Background

In February 2009, San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development convened the Carbon Collaborative. The group comprised nearly 80 environmental market stakeholders, all committed to accelerating the development of effective policy and market-based responses to climate change. During these initial meetings, the need for capacity building and greater alignment of the city’s political, business, and environmental leadership were universally acknowledged. 

On September 9, 2009, a core group of the initiative's early participants re-launched the Carbon Collaborative as a freestanding non-profit partnership of government, business and environmental organizations. The new Collaborative continues to advance the original mission by delivering programs that foster multi-stakeholder alliances, build sector capacity, support the development of just, inclusive, and effective public policies, and catalyze the creation, commercialization, and deployment of environmentally-friendly technologies.

Board

Lee West

Mr. West founded the San Francisco Carbon Collaborative (SFCC) alongside President Dave Pascal. Created as an initiative of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the SFCC is positioned to develop technologies and market-based responses to climate change, making San Francisco the West Coast hub for carbon markets. Mr. West has also translated his nearly 30-year career in financial markets to establish the San Francisco Carbon Business Cluster (SF-CBC), a West Coast-based think tank environment for carbon market participants. The CBC now offers its local and multi-national institutional members a physical presence/infrastructure/office space in San Francisco’s downtown Financial District. Mr. West began his career in money management in 1982 with various Wall Street firms, heading advisory services, and he continues to manage capital for institutional clients, and provide infrastructure and back office services to the money management community as President of One Bush Partners -HFS-Hedge Fund Services, since 1994.

Jennifer Martin

Jennifer Martin has over eighteen years of experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency and distributed generation policy, markets and technology development, and electricity sector and climate change policy and regulation. Ms. Martin is responsible for the overall management of the Center for Resource Solutions' (CRS) Green-e Energy and Green-e Climate certification programs, and provides strategic program guidance to all CRS programs and new initiatives. Ms. Martin is the author of several reports and papers addressing renewable energy and utility policy and technology assessment, resource planning, risk assessment and environmental impacts, and has given numerous public presentations. She earned her B.A. from Pomona College and her Master of Public Policy from Duke University.

Neal Dikeman

Neal Dikeman is a founding partner in Jane Capital Partners LLC, a merchant and investment banking firm focused on energy & environmental technology. Mr. Dikeman works with start-ups on their technology commercializations, as well as multi-nationals who want to acquire or invest in the industry.  He previously cofounded CarbonFlow, SC Power Systems, Inc. and its successor Zenergy Power plc (AIM:ZEN) in superconductor technology, helped launch WaiterPad POS Systems, Inc. in wireless hospitality POS solutions, and led the spin-out of Fideris, Inc. in fuel cell test & measurement. He has served as a director of several technology companies, edits the Cleantech Blog, named one of the 50 Best Business Blogs by London Times, and chairs Cleantech.org. He previously served as Director of Business Development for Globalgate, the parent company of Yellowpages.com, and as an associate at private equity fund manager Doyle & Boissiere. Before entering private equity, he began his career in energy investment banking at Bankers Trust, and has a B.A. from Texas A&M University.

Indira Balkissoon 

Indira Balkissoon has worked for the past 20 years in both a technical and executive level for government and private sector organizations to manage and oversee environmental programs, including nine years at the USEPA in Boston. While at USEPA, she received Bronze and Gold Medals as well as a Hammer Award from Al Gore for her service in Superfund and Community-based Environmental programs. She is an expert in the interpretation and implementation of federal and state environmental regulations pertaining to CERCLA, RCRA, NEPA, AB32, climate change, sustainability, compliance, and environmental justice issues. Indira holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Anthropology and Geology, a Master of Science degree in Geology, and a Masters of Public Administration degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Prior to joining DNV, she led business development efforts in sustainability and climate change for a national environmental consulting firm. She managed large federal environmental contracts, providing oversight and quality assurance for over 40 Department of Defense led military base realignment and closure sites. In addition, she led environmental compliance training programs nationally. She has also worked as a senior geologist for a multinational oil and gas company, environmental consultant to chemical, mining and manufacturing companies, and as a Peace Corps volunteer.

 

Business Development & Advisory Committee

David Pascal

David Pascal was most recently the Clean Tech and Green Business Advocate for the City and County of San Francisco. His time was split between the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the City’s Department of the Environment. In that capacity, Mr. Pascal was responsible for attracting and retaining companies whose products and services address our greatest environmental challenges. Prior to entering the government sector, Mr. Pascal was working as an environmental sustainability consultant and served as the Director of Events and Entertainment for Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection. In that role, he was responsible for coordinating the organization’s involvement with the 2007 Live Earth concerts. Prior to his work with the Alliance, Mr. Pascal served as Operations Director for the Global Citizen Center, a San Francisco-based nonprofit working to accelerate the region’s transition to a sustainable and just green economy. Mr. Pascal has also been active in San Francisco politics. He has served as a senior political campaign advisor and has run for city office himself. Mr. Pascal also served on San Francisco's 17-member Public Utilities Commission Citizens Advisory Committee, offering assessment and analysis of the SFPUC's management of the region's water, wastewater, and power infrastructures. Mr. Pascal was the Committee’s first Chair and served on the Energy and Environmental Justice subcommittees.

William Sloan

William Sloan is a partner with Morrison & Foerster, serving on the firm's Cleantech Steering Committee and chairing the Environmental Group's carbon team. Mr. Sloan represents domestic and international clients on matters involving natural resource and emission management, regulation, and litigation, with a particular focus on climate change, energy, and water resources. He has advised clients on carbon offset generation projects and emission reduction purchase agreements, both under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol and in the voluntary offset marketplace. His work has spanned North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Before entering private practice, Mr. Sloan served in externships with the United States Department of Justice, the United States EPA, and the California Attorney General's Office. During his career, he has developed extensive compliance, permitting, and litigation experience involving the Clean Air Act and other environmental statutes.

Mr. Sloan received his B.A. from Princeton University in 1994 and his J.D. degree from Hastings College of the Law, University of California, in 1999. In 2006, he was awarded a diploma as a Rhodes Ocean Scholar from the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Greece. He is a frequent speaker and author on climate change and carbon markets. Mr. Sloan is currently a member of the AB32 Implementation Group's Steering Committee, and he sits on the Climate Change Advisory Committee for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association. Mr. Sloan is also a member of the Energy Bar Association's emission trading committee, the Environmental Law Institute, and the Environment, Energy and Resources Section of the American Bar Association. Mr. Sloan has worked with the San Francisco Carbon Collaborative since its inception advising on legal, strategic and planning for the carbon markets in California and Latin America.

Barry Hoffner 

Barry Hoffner heads the San Francisco Carbon Collaborative Business Development Group. His career has spanned the international financial derivative and currency markets for Wall Street firms for over 17 years, compiling experience from nearly every type of marketplace in every region of the world. From heading JP Morgan’s International Trading Desks in Tokyo and Singapore, Mr. Hoffner went on to oversee their Proprietary Trading, Fixed Income and Derivates office in Zurich. He then took over their Emerging Markets team in Singapore, before becoming Managing Director of Emerging Markets in Central & Eastern Europe for both Chemical Bank and UBS. Mr. Hoffner then moved to Moscow to run ING's Central & Eastern European Emerging Markets office. 

Barbara Toole O’Neil 

Barbara Toole O'Neil is the Director of Verification, Validation and Monitoring Services for DNV Certification, Inc., an international provider of risk management services to energy, maritime, and other industries. She has over 25 years of experience in environmental projects as a research manager, an EPA regulator, and a lead engineer within the climate, air and energy industries. She is a qualified ANSI Assessor for ISO 14064/65, a lead verifier for the California Climate Action Registry and has assisted a portfolio of clients in meeting GHG inventory and verification requirements. In addition, she has worked on air toxics issues for power generation equipment and ambient monitoring for 15 years with a focus on mercury and fuels. She is a published expert on trace elements in fuels and combustion. While at EPA, Ms. Toole O’Neil was a credentialed enforcement inspector and participated in resolving energy issues during the Energy Crisis in California in 2000-2002. Mrs. O’Neil assists DNV is carrying out the details nf the San Francisco Carbon Collaborative’s special joint-venture projects between the SFCC and DNV.

Contact Us

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