rolf also helped manage the Institute’s Powering the Plains program, whose diverse stakeholders developed a 50-year Energy Transition Roadmap for the region: www.poweringtheplains.org. This Roadmap has since informed the development of an ambitious set of energy and climate accords signed by Midwestern Governors and the Premier of Manitoba in November 2007: www.midwesterngovernors.org. Mr. Nordstrom has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Carleton College and a Masters Degree in International Environmental Policy from Tufts University.

Norm Olson
Program Manager, Iowa Energy Center’s Biomass Energy CONversion (BECON) Facility
BECON strengthens Iowa’s economy by developing new methods of converting agricultural-based plant materials into value-added chemicals and fuels. BECON is at the forefront of developing the biorefinery concept where, as a corollary to an oil refinery in which hundreds of products are made from a barrel of petroleum, instead hundreds of products are made from a ton of agricultural plant material. Olson has nearly 30 years of experience in energy efficiency and renewable fuels projects and has been a registered professional engineer for the past twenty-four years. Past experience includes work as: a Product Design Engineer for Lenox and Dunham-Bush, a Project Engineer for the Iowa Energy Policy Council, Energy Manager for the University of Iowa, and Project Manager for the Iowa Energy Center’s Energy Resource Station (ERS).

Kris Plamann
Business Development Manager, Baisch Engineering
Kris graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Prior to the start of her career, she prepared for international business via continued education in Kiel, Germany. Following her return to the US, Kris’s work focused around technology and manufacturing, employed by Giddings & Lewis, Inc. - a machine tool manufacturer serving John Deere and Caterpillar, the Schott Group Germany – specializing in glass, solar, & photovoltaics, the high tech electronics industry working as Midwest Sales Manager for Canadian based SMTC, and Plexus, a billion dollar technology company. For the past decade, Kris has concentrated her efforts on business development activities for engineering services leading up to her current role as the business development manager for Baisch Engineering, a heavy process driven firm serving the biomass, renewable energy, pulp & paper and related industries.

Nathan Rudgers
Senior Vice President & Director of Business Development, Farm Credit of Western New York
Nathan L. Rudgers was named Senior Vice President for Farm Credit of Western New York in December, 2005. In his capacity as Director of Business Development, Nathan is responsible for bringing resources to Farm Credit’s clients who are planning or undergoing major business changes. He is a frequent speaker in state, national and international forums on such topics as renewable energy, food safety, international trade, agriculture policy and economic development. He also currently serves on the steering committee for 25 X 25, a group of industry leaders dedicated to fostering Agriculture and Forestry’s role in US energy independence. Prior to joining Farm Credit, Nathan served as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets for The State of New York. He was appointed Commissioner by Governor George E. Pataki in 1999. He began his tenure with the Department in 1995, serving as Deputy Commissioner, First Deputy Commissioner and then Acting Commissioner. Nathan also served as President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2005. Preceding joining the Department, Nathan worked for several agri-business firms in the Northeast. Much of his experience in the private sector has involved the dairy industry and agricultural economics. Nathan was born and raised on a dairy and cash crop farm in Pavilion (Wyoming County), New York and is a 1982 graduate of Cornell University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. Nathan currently lives in Pavilion.

William Schleizer
Associate Director, the Delta Institute
The Delta Institutes is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago focused on transforming the Great Lakes region into the vital center of an emerging green economy. Mr. Schleizer manages the Delta Carbon program which assists landowners implementing conservation activities to obtain carbon credit revenue and maintain those environmentally beneficial projects. To date, the Delta Carbon program has enrolled over 300,000 acres of land that is sequestering greenhouse gas emissions via conservation activities in agriculture and forestry. Mr. Schleizer is also overseeing the development of a program to recognize implementation of greenhouse gas offset projects in the City of Chicago around urban forestry, native grassland establishment, energy efficiency, fuel switching, destruction of ozone-depleting substances, capture and destruction of methane, transit, and renewable energy. In addition to greenhouse gas programs, Mr. Schleizer works on green purchasing, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, water quality implementation, and sustainability projects. Prior to joining Delta, Mr. Schleizer worked in the environmental consulting field working with various industries on pollution prevention, waste reduction, environmental management, permit reporting and compliance analysis. He holds a BS degree in EEO Biology and Environmental Studies from Tulane University and a Professional MS degree in Environmental Analysis and Decision Making from Rice University.

Doug Scott
Director, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Doug Scott was appointed Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency effective July 1, 2005 by Governor Rod Blagojevich. In announcing the appointment, Governor Blagojevich said he was confident Director Scott will be “an energetic and innovative advocate for public health and the environment.” Doug Scott was born in Rockford in 1960 and graduate from Rockford east high School in 1978. He returned home after receiving his Bachelors Degree with honors from the University of Tulsa in 1982, and graduating with a law degree with honors from Marquette University in 1985. Director Scott took over leadership of the national’s oldest state environmental agency on the 35th anniversary date of the Illinois EPA’s start on July 1, 1970. He is committed to maintain and enhancing the Agency’s key role in protecting our air, land and water and carrying out Governor Blagojevich’s pledge to make government more accountable and accessible to citizens and the regulated community, including local governments and business. Among the many new progressive programs started under Governor Blagojevich that Direct Scott will continue and expand include the Safe and Healthy Schools Initiative to protect our kids; a brownfields program that is one of the nation’s most successful in cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned industrial and commercial sites; continued clean air progress through enlisting citizens and industry and supporting clean coal technology, wind power and other alternative energy and fuel sources; protecting vital public water supplies in Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River; making Illinois the nation’s leader in public notification and community relations activities on environmental concerns; and implementing the Governor’s program to clean up more orphaned open dump sites and ensure that all Illinois landfills are properly operated. Doug Scott believes that being accessible and accountable to citizens and businesses are top priorities.

Joe Shacter
Senior Policy Advocate, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Mr. Shacter works on transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, on ELPC’s Greening Chicago Initiatives and on other eco-business initiatives. Before joining ELPC, Mr. Shacter served as President/CEO of The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for four years and in various leadership positions at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. His transportation background includes four years as a senior operations and financial analyst for United Airlines. M.B.A., Kellogg School of Management, and M.S., Journalism, Medill School, Northwestern University, 1987; B.A., Business Administration, University of Michigan, 1982.

Michael J. Walsh, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Chicago Climate Exchange
Michael J. Walsh is an Executive Vice President of Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first and North America's only active, voluntary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six greenhouse gases, with offset projects in North America and worldwide.  CCX’s affiliated companies European Climate Exchange and Chicago Climate Futures Exchange host markets for futures products based on European Union carbon dioxide emission allowances and U.S. sulfur dioxide emission allowances.  Walsh also serves on the Board of Directors of the Montreal Climate Exchange.

In his prior position with Environmental Financial Products (the predecessor company to CCX), Mr. Walsh arranged several international carbon credit transactions and served as liaison and lead writer for a series of five technical papers on international emissions trading prepared for the Government of Canada.  As a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mr. Walsh provided instructional seminars on emissions trading for industry and government officials from several eastern European countries. He has been a speaker at United Nations climate conferences at Geneva, Kyoto, Buenos Aires, Bonn and The Hague, and has been a keynote speaker at industry conferences and educational workshops around the world, including events in Budapest, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. Walsh holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Economics and Political Science from Illinois State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Michigan State University.

Dr. Michelle Wander
Director of the Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program and Associate Professor of Soil Fertility/Ecology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.
Ongoing work considers the influence of management (tillage and cover crops, perennials, organic farming systems; crop rotation and fertilization practices) on soils, soil organic matter and system performance with emphasis on sequestration, plant-soil-process relations and ecosystem services. Farming systems research employs nutrient budgeting, life cycle analysis, and participatory methods.

Carol Werner
Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute in Washington, DC is a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to sustainable development, believing that a sound environment and a sound economy go hand in hand. Ms. Werner came to EESI in late 1987 and was the director of EESI's Energy & Climate Change Program through January 1998. Ms. Werner has more than 20 years of public policy experience on energy and environmental issues. She has organized dozens of Congressional briefings on science, technology and policy issues and has been a frequent speaker at many conferences and workshops on energy and environmental issues in EESI’s program areas. Carol serves on the steering committees of the Sustainable Energy Coalition, the Surface Transportation Policy Project, and the Environmental Advisory Committee of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. She also serves on the board of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, the board of the New Uses Council and the editorial board of BioCycle magazine. She was a member of the Department of Energy's (DOE) State Energy Advisory Board for six years, was on the World Council of Churches Task Force on Climate Change, and was a stakeholder in the DOE/USDA Bioenergy Initiative. Carol also was a member of DOE's Federal Advisory Committee on the Commercialization of Renewable Energy Technologies and had been on the steering committee of the U.S. Climate Action Network. Before joining EESI in late 1987, Ms. Werner served as the legislative director of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, the legislative representative for the National Consumer Law Center, and as a legislative assistant to Rep. Neal Smith (D – IA).

Ed Woolsey
President, Green Prairie Energy LLC
Mr. Woolsey is currently an Iowa Wind Farmer and developing a 10 turbine community owned wind farm in Western Iowa. He built an Iowa wind lobby coalition with Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Farmers Union, Evangelicals, Environmentalists and other. Mr. Woolsey has managed USDOE Chariton Valley Switchgrass energy project for seven years and also designed, constructed, installed and provided start-up of an automated cellulosic capable, biomass to ethanol facility for Iowa State University. Currenlty he provides lobby/consulting services for the Union of Concerned Scientists, American Corn Growers and others. He has spent five years as the Iowa Renewable Energy Program Coordinator and legislative Director for the Iowa Renewable Energy Association.