Top Photo & Bio: Kateri Callahan, President
Second Photo & Bio: Brian T. Castelli, Exec V.P. & COO
Kateri Callahan, President
Kateri Callahan brings more than 20 years of experience in policy advocacy, fundraising, coalition building, and organizational management to the presidency of the Alliance to Save Energy, one of the world's premier nonprofit organizations promoting energy efficiency. Prior to becoming president of the Alliance in January 2004, Callahan was head of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), a Washington-based international nonprofit coalition of industry, government, academia, and nonprofit organizations, for 11 years.
Since assuming the Alliance presidency, Callahan has spearheaded development of an ambitious five-year strategic plan, Vision 2010, which addresses increased energy efficiency in the transportation, buildings, industrial, and power supply sectors. The plan promotes energy-efficiency policies that could reduce the predicted increase in U.S. energy demand by about 10 percent by 2010 and about 15 percent by 2025. Callahan also reorganized the Alliance's staff to reflect and implement the strategic plan.
Callahan oversees the Alliance's key mission of promoting energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security. She leads a staff of more than 50 and oversees an annual budget of $9 million that supports energy-efficiency projects, research, educational programs, policy advocacy, and communications and marketing; promotes technology development and deployment; and builds public-private partnerships.
Callahan has become a sought-after spokesperson for the Alliance and energy efficiency with major media, including The New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN News Source, CNN Radio, National Public Radio, AP Radio, and ABC Radio and has addressed major organizations including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Realtors, the United States Energy Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of State Energy Officials, the National Insulation Association, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the Mexico-based Asociación de Empresas para el Ahorro de la Energía en la Edificación (Association of Businesses to Save Energy in Buildings).
Callahan is a member of the boards of directors of Keystone Energy Services Inc. and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
Callahan has focused her career around policy issues with an emphasis on energy, environment, and natural resources. Prior to her tenure with EDTA, Callahan served four years on the staff of a U.S. senator; two years as director of federal and government relations for a nonprofit group advocating reform of U.S. immigration laws; and six years at the law firm of Van Ness Feldman, where she filled various management and advocacy roles for a number of the firm's important coalition clients.
Brian T. Castelli, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Brian T. Castelli brings nearly 30 years of national and international experience in the energy field, including expertise in energy efficiency, renewables, emission reductions, and electricity demand reduction, to the Alliance to Save Energy as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining the Alliance's senior management team in July 2005, Castelli ran his own energy consulting firm.
Among his varied endeavors, he was the federal energy liaison for the California Energy Commission, one of the nation's premier state energy offices; a principal with the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, a one stop shop helping businesses and states adopt high-level strategies for saving energy and cutting pollution; and a consultant to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) where he organized a High Technology Council (comprised of communications and information technology leaders) to advise EPRI's Intelligent Grid program.
Castelli also consulted with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) where, on behalf of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, he conducted a series of public workshops in 14 western states on advanced, highly-efficient turbines and fuel cells that involved manufacturers, developers, utilities, and state and federal energy and environmental officials.
As a presidential appointee, Castelli served as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Energy's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy from 1994 to 2001. He managed 550 staff and more than $1 billion in programs and research, development, and deployment initiatives and directed the development and implementation of energy policies and programs.
Castelli also led and participated in missions to Western Hemisphere, European, and former Soviet Union countries and was also deeply involved in developing energy-efficiency measures for the eventual closure of the nuclear reactors in Chornobyl, Ukraine.
Prior to DOE, Castelli was appointed in 1988 by Gov. Bob Casey to the Pennsylvania Energy Office (PEO), for three years as deputy director for administration and public affairs and then as executive director, through 1994. As executive director he ran the commonwealth's energy policies and programs, managed the state energy office and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, and took the lead on responding to energy emergencies.
Notably, he developed a revolving loan fund for energy-efficiency measures and a "Green Buildings" program for cutting energy use and costs in all commonwealth-owned or operated buildings, and he drafted legislation for and implemented an alternative fuel program.
As the PEO's deputy director, Castelli's responsibilities included administration, budgeting, public information, and energy program policies. He also created more effective financial assistance and energy outreach programs and served as the PEO's liaison to delegations of state and federal legislators.
Earlier in his career, Castelli was vice president of finance for The National Center for Appropriate Technology; senior vice president and cofounder of CEXEC; and financial analyst with the Federal Energy