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. 

Mary Luévano

Mary Luévano has led cutting edge initiatives to advance environmental sustainability for nearly two decades.  As Policy and Legislative Director, and later as Vice President of Global Green USA, she spearheaded numerous campaigns to increase the use of energy efficiency and renewable/clean energy practices and technologies in the built environment. 

Prior to her work at Global Green, Ms. Luévano spent 8 years as a Congressional staffer serving in the offices of  US Senator Alan Cranston, US Reps. Augustus Hawkins, Calvin Dooley and Jane Harman.

John Marler

John Marler is Senior Director of Energy and Environment at AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. In this role, John oversees AEG’s corporate environmental sustainability program, AEG 1EARTH, and AEG Energy Services, AEG’s corporate energy management program. John came to AEG from Southern California Edison where he focused on renewable and alternative energy contracts and smart grid research and development. Before joining Edison, John practiced law for four years as an attorney in New York State, focusing on commercial litigation and business transactions. John also serves on the Sustainability Committee for the City of Claremont, California.  

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. 

Jess Tirado, Board Treasurer

Jess Tirado is Senior Vice President, Director of Local Government Relations, for Wells Fargo’s Government & Community Relations team based in Los Angeles. Jess is responsible for building and enhancing Wells Fargo’s reputation with government officials in local markets, educating and informing local officials of the bank’s priorities and programs, and serving as a conduit with external community leaders. His region consists of Southern California and Nevada.

Previously, he held the role of Vice President, REO Operations Manager, for Premiere Asset Services, the Wells Fargo division responsible for the management and disposition of bank-owned assets. He has worked in the home lending and servicing industry for the last 35 years, managing national fulfillment operations for various lending institutions. He joined Wells Fargo in 2008.

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.