Board of Directors

Jeffery R. Atkin

Jeffery R. Atkin is a business lawyer and managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Foley & Lardner LLP. His areas of practice cover a broad range of business and financial matters, including renewable energy, project finance, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, real estate development and equipment procurement and leasing. Mr. Atkin is chair of the Solar Energy Team, co-chair of the Energy Industry Team, and a member of the Latin America Practice. 

Mr. Atkin’s experience in renewable energy and project finance includes representing developers, investors, lenders and landowners in the construction, project development, infrastructure acquisition and financing of renewable energy generation facilities, including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass facilities, and other non-energy related project development. 

Rahima Butler

Rahima Butler is a Managing Director in KPMG’s Power & Utilities (P&U) practice and has worked extensively with energy utility clients for over 15 years. At KPMG, Rahima is responsible for providing advisory services to clients with their business and technology transformation journey, which includes - helping utilities navigate transformational risks, providing guidance on transformation leading practices, lessons learned and technology solutions to drive future state innovation and support successful business outcomes. Prior to KPMG, Rahima was a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their P&U practice driving delivery of digital change for utility clients through technology and business transformations in North America that included multi-service, multi-jurisdictions, multi-company and in a Merger and Acquisition environment.

Luis Gonzalez

Luis Gonzalez currently oversees Community Relations and Philanthropic initiatives for Wells Fargo Bank for Los Angeles County. In his role, Mr. Gonzalez supports community development initiatives and oversees grant- funding efforts on behalf of Wells Fargo Bank and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Mr. Gonzalez joined Wells Fargo in 2014 overseeing corporate communications and public relations efforts in the San Diego region. He brings over 19 years of experience working in community relations and community based initiatives. His efforts have aided in the implementation of various programs focused on education, health and human services, civic projects and economic development throughout Southern California.

Anthony Hernandez

Anthony Hernandez is a licensed Electrical Engineer with the state of California, and a LEED® Accredited Professional, and holds a M.S. in Engineering Management and B.S. in Electrical Engineering, both from Cal Poly Pomona.  He has two decades of experience within the energy and construction industries. Throughout his career he has held various leadership roles in customer service, construction management & design, product development & management, energy markets & procurement. Anthony is currently the Principal Manager for SCE’s Energy Contracts Origination team. His team oversees all aspects of the deal-making and solicitation processes for SCE’s Energy Procurement & Management organization, which is responsible for developing SCE’s multi-billion dollar energy resource portfolio, in furtherance of State goals and SCE’s clean energy vision.

Sam Jammal

Sam Jammal is an attorney based in Los Angeles. He focuses on navigating regulatory environments for companies entering new markets. Sam currently works as Regulatory Affairs Director and Counsel for Firefly, a smart cities media technology start-up. Prior to joining Firefly, Sam spent several years working in clean energy and transportation for SolarCity, Tesla and BYD North America. In these roles, Sam worked with government officials and stakeholders to drive the adoption of clean energy. Before entering the private sector, Sam held senior roles in government as a Chief of Staff in the United States House of Representatives, Legislative Counsel in the United States Senate and as a former Obama Administration official at the United States Department of Commerce, where he focused on technology exports. Sam began his career as a civil rights attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

Jake Levine

Jake Levine is a member of Covington's Public Policy and Government Affairs Practice Group, and its Clean Energy and Climate Industry Group. Mr. Levine advises clients on a variety of public policy, legislative, regulatory, and business matters related to clean energy, climate, water, transportation, and technology. Prior to joining Covington, Mr. Levine held a number of senior positions at the intersection of clean energy policy and technology. Mr. Levine served most recently as Senior Counsel and Principal Consultant to California State Senator Fran Pavley, where he led a team focused on state policy related to climate change, electric vehicles, energy storage, drought and water policy.

Alicia Schwarz

Alicia is Principal Counsel in the corporate legal department of The Walt Disney Company at its headquarters in Burbank. Originally from Florida, she's devoted her legal career to anti-corruption, international trade, and other regulatory compliance matters. At Disney, she is responsible for administering the Company's global compliance program and providing advice and counsel to Disney and its affiliated companies. Alicia is Co-Chair of Disney Lawyers of Color and brings wide-ranging experience to the leadership of GLA along with her impressive qualifications, sound judgment, and (most importantly) a passion for using solar energy as a tool to empower underserved communities.

Brad Sparks, Board President

Brad Sparks is Executive Director, Global Corporate Citizenship for KPMG.  In this role, he focuses on integrating corporate citizenship across the KPMG network, including KPMG’s Lifelong Learning priority and KPMG’s environmental sustainability program.   He also serves as KPMG’s Liaison Delegate for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  Prior to Brad’s current position, he served as Director with the Forensic practice of KPMG LLP, assisting clients with a variety of corporate responsibility initiatives such as internal investigations, sustainability reporting, and supply chain integrity.  Other professional experiences include serving as a labor standards monitor in Thailand, a sustainability advisor with KPMG in South Africa, and as an internal auditor with Gateway.  Brad earned a MBA degree in Sustainable Enterprise from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Masters of Accounting from Appalachian State University. 

Sarah Wauters, Board Secretary

Sarah Wauters is a Senior Project Manager at Sage Renewables, a consulting firm serving numerous government agencies throughout the State of California. Sarah has provided analysis and strategy to large corporations considering solar energy investments, and developed utility and distributed generation projects in the Southern California region. From 2009 - 2013, as part of a solar design-build firm, Sarah guided dozens of private, public and quasi-public projects in municipal, affordable housing, and market-rate multi-use construction. She has a strong background in CA solar programs, project financing, project analysis, and electricity rate structures. Sarah is proud to serve on the Board of Directors for Grid Alternatives Greater Los Angeles, a non-profit that provides free home solar to lower income homes.