Sarah Wright, MSPH
- Executive Director
As founder of Utah Clean Energy, Sarah has a proven record of accomplishment in the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency within the state of Utah. As Executive Director, she has effectively fostered diverse partnerships with state agencies, municipal governments, industry, agricultural groups and community groups to advance clean energy solutions. She is an intervener in regulatory proceedings and a witness in legislative hearings testifying in support of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Sarah brings over fifteen years experience with the Utah industry where she served as an environmental consultant providing occupational health and ambient air quality permitting services. Sarah holds a B.S. in Geology from Bradley University, and an M.S. in Public Health from the University of Utah.  Email Sarah Wright



Rebecca Nelson, MPA
- Assistant Director
Since 2004, Rebecca has overseen the contract negotiation, grant management, program reporting, and financial tracking for Utah Clean Energy's government, foundation, and corporate grants and contracts. She also manages the financial, fundraising, human resource, and administrative functions of the organization. Rebecca brings over ten years of nonprofit management experience to the organization, previously serving as Associate Director for the Utah Health & Human Rights Project and Manager of Ten Thousand Villages, Utah. She holds a Masters in Public Administration and a B.A. from the University of Utah. Email Rebecca Nelson

Sara Baldwin
- Senior Policy & Regulatory Associate  
With nearly a decade of project management and clean energy regulatory and policy experience, Sara serves as the lead for numerous initiatives at Utah Clean Energy. As the Project Lead for the Wasatch Solar Challenge, an official U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge Team, Sara coordinates with local governments and the solar industry to streamline solar processes and reduce solar costs. As the Project Advisor for Salt Lake Community Solar, Sara oversaw Utah's first  community bulk-purchase initiative in Salt Lake County, which received the 2012 Utah Business Magazine Sustainable Business Award and was recognized as a finalist for the 2013 Governor's Excellence in Energy Award. From 2008-2012, Sara served as Project Manager for the Solar Salt Lake Partnership Project in partnership with Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County.  Under her lead, the project earned a “Barrier Buster Award” and “Mountain Mover Award” from the U.S. Department of Energy.  In 2012, Sara’s regulatory involvement and coordination with over 170 stakeholders led to the creation of a new $50 million utility solar incentive program, which will expand Utah's distributed solar market by 600 percent. Sara has been involved in the development and implementation of several Utah policies, including net metering, interconnection, third-party financing, commercial PACE, and more. In 2011, Sara was a co-instructor for the Alternative Energy Technologies Course at the Salt Lake Community College. Sara is the current Chair of the Board of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, and she holds an Honors BS and BA degrees from the University of Utah. In her spare time, Sara enjoys rock climbing, playing music, tele-skiing, gardening, and traveling.
Email Sara Baldwin
 

Kevin Emerson, MSc
- Senior Policy & Regulatory Associate
Kevin is the lead for energy efficiency programs, partnerships, and energy efficiency policy and regulatory activities.  In 2002, Kevin worked with students, staff and faculty at the University of Utah to coordinate a project that led to the University’s purchase of renewable energy. Soon after re-joining Utah Clean Energy in 2006, Kevin conducted research for and co-authored the Utah Energy Efficiency Strategy. He works with diverse partners to remove institutional barriers to increased energy efficiency, including increasing utility energy efficiency and demand-side management, and building Utah’s clean energy workforce. Kevin serves on the Energy Management Advisory Committee for Salt Lake Community College, and is a regular participant in Demand-side Management Advisory Groups for both Rocky Mountain Power and Questar Gas.   Kevin graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah and an M.Sc. in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh. Kevin is a native Utahn and enjoys genealogical research, rowing on the Great Salt Lake, and community gardening. He lives with his wife and son in Salt Lake City. Email Kevin Emerson
 

Brandy Smith
- Communications and Program Coordinator
Brandy oversees Utah Clean Energy's Sustainers Circle and Corporate Sponsor membership along with coordinating various fundraising activities.  In addition, Brandy manages the organization's public relations efforts, outreach and events. A graduate from the University of Utah, Brandy brings with her a background in public relations, marketing and event management. Before joining Utah Clean Energy, she served as the Marketing Assistant for a nationally recognized graphics company followed by a position as the Logistics Manager for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. 
Email Brandy Smith
 

Sophie Hayes
 - Staff Attorney
Sophie represents Utah Clean Energy in both its regulatory and legislative activities. She is involved in UCE’s work before the Public Service Commission on open regulatory dockets dealing with the expansion of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Utah. In addition, Sophie works on legislative policy matters, including planning, drafting, and reviewing proposed legislation. Sophie has an honors B.A. in anthropology and a Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University. Sophie was a lead editor for the BYU Law Review and on the board of the Natural Resources Law Society. During law school, she clerked for the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor as well as Utah’s Property Rights Ombudsman. This is all in addition to baking a lot of “healthy” cookies and enforcing a rigorous schedule of walks with her dog. After law school, Sophie fellowed with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (and continued to spend her free time baking and walking her dog). Sophie’s favorite activities include hiking, canoeing, reading cookbooks, and spending time with her dog, Hobo. Email Sophie Hayes
 

Billy Smallen
 -  Policy and Research Coordinator
Billy coordinates the Wasatch Solar Challenge, which is part of the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative and Rooftop Solar Challenge. Working with six local governments and the local solar industry, Billy is helping to drive down solar costs through adoption of streamlined solar PV permitting and zoning and by enabling new solar financing options. As part of this effort, he helped coordinate the highly-successful Salt Lake Community Solar bulk purchase program. Billy received his Bachelor of Science in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz and his Master’s in Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He comes to UCE with experience working on climate, energy, and environmental issues for organizations such as the U.S. EPA, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. He has also worked as ski instructor, whitewater raft guide, and climbing guide in Utah. Outside of work, he can be found in the mountains and canyons, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. Email Billy Smallen

Kate Bowman
 - Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps
Kate is a Utah Conservation Corps member serving at Utah Clean Energy through AmeriCorps. She currently serves as the Project Coordinator for the Summit Community Solar initiative, a community-bulk purchase effort in Summit County aimed at reducing solar costs by simplifying the solar process and offering competitive bulk-purchase pricing.  Previously, Kate supported the Salt Lake Community Solar, a similar effort piloted in Salt Lake County in 2012.  Prior to these efforts, Kate assisted with the Community Energy Challenge, a community-based social marketing campaign designed to increase residential energy efficiency. She received a BA in Government from Dartmouth College where she focused on environmental policy. In the past she has worked as an archaeologist in cultural resources management and has built a log cabin for the Dartmouth Outing Club. In her free time she enjoys playing outside in the mountains, cooking, and learning to garden.
Email Kate Bowman