Beth Vaughan
Executive Director
beth@cal-cca.org
Beth is CalCCA’s first executive director, a post she has held since 2017. Beth oversees the association’s advocacy, policy, and communications efforts, coordinating a diverse and growing membership of community choice energy providers serving customers across California. She frequently presents CalCCA’s positions on various policy issues at the California Legislature and California Public Utilities Commission and is a regular speaker at energy industry events. Prior to joining CalCCA, Beth served as executive director of the California Cogeneration Council where she advocated for companies operating combined heat and power facilities. She has worked extensively in both the public and private energy sectors, consulting with government agencies, non-profits, and private sector interests on energy, climate, and environmental public policy issues. Beth served five years as senior advisor to environment and conservation cabinet ministers in the New Zealand parliament. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University in Canada, and Master of Science from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
Evelyn Kahl
General Counsel and Director of Policy
evelyn@cal-cca.org
Evie joined CalCCA as general counsel in 2020. She first worked with CalCCA in 2017, representing the association in the CPUC’s Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) rulemaking. She has also represented CalCCA in the Resource Adequacy (RA) and Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) proceedings and worked to support the association’s legislative program. She brings to the General Counsel role more than three decades’ experience representing energy industry clients, including Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), large electricity and natural gas customers, and self-generation developers. Prior to joining CalCCA, Kahl was Shareholder in Buchalter’s San Francisco office and part of the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group. Before joining Buchalter, she was a founding partner of Alcantar & Kahl LLP from 1998-2018. Kahl is a member of the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel, the Association of Women in Water, Energy, and Environment, and is a certified mediator. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. magna cum laude from Concordia College.
Leora Broydo Vestel
Director of Communications, Marketing and Engagement
leora@cal-cca.org
Leora joined CalCCA as director of communications in 2018 after a 20-plus-year career as a journalist covering energy, the environment, politics and culture. As editor and staff writer at the weekly business publication California Energy Markets, Leora reported on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), publicly-owned utilities, power project development, and state energy policy. Leora’s articles have been published in The Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune, New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Mother Jones, Sacramento Bee, Salon, Spin, and Utne Reader, among others. She lived overseas for a time, working at ABC News in London and Prognosis newspaper in Prague. Leora is a proud CleanPowerSF “SuperGreen” customer and an avid windsurfer.
Sean MacNeil
Director of Legislative Affairs
sean@cal-cca.org
Sean is a public policy veteran with a strong background in energy, environmental, labor, and local government policies. He began his career as legislative aide for Assemblymember Helen Thomson, and subsequently served as chief of staff for the following California Senate and Assembly members: Patricia Wiggins, Noreen Evans, Michael Allen and, for the last six years, Richard Bloom. In Bloom’s office, Sean managed a staff of ten and served as liaison between Bloom and elected officials, lobbyists and advocacy groups.
Eric Little
Director of Regulatory Affairs
eric@cal-cca.org
Eric Little joined CalCCA as Director of Regulatory Affairs in 2021 and oversees the development, implementation, and management of CalCCA’s regulatory strategies. Eric brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience in the California electricity sector and is known for his effective coalition building and advocacy before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Independent System Operator (CAISO), and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Prior to joining CalCCA, Eric held several positions of increasing responsibility at Southern California Edison including, most recently, Manager of CAISO and GHG Markets. Earlier in his career, Eric worked on energy procurement policy and compliance, transmission and distribution policy, and retail rate design. He also held the post of Manager of Market Design and Regulatory Policy at the CAISO.
Fred Taylor-Hochberg
Director of Modeling
fred@cal-cca.org
Fred serves as CalCCA’s technical subject matter expert on a range of mission-critical regulatory and data-specific projects. Prior to joining CalCCA in 2020, he worked at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) serving as lead analyst on the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process, which seeks to decarbonize the electric grid in California. In that role, Fred oversaw the running of grid simulations using the Strategic Energy and Risk Valuation Model (SERVM). He also created an end-to-end Python data pipeline that allows the CPUC to model many scenarios at once, and quickly derive data-driven insights about the grid’s cost, reliability, and emissions from the results. Additionally, Fred advised CPUC decision-makers on the most effective way to minimize criteria pollutant emissions from California’s power plants based on comprehensive research into air emissions standards and analyses of complex data from thousands of power plants. His previous positions include senior data analyst at WattzOn, and senior electric rates analyst at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). While at PG&E, Fred led the development of analytical reports supporting the company’s electric rates policy positions, directing the reports’ design, data collection, and analysis.
Leanne Bober
Senior Policy Counsel
leanne@cal-cca.org
Leanne joined CalCCA as senior policy counsel in 2021, working on both legal and regulatory policy issues impacting CalCCA’s members. She brings to the role her experience as an attorney in the energy regulatory practices at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K & L Gates) in Washington, D.C., and at Davis Wright Tremaine in San Francisco. Leanne is a member of the Energy Bar Association and the Power Association of Northern California. She earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Lauren Carr
Senior Market Policy Analyst
lauren@cal-cca.org
Lauren joined CalCCA as a senior market policy analyst in 2021. In her role, Lauren engages in California ISO stakeholder initiatives and CPUC proceedings and develops CalCCA positions on policies impacting its members. Prior to joining CalCCA, Lauren worked as a policy specialist at the California ISO, leading stakeholder initiatives focused on resource adequacy and distributed energy resources. Lauren has a B.A. in Economics and History from the University of California, Davis. While pursuing her B.A., Lauren was a student assistant at the California Energy Commission analyzing benefits of Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) funded research projects.
Andrew D. Mills
Electricity System Modeler
andrew@cal-cca.org
Andrew joined CalCCA in 2021 and is passionate about finding effective strategies to integrate variable renewable resources, such as wind and solar power, into the electric grid. He uses state-of-the-art power market simulation tools for quantitative analysis of issues relevant to public policy. Previously, Andrew was a staff scientist in the Electricity Markets and Policy Department at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he led U.S. Department of Energy-funded research. Andrew collaborated with researchers on topics including grid reliability, utility planning, valuation of emerging technologies, and infrastructure needs for wind and solar. While at the Berkeley Lab, Andrew earned a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. He also has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Willie Calvin
Rate Case Manager
willie@cal-cca.org
Willie joined CalCCA in 2022 as rate case manager. He previously served as power resources specialist at San Jose Clean Energy where he supported the account management and marketing team through program management, data analysis, and contract management for SJCE customer programs. While with SJCE, he helped to launch SJCE’s solar access and energy efficiency programs. Outside of work, Willie enjoys rock climbing and improv comedy.
Shawn-Dai Linderman
Policy Assistant
shawndai@cal-cca.org
Shawn-Dai is an accomplished legal assistant with 25+ years of experience reporting to senior partners in the areas of energy, environment, estate planning, land use, public entity capacity, and commercial and residential real estate. Prior to joining CalCCA in 2020, Shawn-Dai worked as a legal assistant in Buchalter’s San Francisco office as part of the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group. She also served as a legal assistant at both Holland & Knight in San Francisco and Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean in Oakland, working for 10+ years with one senior land-use attorney. At CalCCA, Shawn-Dai supports the association’s policy team under the direction of General Counsel Evelyn Kahl. Shawn-Dai is an avid horsewoman, and spends most of her free time with her gelding, Horse Radish.
Jackson McDonough
Communications and Marketing Associate
jackson@cal-cca.org
Jackson is part of CalCCA’s communications team and focuses on managing social media, updating the CalCCA website, tracking CCA news and updates, and more. As CalCCA’s youngest staffer, Jackson is excited to contribute to the advancement of CCA in California and support our members in any way that he can. Jackson is a recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego where he majored in political science with a focus on public law. Prior to Joining CalCCA, Jackson gained experience working for a law firm, his local government, and in sales and marketing. In his free time, Jackson enjoys surfing, mountain biking, and exploring national parks.
Sandra McCafferty
Administrative Coordinator
sandra@cal-cca.org
Sandra joined CalCCA as administrative coordinator in 2020. She brings to the position over 10 years of experience in customer service and administrative roles. Sandra’s work at CalCCA includes promoting staff and operational efficiencies, processing payments, providing organizational support for the CalCCA Board of Directors and its committees, and serving as a point of contact for the association’s members and partners. Prior to joining CalCCA, Sandra worked at MCE as administrative assistant for the public affairs team. Sandra has an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Human Development from Berkeley City College. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Sandra is a resident of Contra Costa County, where she loves to spend her free time painting, gardening, going to local antique stores, and exploring her passion for interior design.