presenters & speakers
Calling all homeowners!
Our next passivhausMAINE retrofitting training happens June 9 in York. This $25, day-long session will get you started with retrofit planning in Maine.
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Our 2026 retrofitMAINE Symposium is a one-day event focused on advancing high-performance retrofits and energy education, with a strong focus on policy and technical expertise via case study presentations.
We’re bringing together builders, architects, contractors, policymakers, renter and homeowners, to share case studies and expertise, and to build momentum for Maine’s retrofit movement.
Our 2026 Retrofit Symposium Speakers
(stay tuned for updates!)
Manager, Community Solutions
NEEP
Andy Winslow joined NEEP in late 2019. During his time at NEEP, he has cut across the organization’s projects areas touching on Community Solutions, Codes & Standards, Policy, and Market Transformation. Today, he is tackling projects to accelerate whole-home retrofits, grow and diversify the clean energy workforce, and support communities adopt or implement energy efficiency policies and programs such as Energy Coaching.
Ava is an Energy Navigator Fellow at the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC), where she provides technical guidance on home energy upgrades, helps homeowners access financial assistance, and supports outreach for the program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and brings experience in municipal planning. Ava is passionate about expanding access to energy efficiency and strengthening community resilience across Maine.
Early in his career, Brooks spent nearly a decade supporting community energy projects with island and coastal communities in Maine and pioneered the “Weatherization Week” model which delivered energy retrofits to hundreds of homes across over a dozen remote communities. He lives in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston with his wife Jen and is a big soccer fan, supporting the Boston Legacy and Arsenal Football Club.
Carolyn has over 20 years of experience providing direct technical assistance to states and communities as they seek to adopt energy policies, including residential assessments, benchmarking, and BPS. She leads ClearlyEnergy’scommercialization efforts and collaborates with stakeholders to develop cost-effective and cutting-edge solutions to tackle climate change. As a Certified Building Operator and former Facilities Manager (managed 85 public buildings), she is able to leverage her industry knowledge of building operations, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. Before joining the ClearlyEnergy team, Carolyn provided strategic direction and management for Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). Carolyn has chaired several boards including the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS) and Mass Governor Deval Patrick’s Net Zero Energy Task Force for Public Buildings, is a past Co-Chair of the DOE & EPA led SEE Action Existing Commercial Buildings Working Group, and is a past Chair and advisor to the Town of Bedford’s Mass Energy and Sustainability and Energy Committee. She has received several awards to advance climate policy, including the CHPS Green Apple Award for advancing public policy concerning schools, recognition for excellence in the advancement of building energy codes and performance, winning the US DOE Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for her participation in developing the nation’s first stretch energy code, and an EPA Children’s Environmental Health award. She holds a BS in Psychology from Salem State University and a BPI, Building Science Principles Certificate.
Francis has been with Maine Labor Climate Council since launching in 2022, and oversees overall organizational operations, campaign strategy, union and external partnerships, and fundraising.
Prior to joining MLCC Francis was a founding member of the Bates Educators & Staff Organization’s organizing committee, a wall-to-wall effort to unionize non-tenure-track faculty and staff at Bates College in fall 2021.
He lives in Auburn with his wife and two young kids.
CEO of VCharge, Baker led the company’s successful effort to build and operate the world’s largest aggregated load-side Transactive Energy Resources in New England, Pennsylvania, and the UK. He also helped develop and negotiate a 4-year contract with National Grid UK to deliver a novel Frequency Response product. These efforts culminated in the sale of the company in December 2016 to OVO Energy, a UK energy supplier. Baker earned a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a BA from Harvard College. During his academic career he helped create the field of Organizational Economics. He served for 17 years as a Director of the Swans Island Electric Coop, a consumer-owned electric distribution cooperative serving the islands of Swans Island and Frenchboro in Hancock County Maine. He spearheaded the effort to sell the Coop to Canadian energy company Emera in 2017. George lives in Weymouth, MA.
As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ian manages a diverse portfolio of projects that includes planning and researching associated the Trust’s Triennial Plan; designing and implementing the Trust’s innovation
program; designing and implementing the quasi-state agency’s demand management programs; and overseeing the evaluation, measurement and verification of the impact of the Trust’s programs. In addition, Ian is responsible for maintaining the Trust’s relationship with Maine’s Public Utilities Commission and related policy forums.
Before coming to the Trust in 2009, Ian worked as the Deputy Director of Policy and Planning at the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security.
James Neal is the senior program manager of Finance Initiatives for the Efficiency Maine Trust, the independent administrator for programs that promote energy efficiency, alternative energy resources, and carbon savings in Maine.
The Trust plans and manages programming for all conservation funds from the gas and electric utilities, RGGI revenues, and Forward Capacity Market revenues. The Trust also administers funds from various settlements, including the VW Settlement Funds, which have been allocated to promote EVs and EV charging infrastructure across the state.
James oversees the initiatives offered under the Efficiency Maine Green Bank, which provides a suite of financing offerings for energy projects, including the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) finance initiative. These initiatives are designed to drive private capital into market gaps for energy efficiency and clean energy equipment and services. James currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board, and Chair of the Northeast Regional Subcommittee, for the U.S. Green Bank 50 (GB50), which serves as a hub for green banks, fostering the shared development of best practices, resources, and financial solutions for the rapidly growing green banking industry.
Before coming to the Trust, James worked for more than a decade in renewable energy and finance and has facilitated over $300 million in project financing primarily focused on disadvantaged communities and underserved markets. He formerly founded and served as president for a renewable energy finance company. James has an extensive background in sales, project development, managing channel accounts, and financial product development and implementation. James holds a master’s degree from South University and a bachelor’s degree in business marketing with a minor in sustainability from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
Julia Bassett Schwerin is a senior fiduciary licensed as a full Broker in the state of Maine. She advises clients to make their best decisions with solid statistics, decades of experience and knowledge of the law, building codes and diverse cultures, and the ability to anticipate and prepare for what lies around the corner. From first-time home buyers to sellers of luxury waterfront property, she keeps her eye on energy efficiency, operating expenses and the cost benefit of high-performance buildings and sustainable landscapes. She teaches her clients as she has taught her peers in over 100 continuing education hours how investments in the building envelope, heat pumps, rooftop or community solar, and regenerative land use are driving long-term asset value, climate resilience and lowest operating costs. She also has volunteered as a mediator, board director and co-chair of the Sustainability Advisory Group of her local association, consults to government and industry on the real estate market and sustainability, and is a frequent guest lecturer at events about the built environment. She is the Maine Green Broker at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group.
Co-Founder & Sr. Advisor, ReCover Initiaitve
Habit Studio
Lorrie Rand is Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of the ReCover Initiative, a not for profit Deep Retrofit Accelerator focused on developing and scaling deep retrofit solutions in Atlantic Canada. She is also the co-founder of Habit Studio, an award-winning Halifax design practice, specializing in sustainable renovations and custom Passive Houses.
As a building science specialist Lorrie is passionate about integrating Passive House performance and Biophilic Design principles into her work. She is a champion and advocate for high performance buildings, working as an instructor with Passive House Canada and serving on the National Research Council’s National Model Codes committee for climate mitigation developing the 2030 National Building Code of Canada.
Lorrie has a Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies from Dalhousie University and is a Certified Passive House Designer and Tradesperson.
Associate Director of Market Solutions
Earth Advantage
Ross Anthony serves as the Manager of the Energy Efficiency Division at the Maine Department of Energy Resources. The Energy Efficiency Division leads statewide strategy and coordination for energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, and clean transportation. The division works across government, utilities, and key partners to align policy and implementation in ways that reduce energy costs, strengthen system reliability, and support Maine’s long-term economic and climate goals. Ross holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Evansville and a Master of Science in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine.
Seth Hoedl, a nuclear physicist and energy lawyer, is President and Co-Founder of the Post Road Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping communities build 21st century infrastructure to drive economic and human development, lower energy costs and lower pollution emissions.
Troy is the Sustainability Director for the City of Portland, ME where he leads efforts to achieve the City’s climate and resilience goals. Key projects include procurement of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and implementing neighborhood resilience projects. In his role he collaborates closely with a wide range of stakeholders including community members, business owners, and community based organizations. He also serves as the staff liaison to the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee, which oversees development and implementation of climate action and ordinances related to transportation and the environment.
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