Virtual Energy Forum

Inland Southern California's Green Gold Rush
Ali Sahabi, President
SE Corporation

 


Ali Sahabi is president of the land-planning and entitlement firm, SE Corporation, winner of the California Governor's Economic and Environmental Leadership Award for Sustainable Communities for the mixed-use development of Dos Lagos in Corona, California.

He is also the founding chairman of the Green Institute for Village Empowerment, www.giveforthefuture.org, a nonprofit dedicated to the principles of sustainability. GIVE is the founding sponsor of the Green Valley Initiative, www.greenvalleynow.org, a nationally recognized regional economic development movement to promote clean and green technologies in inland Southern California.

Ali's commitment to sustainability is reflected in his 2003 endowment of U.C. Riverside's Edward J. Blakely Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, and in countless awards and recognitions, from the American Planning Association and American Institute of Architects, to the city of Corona's Citizen of the Year.

He holds his Master of Real Estate Development degree from the School of Urban Planning and Development at the University of Southern California; and a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Pepperdine University.

 
Kevin W. Billings, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics
U.S. Air Force
"The US Air Force Energy Program"


Kevin W. Billings, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He heads three division departments that deal at the policy level with Air Force facility and logistical issues. The department's responsibilities include installations, military construction, base closure and realignment; environment, energy, safety and occupational health issues; and all logistical matters.

Mr. Billings was born in London, England. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash., and the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Billings has held multi-dimensional executive positions in public and private industry in strategic management, international and domestic business development, transformation and change management, corporate relations, and legislative policy development. His experience includes work on Capitol Hill, executive positions with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the area of Federal Facilities, and an advisory role for the Secretary of the Army for matters relating to business process transformation and industrial safety.

Roland Risser, Director for Customer Energy Efficiency
Pacific Gas and Electric
Update on the ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard

Roland Risser is Director of Customer Energy Efficiency for Pacific Gas and Electric Company.  In this role, he is responsible for developing the strategies that support PG&E's delivery of energy savings, and strategies to support a Zero Net Energy future.  In addition, he is responsible for assessing and deploying new technologies and products into the Energy Efficiency Portfolio, managing a building and appliance codes and standards program, as well as PG&E's Pacific Energy Center, Energy Training Center, and Food Service Technology Center.

During his 30-year tenure at PG&E, Roland has also held several other positions including Director of Energy Efficiency and Low Income programs; Director, Tariffs and Compliance; Manager, Business Account Services and Corporate Sales; Manager, New Energy Markets; and Manager, Customer Systems Research and Development.  In addition, while on executive loan from PG&E, Roland served as the Executive Director of the Washington D.C. based Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas.

 Roland Risser is a member of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Leadership Group, a board member and officer of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, board member of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, an advisor to the Institute of Electric Efficiency, and is the Chair of the US Technical Advisory Committee to the ISO for a new Energy Management standard (ISO 50001).

 Roland received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Science degree from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.  He also graduated from the Haas School of Business, Executive Program, at the University of California, Berkeley.


Green Valley Initiative Supporters
Learn About GVI - Watch the video
News