Conference Proceedings

World perspectives in Bismarck

Henriëtte Bersee is Counselor for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C., a position she has held since January 2008. From 1999 through December 2007, she served at the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in The Hague, where she headed the International Energy and Climate Change Department. Ms.Bersee was the Netherlands’ chief negotiator on international climate change agreements until December 2007. From 1983 to 1999, she worked for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, dealing in industry policy, international economic relations, and export promotion. Between 1992 and 1995, she was posted at the Netherlands Embassy in Mexico as head of the Economic Department. Ms. Bersee holds a degree in Public Administration.

Preston Chiaro was named chief executive of Rio Tinto’s energy product group in September 2003 and took on additional responsibility for its minerals operations in November 2007. Rio Tinto’s energy and minerals portfolio includes coal, uranium, industrial minerals, and titanium operations in Africa, Australia, North America and South America. He is also the senior executive leading Rio Tinto’s climate change and sustainable development programmes. He has served as chairman of both the World Coal Institute and the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency, and now serves on the executive committees of these industry organizations. He also sits on the board of Resources for the Future, a Washington-based nonpartisan resource policy think tank. He joined the Rio Tinto group in 1991 at Kennecott Utah Copper Company’s Bingham Canyon mine as vice president, technical services. In 1995 he became vice president and general manager of Boron Operations in California, then chief executive of Rio Tinto Borax from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Chiaro holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Kent Conrad, United States Senator, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, a position to which he has been reelected five times. Senator Conrad chairs the Budget Committee, where he is recognized as an expert on budget matters and plays a key role on federal fiscal and economic policy. He also chairs the Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology of the Agriculture Committee and the Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth of the Finance Committee. He is also a senior member of the Indian Affairs Committee. During his 20 years in the Senate, Senator Conrad has played leadership roles in the 2002 and 2008 federal Farm Bills, rural health care policy, trade and comprehensive energy legislation. He was elected North Dakota Tax Commissioner in 1981, where he served for six years. A fifth-generation North Dakotan, Senator Conrad was born and attended school in Bismarck, and he earned a BA from Stanford University in 1971 and an MBA from George Washington University in 1975.

Byron Dorgan, United States Senator, was elected to the Senate in 1992, after serving six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Senate leadership since 1996, he has chaired the Senate Democratic Policy Committee since 1998. Senator Dorgan chairs the Indian Affairs Committee, the Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, and the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He is also a member of theSenate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Senator Dorgan’s top priorities have included international trade, rural economic development, alternative energy resources and technologies, and expanding North Dakota’s research and development potential. Senator Dorgan was appointed to the office of State Tax Commissioner in North Dakota at age 26. He was reelected to that office in 1972 and 1976. A native of Regent, North Dakota, Senator Dorgan received a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Dakota and an MBA from the University of Denver.

John Halmans is CEO of Gulpener Brewery, B.V. located in the Dutch village of Gulpen in the Netherlands, near the border with Belgium and Germany. Gulpener Brewery competes effectively against industry giants like Heineken by brewing and marketing carbon neutral beer. Mr. Halmans’ was recognized this spring by the Amsterdam newspaper Trouw as one the Netherlands’ “Sustainable 100” for his efforts to incorporate energy efficiency, use renewable energy and cooperate with local farmers to produce organic barley, wheat, rye spelt and hops for the brewery’s operations. He serves on the boards of several organizations, including MVO Nederland, an organization dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility. Mr. Halmans has a degree in Business Administration and Marketing.

Peter Head, OBE FREng FRSA –Director of ARUP. Peter is a champion for developing global practice that demonstrates that the way we invest public and private money in the built environment could be made very much more effective if the public and private sector adopted sustainable development principles. He is a civil and structural engineer who has become a recognised world leader in major bridges (he received an OBE for successfully delivering the Second Severn Crossing as Government Agent), advanced composite technology and now in sustainable development in cities. He has won many awards for his work including the Award of Merit of IABSE, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal and the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind. He joined Arup in 2004 to create and lead their planning and integrated urbanism team. He was appointed in 2002 by the Mayor of London as an independent Commissioner on the London Sustainable Development Commission and leads the planning and development sub-group of the Commission. He is the RAEng judge for the Prince Philip Designers’ Prize. Peter is project director for the planning and development of the Dongtan Eco-city demonstrator on Chongming Island in Shanghai, and the Wanzhuang Eco-City in LangFang near Beijing for the client Shanghai Industrial Investment Co. In July 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering at Bristol University, where he is a visiting Professor in Systems Engineering. In October 2008 Peter was appointed as Innovation Champion for Thames Gateway. Peter is a 2008 Principal Voice on CNN and in the October issue of Time magazine, he was nominated as one of 30 global eco-heroes. Peter has also been awarded the 2008 Sir Frank Whittle Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering for his efforts to deliver an environmentally sustainable built environment in a rapidly urbanising world. The Medal is a prestigious industry accolade, awarded for outstanding and sustained achievement which has contributed to the well-being of the nation.

John Hoeven, Governor of North Dakota, was elected in 2000 and reelected to a third term in 2008. Governor Hoeven has prioritized development of the state’s fossil and renewable energy resources and industries, including launching EmPowerND to develop a multi-resource state energy policy, with incentives in each energy sector. He has also supported increased funding for teacher salaries and initiatives such as Centers of Excellence that build partnerships between education and research institutions and the private sector. Governor Hoeven has chaired the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, Governors’ Ethanol Coalition, Midwestern Governors Association and the National Governors Association's Health and Human Services Committee and Natural Resources Committee. He served as Executive Vice President of First Western Bank in Minot from 1986 to 1993 and as President and CEO of the Bank of North Dakota from 1993 to 2000. Born in Bismarck, Governor Hoeven earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1979 and a MBA from Northwestern University in 1981.

Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union, was elected to his post during the organization’s 107th anniversary convention in 2009. Prior to his current position, he served as Agriculture Commissioner of North Dakota since 1996, having been twice re-elected to the office. Johnson was one of three officials who make up North Dakota's Industrial Commission, which allocates the state's coal and renewable energy-related investments. While Agriculture Commissioner, he was President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2007-2008. In that position, and previously as Chairman of NASDA’s Rural Development and Financial Security Committee, Johnson played a leading role in the development of Farm Bill policies including improving the “safety net” for agricultural producers, a permanent disaster program, ending the ban on interstate shipment of state-inspected meat, and farm-based renewable energy. A third-generation family farmer, Johnson graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics and has an extensive background in agricultural mediation.

Deborah Lieder Kiesey was elected bishop of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in 2004 and has served the UMC Dakotas Conference ever since. The first female bishop for the Dakotas Conference, she holds jurisdiction over 43,684 United Methodists belonging to more than 300 congregations in North Dakota and South Dakota. In 2008, Bishop Kiesey was elected President of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), one of the four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. The GBCS’ Economic and Environmental Justice Program calls church and society into a greater faithfulness to the biblical vision of wholeness and justice for all of God’s creation with a focus on global warming and energy. The GBCS advocates for the United States to adopt binding global warming emissions reduction commitments and to reengage in the global dialogue and international framework for combating this clear and present danger. In collaboration with ecumenical and interfaith allies, GBCS supports both state and federal action. In addition, GBCS provides educational and worship resources to bring this issue into the life of the church. Bishop Kiesey received her BA, with a double major in Religion and Piano, from Morningside College, IA, and a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology, MA.

Li Haiyan, Counselor for Economic Affairs, is the top economic and trade official at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, DC, where he also holds the energy and climate change portfolio. Mr. Li serves as chief representative in the U.S. of China’s influential National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which develops and implements economic, industrial and energy policy and reviews and approves major energy and infrastructure projects. Before his Embassy posting, Mr. Li was Deputy Director of the NDRC’s Economic Reform Department, and he previously held several other positions in the Chinese government dealing with economic reform, foreign investment and international cooperation. A graduate of Renmin University of China in Beijing , formerly People’s University, he is an economist and was a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan in 1984.

Joshua Meltzer is First Secretary at the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC where Joshua is responsible for climate change and energy policy. Before commencing his posting in Washington DC, Joshua was an international trade lawyer in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he helped negotiate free trade agreements and provided legal advice on Australia’s international trade commitments. Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Joshua completed a Masters in Law at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Bachelor of Laws and Commerce Degree at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Joshua has also interned in the Legal Affairs Division at the World Trade Organization and in the UN International Law Commission.

Michael G. Morris is chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, and chairman and CEO of all of AEP’s major subsidiaries. Morris was elected to his current positions in January 2004, joining AEP after serving as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Northeast Utilities from 1997 to 2003. He was president and chief executive officer of Consumers Power Company from 1994 to 1997, and executive vice president and chief operating officer of Consumers Power from 1992 to 1994. Morris is past chairman of Edison Electric Institute, Chairman of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and a Director for Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, Alcoa, Battelle Memorial Institute and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. He received his B.S. and M.S. (science) degrees from Eastern Michigan University in 1969 and 1973, respectively, and J. D. from Detroit College of Law in 1981.

Earl Pomeroy, Member of Congress, was first elected in 1992 to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2001, he joined the Ways and Means Committee, becoming the only Democrat on that influential committee to be awarded a second committee slot on the House Agriculture Committee. Congressman Pomeroy co-chairs the House Democratic Social Security Task Force, and he also co-chairs the bipartisan Rural Health Care Coalition. Among his priorities, Congressman Pomeroy is recognized for his leadership in the 2008 Farm Bill, in which he supported strengthening the safety net for farmers and investments in nutrition, conservation and renewable energy, and for extending federal tax credits for renewable energy sources, including wind and biodiesel. In 1980, he was elected to the State House of Representatives. Elected State Insurance Commissioner in 1984, he served a term as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Born in Valley City, ND, Congressman Pomeroy earned a BA in political science and a law degree from the University of North Dakota in 1979.

Franzjosef Schafhausen is Deputy Director General for Environment and Energy at the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, where he led negotiations of the European Union’s CO 2 cap and trade program for Germany. He also guided development of Germany’s Carbon Capture and Storage Act, which was just agreed to by the country’s ruling coalition partners. Recognized by BusinessWeek in 2005 among 20 individuals worldwide for their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Mr. Schafhausen has chaired the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on CO 2 Reduction and the Working Group on Emission Trading for the German Cabinet. Prior to his current post, he was Head of the Energy and Environment Division of Germany’s National Climate Change Program. Mr. Schafhausen is a graduate of the University of Cologne with a degree in Economics and Public Finance.

Dr. Brian J. Soden is a Professor of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. Dr. Soden specializes in the use of satellite observations to test and improve computer model simulations of climate change. During the past 15 years he has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers on a variety of topics, but most often related to the response of the climate system to global warming. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Miami, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago. Before returning to the University of Miami, Dr. Soden was a Visiting Scientist and Lecturer at Princeton University, and a Physical Scientist with NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Soden also served as a Lead Author of the 2007 report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His awards include the American Meteorological Society’s Henry G. Houghton Award, the National Space Club’s David S. Johnson Award, and the NASA H.E. Langley award.

Michael Zarin, Director, Group Government Relations, Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Michael Zarin joined Vestas Wind Systems’ Group Government Relations unit in October 2007 as Director and International Policy Advisor. In January 2008, he was appointed as a deputy to the Senior Vice President for Government Relations. His main areas of responsibility include Vestas’ activities related to climate change as well as markets in Latin America, the Mediterranean region, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Prior to re-locating in Denmark, Michael served on the U.S. Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff, advising Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior officials on Latin America policy matters. During the 1990’s, Michael worked at the International Republican Institute, a non-partisan NGO promoting democracy and civic education worldwide. Prior to that, Michael served on the staff of U.S. Senator David Durenberger, advising the Senator on foreign policy and national security matters. Michael earned the Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Bachelor of Arts degree at Furman University. Michael is an American citizen.