Presenters

Power of the Gulf
Speakers’ Biographies

Deerin Babb-Brott
Director, Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office

Deerin Babb-Brott has 18 years of experience in the environmental field, with a focus on coastal management issues and environmental impact review. As Assistant Secretary and Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, he manages the environmental review of all major development projects in the Commonwealth, establishes the scope of such reviews, evaluates the adequacy of environmental impact reports, and, for offshore projects including wind and LNG, negotiates compensatory mitigation. Before joining MEPA, he worked in the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management, serving most recently as the Assistant Director for Planning and Coastal Development. While at CZM, Deerin served in the Coastal States Organization and on the Department of Interior’s Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee, contributing to national policy discussions on the Coastal Zone Management Act, energy facility siting, and proposed regulations to manage alternative uses of OCS resources. Before joining CZM, he worked as the coastal planner for the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission. Deerin has a BA in Government and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College.

Maureen Bornholdt
Program Manager, Minerals Management Service

The passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 created new responsibilities for the Minerals Management Service (MMS), including becoming the lead Federal agency permitting authority for alternative energy-related uses on the Outer Continental Shelf.  In August 2005, Maureen Bornholdt was selected to serve as the Project Manager to develop the Alternative Energy/Alternate Use Program for the MMS. Maureen has extensive experience in environmental regulation and compliance having worked offshore oil and gas issues for the Department of the Interior since 1983. Prior to her selection as Project Manager, she managed the Marine Minerals Program, a program presently focused on making available suitable sand deposits in Federal waters for wetlands protection and beach nourishment projects. Maureen has served as the MMS’s technical expert on Coastal Zone Management and National Environmental Policy Acts and as the program analyst covering offshore environmental and regulatory issues for the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. She earned a B.S. degree in Public Administration from George Mason University in Virginia.

Elizabeth Butler
Partner, Pierce Atwood, LLP

Elizabeth “Lib” Butler returned to Pierce Atwood after serving for four years as Chief Counsel to Maine Governor Angus King. As Chief Counsel, Elizabeth was responsible for managing all legal matters pending before the Office of the Governor and served as a member of the Governor’s senior management team. At Pierce Atwood, Lib assists businesses with start-up and expansion projects by providing the full range of legal services needed by growing companies, including advice on the most efficient use of Maine’s economic development incentives, streamlining the process for environmental, land use, and other governmental approvals, and related tax planning, employment, and intellectual property issues. Prior to joining the Governor’s staff, she practiced at Pierce Atwood from 1985-1994. Lib also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Maine Attorney General’s Office Natural Resources Division. Lib received her B.A. from Smith College and her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. Following law school she was a law clerk to the Honorable Shane Devine, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

Peter Didisheim
Director of Advocacy, Natural Resources Council of Maine

Pete joined the Natural Resources Council of Maine in 1996.  Among numerous governmental positions, Pete has been chief of staff for U.S. Congressman George Brown, Jr. (D-CA), special assistant to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary, and executive director of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.  Pete has worked for other nonprofits and serves on the board of the Maine League of Conservation Voters.  He holds a B.A. from Williams College in biology and environmental studies and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. 

David Etnier
Deputy Commissioner, Maine Department of Marine Resources

David Etnier was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources on February 28, 2003.  David has a long affiliation with the Department serving in the Legislature for the past eight years; six on the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources; four of those years as House Chair.  David has vast experience in fisheries issues having served as a Commissioner of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and as the Legislative member of Lobster Zone F.  He has served as a chief engineer and as a stern man on various fishing vessels, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s license.  Prior to his Legislative years, David worked in commercial photography and owned and operated a foreign and antique auto repair shop.

Stewart Fefer
Fish & Wildlife Biologist and Project Leader, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

As Project Leader for the Gulf of Maine Program Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Stewart Fefer works closely with multi-state, local and federal agencies and private groups aimed at the restoration, enhancement and protection of fish and wildlife habitats in the Gulf of Maine. Since he joined U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1978, Stewart has held several positions within the agency, including with the Office of Environment and Office of Realty in Massachusetts, and the Office of Refuges and Wildlife in Hawaii. In recent years he has served as an advisor with the Gulf of Honduras Exchange Program, the USAID International Technical Assistance Program, and the USAID Department of Interior Technical Assistance Program. He also currently acts as the Northeast Region’s Liaison to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. After earning his M.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine in 1976, Stewart worked as a Research Assistant with the Maine State Planning Office. He has a B.S. in Natural Sciences from Bard College in Annandale, New York, and has earned many professional awards and publications during his productive career.

Alec Giffen
Director, Maine Forest Service; Governor's Task Force on Wind Power

As Director of the Maine Forest Service, Alec Giffen has over 35 years of experience in natural resource planning and program administration in both government service and the private sector. While in government service, Alec served as Director of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) and the Natural Resource Planning Division of the Maine State Planning Office.  In these positions, he had primary responsibility for the Maine Coastal Zone Management Program, Maine's Water Resources Policy Program, and as Director of LURC – regulation of land and water use on over ten million acres of Maine's Wildlands. As a private consultant, Alec worked with private parties, state and federal agencies, local governments, and conservation interests to resolve disputes over land management and facility licensing. Alec has also served as an arbitrator on environmental disputes, and assisted in crafting public policy that balances economic development and conservation interests. He has a M.S. from the University of California, with emphasis in ecology, and a B.S. in Forest Science from the University of Maine.

Rita S. Heimes
Director of the Center for Law and Innovation, University of Maine School of Law

Rita Heimes joined the Center for Law & Innovation in January 2001. Under her leadership, the Center has become the state's resource for education, research and convening around legal issues pertaining to innovation and economic development. Rita is a Research Professor at the law school where she teaches courses in copyright and trademark law. She was Visiting Assistant Professor of Law in the Global Technology Law LLM program at Suffolk University Law School during the 2003-2004 academic year. Following law school, she clerked with the Honorable Robert Beezer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and practiced law with firms in Seattle, Boulder and Portland. Rita received her B.A. in Journalism with honors and highest distinction from the University of Iowa, and a J.D. with honors from Drake University Law School.

Will Hopkins
Executive Director, Cobscook Bay Resource Center

Will Hopkins is the founder & Executive Director of the Cobscook Bay Resource Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage and strengthen community-based approaches to resource management and sustainable economic development in the Cobscook Bay region, the Bay of Fundy, and the Gulf of Maine. Cobscook Bay has the last good scallop fishing grounds left in the State of Maine. The Resource Center helped local fishermen organize the Cobscook Bay Fishermen’s Association and develop scallop conservation measures. Will has facilitated conversations between Cobscook fishermen and various energy developers. The Resource Center has just completed a five year research project mapping the currents of Cobscook Bay and is acting as a clearinghouse for information on the three tidal power projects planned for the area. A native of Northaven, Will now lives in Eastport with his wife and youngest son.

Michael R. Johnson
Marine Habitat Resource Specialist and Team Leader for Gloucester Field Office, National Marine Fisheries Service

Mike Johnson has been the Marine Habitat Resource Specialist and Team Leader for the Gloucester Field Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) since 2002. His duties include reviewing and assessing federal coastal development projects and permit applications, and working to coordinate state and regional efforts aimed at coastal zone restoration, enhancement and development. Prior to his Gloucester post Mike worked as a Fishery Biologist for NMFS’s Southeast Region in the Miami Area Office. He also worked for seven years as a Marine Research Associate at the Florida Marine Research Institute, a unit of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mike is has been a Scientific Diver with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Dive Program since 1999. He holds a M.S. degree in Biology from the University of Central Florida.

John Kerry
Director of the Office of Energy Independence and Security
John Kerry is the director of Maine’s Office of Energy Independence and Security. John has extensive experience in the public and private sector, and an impressive background in the energy and environmental fields. He served two terms in the state Senate, where he chaired the Utilities Committee. He also served one term in the state House of Representatives. From 1983 to 1986, John was the Executive Director of the Maine Office of Energy Resources in the Brennan Administration. In addition to his work in government, Kerry has been a successful businessman, including ownership stakes in a real estate company, two restaurants and an energy services company. John has a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a master’s degree in planning from Boston College.

Angus King, Jr.
Former Governor of Maine; Of Counsel, Bernstein Shur

Angus King, Jr. began his career in 1969 as a staff attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Skowhegan, Maine and became Chief Counsel in 1973 to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics in the office of then-Senator William D. Hathaway. Angus returned to private practice law in 1975 with the firm of Smith, Loyd and King in Brunswick, Maine.  In the same year, he began his eighteen-year career as host and co-producer of public affairs programming on Maine Public Broadcasting Network. In 1983, Angus became Vice President and General Counsel of Swift River/Hafslund Company, an alternative energy development company based in Portland and Boston.  In 1989, he founded and served as President of Northeast Energy Management, Inc., a developer of large-scale energy conservation projects at commercial and industrial facilities in central and southern Maine. Angus was elected Maine's 71st Governor in 1994 and was reelected in 1998 by one of the largest margins of victory in the state's history. In addition to his current responsibilities as an attorney at Bernstein Shur, Angus is a member of several profit and non-profit boards and commissions, teaches part-time at Bowdoin College, and was recently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He holds a B.A from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. 

Kathleen Leyden
Director, Maine Coastal Program at the State Planning Office

Kathleen Leyden is the Director of the Maine Coastal Program at the State Planning Office.  The Coastal Program helps to balance the protection and sound development of Maine’s coast through technical assistance to coastal towns, local grant programs for public access, volunteer stewardship projects and sustainable economic development pilot projects.  Kathleen has been at the State Planning Office for sixteen years, serving in several different positions within the Coastal Program, including Stewardship Coordinator and Watershed Planner. Prior to joining the staff of the State Planning Office, Kathleen was a Senior Land Use Planner at the Greater Portland Council of Governments and the Planning Director for the City of Saco, Maine. She has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. 

Peter Mandelstam
Founder and President, Bluewater Wind
Peter Mandelstam first entered the wind industry providing consulting on project financing, leveraging his experience in real estate development.  Peter worked with Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation in securing financing for the 30MW Fenner project, New York's third wind farm.  In 1997, Peter formed Arcadia Wind Power, which developed the 181 MW Judith Gap project, Montana's first wind farm. Today Arcadia holds a portfolio of wind project assets located throughout the country, and is the parent company of Bluewater Wind. Peter has also been a leader in the wind industry on the advocacy and policy front, serving on the Board of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) for eight years, co-founding and chairing Wind Power New York (now ACENY.org), and actively supporting successful efforts for a Renewable Portfolio Standard in New York and New Jersey.  Peter is currently Chair of AWEA's Offshore Wind Working Group. Peter attended Harvard University and began his career as a project manager for the City of New York, building and preserving affordable housing. 

John Meschino
Lobsterman, Hull, Massachusetts

John Meschino graduated from Boston College in 1961 and became a school teacher, a job he held for 25 years. He has also been a commercial lobsterman for “too long” – at least since the early 1970s. John lives in Hull, Massachusetts, where he is a member of the Hull Conservation Commission and the treasurer and former president of the Hull Commercial Fisherman’s Association.

Kristen Murphy
Environmental Biologist, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Kristen Murphy is an Environmental Biologist in the Division of Hydropower Licensing, Office of Energy Projects at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  With four years of experience in conventional hydropower project licensing, she is also a member of the FERC team working to address the appropriate regulation of hydrokinetic projects, including wave and tidal hydropower.  In this capacity, Kristen led FERC’s initial outreach to hydrokinetic developers, resource agencies, and other interested stakeholders by coordinating two technical conferences in 2006 and 2007.  She continues to participate in updating FERC’s policy in response to the developing hydrokinetic industry.  Kristen holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and is currently working towards an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Walter Musial
Senior Engineer, National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratories

Walt Musial is a Principal Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he has worked for almost twenty years.  Walt leads the Ocean Renewable activities at NREL including wind, wave, and water current energy technologies.  He serves on the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems Executive Committee, and is the Technical Administrator for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Electro-technical Commission’s standards committee on marine renewable energy.  Previously, he led the testing team at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center and was responsible for building and operating NREL’s full-scale component facilities for testing wind turbine blades and drive-trains. Earlier, Walt was employed for 5 years in the commercial wind energy industry in California.  His career interests were solidified when he began studying renewable energy engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering.

Sean O'Neill
Co-Founder & President, Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition

Sean O’Neill is co-founder and president of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition.  He is also founder and principal of Symmetrix Public Relations & Communication Strategies where he serves the non-profit, energy, and human resources industries.  Prior to founding Symmetrix, Sean served as Director of Public Affairs for U.S. Generating Company. He has directed communications and public affairs programs in 18 states supporting the development of over 8,000 megawatts of electric power generation. Sean has served numerous non-profit and governmental organizations in developing programs to encourage the development of ocean renewable technologies, electric industry deregulation, water conservation, municipal solid waste management and public safety contributing to broad public policy changes at state and federal levels, increased water and energy conservation, recycling, and seat belt use. He has a Masters in Public Communications from American University an A.B. degree in English from Columbia College in New York.

Peter Pitegoff
Dean, University of Maine School of Law

Peter Pitegoff is Dean and Professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, Maine.  He previously was on the faculty of the University at Buffalo Law School (SUNY) for seventeen years, the last seven as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.  He has worked, taught, and written extensively in the areas of economic development, labor and industrial organization, nonprofit corporations, employee ownership and alternative enterprise forms, welfare and employment policy, urban revitalization, and ethics, and he founded a law school clinical program in community economic development law which has served as a model for transactional clinics at a number of law schools. Peter is a 1975 graduate of Brown University and a 1981 graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was as a Root-Tilden scholar.   

Don Perkins
President, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Don Perkins became GMRI’s President in 1995. Don works with GMRI’s board of directors and management team to drive GMRI’s evolution as a strategic science, education, community institution serving the Gulf of Maine bioregion. Don brings an unusual mix of private sector and not-profit sector experience to GMRI. Prior to joining GMRI, he instructed at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, directed the Marine Conservation Corps in California, served as a financial advisor to Native American tribes; and managed the operations of Binax, Inc. Don has been active in the marine policy arena on multiple levels. He served on the boards of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, the Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, and the Maine Legislature’s Task Force on the Development of Aquaculture. He currently serves on the boards of the Maine Marine Research Coalition, Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, and Westbrook School Board. Don holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Christopher R. Sauer
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Renewable Power Company

Chris Sauer has over more than 30 years of experience in the facility development, electricity, cogeneration, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.  He has a proven track record of success in executive management, engineering/construction, technology development, transaction structuring, marketing and sales and start-up company management. Chris has held senior management positions with two major U.S. corporations and has been President and CEO of three startup energy/environmental technology companies. He has been in the energy transaction business since 1977 and, since that time, has played an instrumental role in the development of more than $2 billion in energy assets and companies. Chris is a registered professional engineer and a lifetime Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

Laura Taylor Singer
Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Laura Taylor Singer joined GMRI in 2001 to manage the collaborative fisheries research program. After three years growing GMRI’s portfolio of collaborative research projects, she is now serving as Chief Convening Officer for GMRI’s Community Programs. Laura brings a broad perspective of the nexus between scientists, fishermen and managers.  Her past experience includes serving as Special Assistant to the Commissioner for the Maine Department of Marine Resources where her work focused on the evolving lobster zone management council process and co-management initiatives.  She also worked with the Maine Legislature on several key marine policy initiatives including limited entry in the lobster industry and development of legislation to address emerging fisheries. In 1990, Laura was awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to study marine pollution in island nations, taking her to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. She holds an undergraduate degree from Trinity College and a master’s degree in coastal environmental management from Duke University.