Building Electrification in San Mateo County, IR 2022 Launch Event

Sustainable San Mateo County’s 26th annual Indicators Report was unveiled November 10 at a free in-person event hosted by Genentech. This year, we took a deep dive into examining San Mateo County’s progress on building electrification, with a special look at the existing building stock. SSMC’s Indicators Report Program Manager, Sarah Cassanego, shared some of the key findings and highlights of our Indicators Report, along with recommendations for next steps.

Read the 2022 Indicators Report

Read our press release

Watch videos of the Indicators Launch event:

View the PowerPoint presentations:

  • SSMC presentation can be accessed here.
  • Jeff Skacel (Genentech)’s presentation is here.
  • Jonathan  Hartman (Group4) presentation is here.

Program:

Welcome address: Jeannie Linam, Climate Action and Resilience Manager, Genentech

Keynote Speaker: Panama Bartholomy, Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition

Panel:

Panel moderator: Susan Wright, Sustainability Program Manager at the County of San Mateo’s Office of Sustainability, Energy & Water group

Panelists:

  • Roopak Kandasamy, Head of Sales Operations, BlocPower
  • Jonathan Hartman, Architect LEED AP BD+C Principal, Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc.
  • Jena Jadallah, Energy Management Engineer, Genentech
  • Panama Bartholomy, Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition
  • Jeffrey Skacel, Genentech, Senior Energy Program Manager.

The Indicators Report Program is made possible thanks to support from the County of San Mateo, Cities in San Mateo County and Google. Thanks to the generosity of Genentech, our Host Sponsor, we were able to offer you this event free of charge.

About the Speakers

Panama Bartholomy

Keynote Speaker and Panelist: Panama Bartholomy,
Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition

 

Panama is the Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a multi-sector forum advocating for and creating solutions for our pollution-intensive building stock. Previously, Panama was the European Director of the Investor Confidence Project where he worked to unlock capital markets for energy efficiency project development. Panama was the Advisor on Energy and Natural Resources to California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez. He has served as Deputy Director of the California Energy Commission’s Efficiency and Renewables Division and advisor for Chairwomen Douglas and Pfannenstiel.  He has worked on vocational environmental education, and ran the Sustainable Schools program for the Division of the State Architect. Panama served on the City of Sacramento Planning Commission and the County of Sacramento Environmental Commission, and is a former board member on the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and past president of the Northern California Chapter of the USGBC. He has worked on climate solutions in over 30-countries, presented at and collaborated on products from the United Nations, the International Energy Agency and the European Commission.

Susan Wright photo

Panel Moderator: Susan Wright

Susan Wright is a Program Manager at the County of San Mateo Office of Sustainability where she leads climate protection initiatives including energy efficiency and electrification, reach code development, electric vehicle adoption, climate action planning, climate resilience, and water quality improvement. She provides leadership for a monthly working group to help jurisdictions in San Mateo County align their climate action efforts. She also collaborates with regional stakeholders to scale up efforts to transition homes and businesses from natural gas to all-electric energy. Susan graduated from Principia College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and holds a Master of Public Administration from Presidio Graduate School.

Jeannie Linam

Welcome Address

Jeannie Linam currently leads the Climate Action and Resilience Program at Genentech with the goal to integrate climate action into all aspects of the company in order to use our full influence to protect the health of patients and the planet.  She has led cross-functional teams and projects with previous roles ranging from circularity and zero waste to sustainability communications and reporting, to eco-anxiety strategies. She earned an MBA in Sustainable Business Management at Presidio Graduate School and an MA in Art and Social Change at Naropa University.

Jonathan Hartman photo

Panelist

Jonathan Hartman, RA, leads Group 4’s technical design and construction administration team, helping clients and designers evaluate and integrate deeply sustainable strategies with award-winning architecture. Jonathan has managed many of Group 4’s most innovative and complex sustainable design projects, such as the multiple award-winning LEED-NC Gold Roosevelt Community Center in San Jose, LEED-NC Platinum Mitchell Park Community Center in Palo Alto, LEED-NC Platinum San Jose Environmental Innovation Center, and the recently completed all-electric net-zero Burlingame Community Center.

Roopak Kandasamy photo

Panelist

Roopak Kandasamy leads building electrification start-up BlocPower’s partnership with Menlo Park, CA, which is targeting net-zero emissions by 2030. He honed his background in scaling strategy & operations at start-ups (BetterUp, Linqia), corporate turnarounds (General Electric, Aol), and the MBA program at University of California-Berkeley. Roopak serves as President of the Board of Directors at climate advocacy non-profit 350 Bay Area. He finds balance in music and the great outdoors.

Jeff Skacel

Panelist

Jeffrey Skacel, Genentech, Senior Energy Program Manager. Genentech is a leading biotech company located in South San Francisco. Our SSF site is 5.5 million sq. feet and 12,000 employees. At Genentech, I lead energy efficiency programs on the Energy & Water team for South San Francisco and Dixon campuses. I have been a full-time GNE employee for 3.5 years and prior to joining the company I was a full-time contractor supporting the Energy & Water Team. My experience ranges from building automation to software and startups. I have a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, San Diego. As an engineer and father, I am passionate about sustainability and making the planet a better place for the next generation. Roche’s 10-year ambition of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 50% by 2029 from a 2019 baseline resonates with me because as a Californian I have experienced the direct impacts of Climate Change on my health and surrounding environment.

Jena Jadallah photo

Panelist

Jena Jadallah, Energy Management Engineer on the Energy and Water Team, Genentech. Jena has worked at Genentech for almost 5 years, she graduated from Gonzaga University where she studied Engineering Management with a Mechanical concentration. Jena is Bay Area native, born and raised in San Francisco, she is passionate about energy efficiency, electrification, and all the innovative solutions that come with it in this area.

Thank you to our Sponsors

PLATINUM:
Belmont
Brisbane
Hillsborough
San Carlos
San Mateo
South San Francisco

GOLD
Foster City
Menlo Park
Portola Valley
Redwood City

SILVER
Atherton
Colma
Daly City
Half Moon Bay
Millbrae
Pacifica

BRONZE
Burlingame