Daniel K. Slone

Dan Slone is a partner with McGuireWoods in the Richmond office.  He represents developers, green businesses and localities across the country in developing innovative and sustainable projects including new towns, green utilities and new approaches to zoning. Mr. Slone is national counsel for the U.S. Green Building Council (developers of the LEED® green building rating system), and the Congress for the New Urbanism.  Among his other public interest clients are the Seaside Institute, the World Green Building Council and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.  He serves on the boards of the National Charrette Institute, the Form Based Codes Institute and the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences. Mr. Slone’s law degree is from the University of Michigan, and he has degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from Birmingham-Southern College. In the summer of 2008 Mr. Slone and co-author Doris Goldstein co-wrote A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers and Architects, published by John Wiley & Sons which is available through Amazon.  In 2007 ULI published Developing Sustainable Planned Communities which includes Mr. Slone’s chapter on “Maintaining Sustainability.” It is currently their best selling book.

Frank V. Maisano

Frank Maisano joined Bracewell & Giuliani LLP as principal after 15 years as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and as a professional media consultant specializing in energy and environment issues. He is a skilled media strategist that works closely with and is well-known among energy, environmental and business reporters, editors and commentators at international, national, regional, trade and business media outlets. At Bracewell and Giuliani Mr. Maisano specializes in the areas of energy, environmental strategies, government, and strategic communications. Currently, he represents a coalition of wind developers working in the Mid-Atlantic region, including several in Virginia. As an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, Mr. Maisano teaches corporate communications and negotiations and bargaining in the MBA and graduate marketing programs. He also serves as guest lecturer on communications and global warming for several academic programs, including Northwestern's Medill School for Journalism, George Washington, Syracuse, and William and Mary Universities. Mr. Maisano received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Hillsdale College.

The Honorable Alexander “Andy” Karsner

Andy Karsner recently completed a tenure as America’s ninth Assistant Secretary of Energy for Efficiency and Renewable Energy and has resumed his career as an energy infrastructure developer and financier. He has been named to the Board of Directors of Applied Materials (the world’s leading nanomanufacturer and supplier to the global solar industry), University of Chicago Board of Trustees overseeing Argonne National Laboratory, Distinguished Fellow of the Council on Competitiveness, and Advisory Boards to the Automotive X Prize and Freedom Prize. While serving as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, Karsner managed the approximately $2 billion annual federal applied science, research, development, and deployment portfolio, promoting marketplace integration of renewable and environmentally sound energy technologies for transportation, generation, and efficiency. Karsner served as the Department of Energy’s lead official and a principal U.S. representative to the international climate change negotiations for the “Bali Roadmap” toward crafting a post-2012 global framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Previously, Karsner served as an international energy developer and entrepreneur in the private sector on a wide range of technologies including heavy fuel oil, distillates, natural gas, coal, wood waste/biomass, wind energy, solar power, and distributed generation based upon renewable technologies. He has been responsible for equity investing, asset development, operations and commodities management, managing and financing large-scale power projects in North America, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, including first-of-a-kind private infrastructure financings in the Philippines and Pakistan. Karsner was a Rotary International Fellow and received an MA from Hong Kong University. He graduated with honors from Rice University and subsequently received prestigious recognition as an Outstanding Alumnus.

Stephen Walz

As director of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, Stephen Walz is responsible for overseeing state mine safety and mine environmental programs, state geologic services, and energy efficiency services. He also oversees implementation of the Virginia Energy Plan, is Chair of Governor Tim Kaine’s Energy Policy Advisory Council, and served on the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change. Mr. Walz previously served as director of the Divisions of Administration and Energy, and in program and policy positions at the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.  His duties included managing policy, legislative and regulatory development, administrative activities, and energy efficiency programs.  Prior to joining Virginia state government, Mr. Walz worked in energy and community development programs in Missouri and Nebraska. Mr. Walz has a BS in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Thomas C. Dorr

Tom Dorr recently completed a tenure as Under Secretary for Rural Development with the United States Department of Agriculture. He joined USDA in 2001 and was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 to be the Under Secretary. Rural Development consists of three program areas that provide up to $18 billion annual funding authority for loans, grants, and technical assistance to rural residents, communities, and businesses. Rural Development also holds a $97 billion portfolio of existing business, housing, and infrastructure loans to rural America and is the largest Federal government financier of commercial renewable energy ventures. As Under Secretary for Rural Development he served as the Chairman of the USDA Energy Council which is responsible for advancing the President’s Energy Initiative. The USDA Energy Council strives to promote the production of domestically grown fuel. Dorr also served as the Federal Co-Chair of the Biomass Research and Development Board. Dorr’s leadership and initiative to create a national renewable energy conference resulted in bringing together nearly 1,500 private and public sector renewable energy interests in October of 2006 and included participation by President Bush, Cabinet members from the Departments of Agriculture and Energy, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the 7th District Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Iowa Board of Regents, and as a member and officer of the Iowa and National Corn Growers Associations. As president of a family farming and agribusiness company for 30 years, Dorr has broad agricultural, financial and business experience. Mr. Dorr, from Marcus, Iowa, graduated from Morningside College with a BS degree in business administration.

Jerome A. Brooks

Jerome Brooks has served as Director of the Office of Air Compliance Coordination, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality since March 2006.  His current responsibilities include, but are not limited to, program coordination and oversight, program assessment, inspection planning, grant management, and program policy, procedure and guidance development. Prior to his current position, he worked as a senior inspector and senior air compliance engineer in the DEQ Tidewater Regional Office for 9 years. Mr. Brooks is a graduate of the Newport News Shipyard Apprentice School and received his BS in Physics from Norfolk State University and his MS in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University.

William “Bill” F. Osl Jr.

Bill Osl owns Oakland Farm in Cumberland County and currently is Chairman of the Cumberland Board of Supervisors from the 1st District.  He has served on the Board since January, 2004. Mr. Osl spent 28 years with AT&T and Lucent Technologies. He is a retired corporate officer and vice president with responsibilities ranging from manufacturing operations, chief financial officer, chief information officer, to startup of new businesses and sale of existing operations. He has successfully managed small and large organizations and teams. During the last four years he has been instrumental in updating the County’s comprehensive plan, establishing goals and objectives for the County, the adoption of a purchase of development rights ordinance, adoption of a proffer system, revisions to zoning and subdivision ordinances targeted at rural preservation, and smart growth. He is currently focused on a model transfer of development rights ordinance for the Commonwealth. Mr. Osl and his wife Stephanie are owners/operators of Oakland Farm which raises beef cattle, forage and forestry products and have lived in Cumberland County since 1997.

Jenny Hochstein

Jenny Hochstein and her husband Don own a 70-acre Christmas tree farm, Pick-A-Pine Plantation, which was formerly a tobacco farm in Halifax County. Mr. Hochstein is a semi-retired state and federal mediator and arbitrator by trade, and Ms. Hochstein is the part-time Recycling and Litter Control Coordinator for Halifax County. The Hochstein's have always been interested in conservation and environmental responsibility -- they opened the first material recovery facility in Halifax County, processing household recycling for five years. Mr. Hochstein has converted two Mercedes Benz diesels to run on recycled cooking oil. And now they've installed an electric generating wind turbine on their farm, the first in Southside Virginia and the largest residential turbine in Virginia, according to Virginia Dominion Power.

Todd Benson

Todd Benson joined the Piedmont Environmental Council as a Fauquier County Field Officer in 2007. Prior to that he spent most of his career working on local government issues including service as a town planner, county zoning official, town attorney, and county attorney. He has taught land use, environmental law, and U.S. government at T.C. Williams School of Law, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Lord Fairfax Community College. He is a former chairman of the Environmental Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and a former elected member to the Hanover/Caroline Soil and Water Conservation District Board. Mr. Benson received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, his law degree from T.C. Williams School of Law, and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (Environmental Studies/Urban Planning) from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Paul Franklin

Paul Franklin has been with Colonial Farm Credit for the past 18 years. He currently serves as their chief lending officer. Mr. Franklin has a BS degree in Agricultural Economics from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Troy University. He was raised on a grain farm in Essex County, Virginia. Colonial Farm Credit is part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, a financial cooperative owned by its member-borrowers since 1916. The Farm Credit System is a nationwide network of cooperative lending institutions that provides credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, rural homeowners, agricultural cooperatives, rural utility systems and agribusinesses.

William “Bill” J. Gouldin

Bill Gouldin has been President and CEO of Strange’s Florists, Greenhouses & Garden Centers since 1971. His many positions over the years representing his industry include past president, Central Virginia Florist Association; past chairman, Virginia FTD; president, Southern Retail Florists Association; chairman, Retail Merchants Association of Greater Richmond, and chairman, American Floral Endowment. He was also recognized as Member of the Year by the Virginia FTD in 1997. Mr. Gouldin has been a board member of the Corporate Advisory Board, College of Business and Economics at Longwood University since 1993 and chair’s the Dean’s Leadership Council, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech. He has a BSBA from Longwood University, a mini-MBA from University of Richmond and also attended VA Tech, University of Oklahoma and the University of Richmond. Strange's Florists, Greenhouses and Garden Centers is a traditional full service family owned business serving the Richmond Area since the 1930's. Strange's has grown to be one of the largest florists in the U.S. by constantly looking for better products and services to offer our customers. Quality and value are the foundation of everything we do. Strange's Florists has been ranked as one of the top 100 florists in the country, and as high as ninth by Florist Transworld Delivery.