National Board of Directors

Melicia Charles is Director of Regulatory Affairs for the West Coast at Mainspring Energy. Previously, she was the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Policy at Silicon Valley Clean Energy. Melicia has over 15 years of experience developing, managing and advocating for a just transition to clean energy. Before working for SVCE, Melicia served as the Director of Policy covering California policy issues at Sunrun, the nation’s largest residential solar and storage provider. Melicia also spent over a decade working at the California Public Utilities Commission where she oversaw the development of solar, storage, transportation electrification and equity policies and programs. Melicia has an MBA from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. from UC Berkeley.

Pilar Thomas is a partner in Quarles & Brady LLP’s Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Practice Group. She focuses her practice on tribal renewable energy project development and finance, tribal economic development, federal Indian Law, and natural resource development.

Prior to entering private practice, Pilar was the Deputy Director for the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs at the US Department of Energy, where she was responsible for developing and implementing policy and program efforts within the department and federal government to achieve the office's policy objectives related to the promotion of energy development, electrification, and infrastructure improvement on tribal lands. She also is the former Deputy Solicitor of Indian Affairs for the US Department of the Interior; served as the Interim Attorney General and Chief of Staff to Chairwoman Herminia Frias of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe; and was a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section.

 As General Counsel for BookNook Inc., Nolan provides legal counsel to the company on a wide range of issues including strategic decisions, corporate transactions, human resources, governance, data privacy, and real and intellectual property.  Prior to joining BookNook, Nolan was General Counsel for the KIPP Foundation for sixteen years.  He began his legal career as an Associate in the Public Finance Department of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP.  Before entering law school, Nolan was a Budget and Policy Analyst for both the Chief Administrative Office of Los Angeles County and the Office of Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. in the City and County of San Francisco.  Nolan attended U.C. Berkeley where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Political Economy and a Master’s in Public Policy. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School and is a member of the California State Bar Association.  He also currently serves as a board member of Caliber Public Schools in Richmond, CA and is a former board member of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Oakland, St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Francisco, CA, and The Berkeley School.  His all-time favorite movie is The Godfather Part II.

Juliana Pino is the Policy Director at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and an experienced advocate, organizer, strategist, and negotiator on environmental justice, climate justice, and economic justice in local, state, and federal policy. Her work focuses on: advancing justice and community self-determination in regulatory and policy arenas; creating just transition with meaningful collaborative and participatory management of shared environmental resources; and centering frontline community leaders as generators of transformative policy ideas and governance models. Juliana has been recognized by Midwest Energy News for work as lead negotiator on low-income programs in the Future Energy Jobs Act and by Illinois’ Legislative Green Caucus for leadership on the landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. She has also been honored as a Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award winner, a Grist 50 Fixer, an Elevate Energy Climate Changemaker, and a People for Community Recovery Clinton awardee. She is the Governor-appointed Chair of the Board of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, serves on the Board of the Illinois Environmental Council, and has served in transition teams for Illinois’ last gubernatorial transition and last two Chicago mayoral transitions. Juliana holds degrees from the University of Chicago (AB) and the University of Michigan (MPP, MS Natural Resources and Environment). Prior to joining LVEJO, Juliana contributed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Great Lakes Commission, and the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, among others. Juliana is a Colombiana Afroindígena Wayúu and Barí former asylum seeker and proud queer person powered by her wonderful spouse, toddler, and broader community. She is invested in anti-racism and anti-oppression struggles and is a big fan of animals.

Todd Rahn co-leads FTI Consulting’s SEC & Accounting Advisory, bringing more than 25 years of audit, accounting and advisory experience to his clients. Mr. Rahn engages hand-in-hand with management teams in the application of U.S. GAAP, IFRS and auditing standards, operational topics around the structure and strategy of the finance organization, the evaluation of financing alternatives and related reporting. He also supports these teams in planning for and evaluating the impact and disclosure of transactions, including the initial public offering process and environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) disclosure, as well as the application and response to Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) matters, financial restatements and accounting litigation and disputes. Mr. Rahn is passionate about and has held leadership roles driving inclusion and change in today’s corporate cultures, in particular the development of sustainable ESG practices, each an area that guides his work and path within his profession.

Collette Brown-Rodriguez is an experienced in natural resource project developer and tribal affairs expert. Her experience spans uranium mine reclamation, coal mining and reclamation, oil & gas, base metals mining, and renewable energy projects. A member of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe and descendant of the Navajo Nation. She has a BS in Environmental Sciences. Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Governance and an MBA from the University of Arizona. Currently the Director of Tribal Development at Avantus, a renewable energy company. An Independent Director at Apollo Silver, a silver mining and exploration company, and member of the Board of Directors at S&K Electronics, a tribally owned manufacturing company. She also co-chairs the Native American Relations Committee for the American Exploration Mining Association.