ASPO-USA Advisory Board

ASPO-USA receives advice and guidance from a volunteer group of recognized experts in energy, economics, science, technology, business, and other fields.

Chairman

Robert Kanner is president and CEO of Pubco Corporation, a multi-faceted manufacturing business based in Cleveland, where he is also a recognized community leader. Bob has business and investment experience in a variety of industries including energy. He has been a strong supporter of ASPO-USA and helped lead our first challenge grant fundraising campaign.

Vice-Chairman

Marvin Gottlieb is president and CEO of M. Gottlieb Associates Inc., an international manufacturing and trade company based in Chicago, where he is also a well-known industry consultant and philanthropist. Marvin is also president of Howland International, a British-based corporation actively involved in oil and energy. Marvin has been a long-time supporter of ASPO-USA and helped organize our first conference in Denver.

Chairman Emeritus

Matthew R. Simmons was the first chairman of the ASPO-USA advisory board and a legendary Peak Oil expert-champion. He was founder and president of Simmons & Company International, a prominent investment banking firm focused on the energy industry. Matt was the author of the landmark book Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. Above all, Matt was a true friend to ASPO-USA and an inspiration to us all. We are forever grateful for his service and his legacy (see Matthew R. Simmons-M. King Hubbert Award).

.

Members

Roger Baker is a transportation and energy reform advocate based in Austin, Texas, where he hosts the radio program, “Right of Way”. For over 25 years, Mr. Baker has been a tireless proponent of innovative transportation solutions that reduce oil use and improve America’s energy and economic security.

Rosalind Baldauf has diverse experience in the nuclear and petrochemical industry, as well as the public sector at the federal, state, and local level. Roz has been a leader on state and local environmental issues in her home state of Louisiana and her adopted state, Texas, where she served as a board member for the Texans United Education Fund.

Dr. Albert A. Bartlett is a professor emeritus of physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Bartlett has presented “The Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy Crisis” to more than 2000 audiences in the United States and abroad. Dr. Bartlett’s work examines the nexus between energy and population and the contradiction of “sustainable growth”–focusing on the mathematical power of exponential growth to deplete resources in very short periods of time. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He earned his undergraduate degree in physics at Colgate University and his graduate and doctoral degrees in physics at Harvard University, and has been on the faculty of the University of Colorado since 1950.

Dr. Roger Bezdek is president of Management Information Services Inc. (MISI), a research and consulting firm specializing in energy and economic issues. Dr. Bezdek is a well-known expert on Peak Oil and the co-author of the recent bookThe Impending World Energy Mess as well as many other publications. He has more than 30 years of experience working with private industry, academia, and the federal government on energy, environmental, and regulatory issues. Dr. Bezdek is currently serving as a member of the joint U.S. National Academy of Science/Chinese Academy of Sciences Committee on Energy Futures and Air Pollution in Urban China and the United States.

David Blittersdorf is president and CEO of AllEarth Renewables, a renewable energy manufacturing business based in Vermont. David has more than 30 years of experience in the wind industry. He is the founder and former president of NRG, a leading manufacturer of wind measuring instruments, and former president of the American Wind Energy Association. David is a sought-after speaker and advisor on a variety of energy issues at the local, national, and international level.

Richard Block has been a business owner, investor, and consultant in a variety of manufacturing and retail businesses, including the energy efficiency industry. Rick is a former member of the ASPO-USA board of directors and has generously lent his time and experience in helping ASPO-USA organize its annual conferences. He is based in New Jersey.

Andy Buckingham is founder and manager of Buckingham Exploration, LLC, a vertically integrated petroleum exploration and production company operating in Texas and Louisiana. Andy is also co-founder of Growing Grace, a social enterprise that promotes healthy food and nutrition, sustainable living, and local economic development.

Dr. Colin J. Campbell is a petroleum geologist and founder of ASPO International and ASPO Ireland. Dr. Campbell is the researcher and co-author of seminal work that first predicted an imminent peak in world oil production. Influential papers by Dr. Campbell include The Coming Oil Crisis, written with Jean Laherrère in 1998; and The End of Cheap Oil, published the same year in Scientific American.

Leonel Castillo is a former controller for the City of Houston, and a commissioner for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Mr. Castillo was the first Mexican-American ever elected to citywide public office in Houston. He earned a reputation as a fiercely independent Controller, and was known for saying that the Controller “needs to be an independent cuss” to do the job properly. Mr. Castillo has also been an active champion for expanding leadership and economic opportunities for Mexican-Americans.

Deborah Cook is a former mayor and city councilor for the City of Huntington Beach, CA. During her tenure in public office, Debbie served in leadership roles on numerous regional boards and commissions focusing on energy and resource conservation issues. She is a frequent presenter at conferences, schools, and community groups on the subject of Peak Oil. She currently serves as president of the board of directors of the Post Carbon Institute, and formerly served on the ASPO-USA board of directors.

Daniel L. Davis is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. Danny has served combat duty in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in 1991. He is a frequent contributor and commentator on energy and national security issues, and has been published in the Washington Times, International Herald Tribune, European Stars and Stripes, Defense News, Armed Forces Journal, Army Times, Air Force Times, and other publications. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and has a master’s degree in international relations from Troy University.

Naomi Davis is a prominent leader on environmental and economic development issues based in Chicago. Naomi is the founder of Blacks in Green (BIG), an innovative organization that works to build sustainable urban communities (“green villages”) that are anchored by neighbor-owned businesses, which become the agents of “jobs-driven development.” Her pioneering work has been recognized with numerous local and national awards.

Alan Drake is an independent consultant, researcher, and expert on transportation strategies to reduce oil use. Based in walkable, trolley-steeped New Orleans, Alan has conducted extensive studies on all aspects of the transportation sector including vehicle and fuel technology, freight, transit systems, and bicycle- pedestrian issues.

Frances T. “Sissy” Farenthold is an attorney and former Texas state legislator based in Houston. Sissy was candidate for Governor of Texas, and was the first woman to be nominated and voted on for the office of Vice President of the United States. She is co-founder and former chair of the National Womens’ Political Caucus, former president of Wells College in New York, and former chair of the Institute for Policy Studies in Houston, Texas. She has served as a human rights observer in Iraq, El Salvador, Honduras, South Korea, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union. Sissy received her B.A. from Vassar College and her J.D. from the University of Texas.

Dr. David C. Goodstein is a professor of physics and former vice-provost at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). David is the Author of Out of Gas, an examination of the consequences of oil depletion. While continuing to teach and conduct research in experimental physics, Dr. Goodstein has turned his attention to issues related to science and society. In articles, speeches and conference, he has addressed conduct and misconduct in science, the end of exponential growth of the scientific enterprise, and critical issues related to energy and climate change.

Dr. Charles Hall is a professor of environmental studies at State University of New York School of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse. Dr. Hall is a leading authority on biophysical economics and the concept of energy return on investment–applying his extensive research on energy in biological systems to economics and society. He has held research positions at the Brookhaven Laboratory, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Cornell University, University of Montana and, for the last 20 years, SUNY ESF. He earned his doctorate in systems ecology at the University of North Carolina. .

John T. Heinen currently serves as the director of environmental, health, and safety for a foundry in southwest Wisconsin. John’s research on safety led him to study “converging catastrophes” which in turn led to his work on Peak Oil, climate change and the study of ancient civilizations. John is affiliated with the Post Carbon Institute and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. He is the moderator and editor for Peak Oil News (http://www.peakoil.com/) and also moderates the Peak Oil forum for Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich at http://www.kucinich.us/. John earned his bachelor of science degree in industrial technology at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Dr. Robert L. Hirsch is a physicist and principal author of the landmark study “The Peaking of World Oil Production” conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Hirsch has served in a wide variety of roles as a consultant and adviser to government and industry. Much of his recent work has focused on problems associated with the peaking of world conventional oil production and its mitigation. He is past chair of the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems of the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academies, and has served on a number of National Research Council committees.

John G. Howe is a mechanical engineer based in Maine and the head of Howe Engineering Co. since 1981. John also manages 175 acres of farm and forest in Maine, where he has pioneered oil-free approaches to agriculture (www.solarcarandtractor.com). He is author of The End of Fossil Energy .

Tim Jones is a naturalist, environmental activist, and former oil field mud logger based in Austin, Texas. Tim Jones served thirteen years as a member of the Environmental Board for the City of Austin, and was a board member of the Save Our Springs Alliance. Tim is the creator of Ground Truth Investigations, a website and project focused on appreciation and preservation of North American natural resources and biodiversity. He also produced a series of 15 TV documentaries called GROUND TRUTH which helped spur a grassroots effort to protect water resources and natural areas in the Austin area.

Peter Kilde is the executive director of the West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency Inc. which delivers programs to address poverty issues, including low income housing and homelessness, foreclosure prevention, weatherization, food security, car ownership assistance, and various sustainable community initiatives. He also serves on the board of the national Community Action Partnership, where he chairs the “New Reality Initiative” focused on how Peak Oil, the depletion of other natural resources, environmental degradation, and economic turmoil impact low income communities.

Carey King is a research associate at the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas. Carey’s work focuses on a wide variety of energy issues including: energy and renewable energy generation and usage, conservation, policy, and education; energy systems and energy return on energy invested (net energy); carbon capture and sequestration; and the nexus of water and energy issues.

Dr. Seppo Korpela is a professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State University. Much of Dr. Korpela’s research has focused on heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Since 2000, he has applied his research on energy systems and technology to the assessment of world energy resources and the consequences for society. He is a contributing author of the book “The Final Energy Crisis: Coal Resources of the World and Prediction of World Peak Oil Production.”

Chris Kuykendall is a former senior staff researcher for a nonpartisan agency of the Texas State Legislature. His extracurricular research on energy includes work as a historian, archivist, and biographer of noted geologist M. King Hubbert.

Alice Oldfather is a communications consultant focused on environmental and sustainability issues. A speechwriter by trade, Alice has held several positions in New York State government, writing for the New York State Comptroller and the Chancellor of the State University of New York system, as well as state legislators and electoral candidates. Alice is active in the permaculture movement in the Northeast and she co-founded the Capital District Permaculture Guild that serves the Albany, NY area where she lives. She holds degrees from Grinnell College and Syracuse University.

Scott Pugh is a retired U.S. Navy captain, former nuclear submarine commanding officer, and former dean of mathematics and science at the US Naval Academy. Since retiring from the Navy, Scott has been a recognized leader on energy and national security issues. He has worked with Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute to implement strategies at the Department of Defense outlined in “Winning the Oil Endgame.”. He served on the Defense Science Board’s Energy Strategy Task Force, and currently serves as an energy adviser to the Department of Homeland Security. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Jeff Rubin is a former chief economist of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and now a prolific author and speaker on the nexus between energy and economics. Jeff is well-known for his work on global energy markets and his prescient forecasts regarding oil prices and their economic impacts. He is the author of the ground-breaking and best-selling book, Why Your World Is About To Get a Whole Lot Smaller.

Chris Skrebowski began his career as a planner and market analyst for BP, in the oil industry and has since built an international reputation as a journalist, consultant, and keen observer of the petroleum industry, specializing in Peak Oil and its economic implications. Chris joined Petroleum Times as a journalist just before the first oil crisis of 1973/74, and later became an editor for Offshore Services magazine. He spent eight years as a market analyst for the Saudi Oil Ministry, and edited Petroleum Economist before joining the (UK) Energy Institute (formerly the Institute of Petroleum) as editor of Petroleum Review. Chris is also founder and principal of Peak Oil Consulting.

Richard Vodra is a certified financial planner and president of Worldview Two Planning, a financial advising and planning firm based in northern Virgina. Dick is a former board member of the Financial Planning Association and is recognized as a leading expert on oil and energy issues within the financial planning profession. He is a graduate of the College of Wooster and Yale Law School.

Robert Waldrop is the founder of the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House in Oklahoma City and a long-time leader in serving the needs of low-income Americans. Bob is especially experienced in issues concerning local food systems and food security, and is an active writer, speaker, and adviser to other organizations.

Thomas Whipple is a retired senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and a well-known researcher and writer on energy and oil issues. Tom is the chief editor of ASPO-USA’s flagship publications, Peak Oil News and Peak Oil Review, and writes a weekly column on Peak Oil for the Falls Church News, a daily newspaper based in northern Virginia. Tom has degrees from Rice University and the London School of Economics.

Dr. Walter Youngquist is a professor emeritus of geology at the University of Oregon and an eminent authority on energy issues. Dr. Youngquist is the author of GeoDestinies: The Inevitable Control of Earth Resources over Nations and Individuals. He has worked as a researcher, advisor, and consultant in more than 70 countries, including work for Exxon Corporation, Sun Oil, Shell Oil, and Amoco. Dr. Youngquist is an emeritus member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Iowa.

Kenneth Zweibel is the director of the GW Solar Institute at The George Washington University in Washington DC. Ken has almost 30 years experience in the solar energy field. Ken was a senior program manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where he led the Thin Film PV Partnership Program. Ken subsequently co-founded and became president of a thin film PV start-up, PrimeStar Solar, a majority share of which was purchased by General Electric. Ken is a frequently published contributing writer and has written two books on solar photovoltaics. He is the co-author of a 2008 Scientific American article on the role of solar energy in addressing climate change and energy problems.