Page 4 - ARCS Pittsburgh Spring 2021 Newsletter

SCHOLAR ALUM
Kathleen Spees, PhD
Principal, The Brattle Group
Kathleen Spees was the 2005-2007 Berdik-Elliott Award scholar. She received her PhD in Engineering & Public Policy from CMU. Here is her update (extracted from a letter to Jeanne Berdik with Kathleen’s permission).
Idefinitely remember ARCS fondly and greatly appreciate the support you and the entire ARCS family offered, as well as the connections with other ARCS scholars.
The summary of my past decade is a bit dense! In my professional life, I joined The Brattle Group, an economic consulting firm, and focused my project
work in the electricity market design area
that I had studied in graduate school. Over the years I’ve helped to build out our electricity markets work to a thriving practice area with global prominence, helping to introduce and improve competitive electricity markets across the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Greece, and Singapore.
I’ve also found a fantastic
professional platform within which
to pursue my passion for improving
electricity policy in ways that will address climate change. I focus on competitive approaches to achieving decarbonization and maintaining electricity system reliability—areas that are complicated from technical, economic, and policy perspectives.
Currently I am assisting several states and a coalition of environmental groups and companies to advance a Forward Clean Energy Market design that state governments can use to rapidly procure large volumes of clean electricity, in order to decarbonize the electricity sector and also help to electrify other economic sectors to advance carbon abatement.
(Read more at https://www.brattle.com/experts/kathleen- spees#publications.) The idea is now being reviewed for adoption by most of the New England governors and is the basis of proposed legislation in three states.
In another exciting project in the area of clean energy, we are supporting the City of New York’s efforts to achieve its 80x50 decarbonization targets by helping to develop and economically model a cap-and-trade program covering the building sector.
I made partner at The Brattle Group two years ago and last summer was elected to the Board of Directors. I am also co-leading the firm’s initiatives to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
On a personal note, we
spent about 10 years in Boston before moving to the DC area.
We love both cities! I have three boys. Maxwell (8), is named after James Clerk Maxwell, a 19th century Scottish physicist known for formulating electromagnetic theory. Magnus (5), has a heritage name. Tycho (8 months) is
named after Tycho Brahe, a 16th century Danish astronomer who established the positions of 1,000
fixed starts with pre-telescope instruments he developed.
I tell you that they keep me busy! This was our first Christmas away from family, and quarantine has been rough on the
older boys, but we are making do with a dining-room- turned-classroom, backyard fire pit, and biking around the neighborhood.
If other ARCS members are in touch with former scholars, please share their stories with Millie Myers msmyers@cmu.edu for inclusion in future newsletters.
Member News
Congratulations to Kathryn Jackson, who joined ARCS Pittsburgh this current 2020- 2021. Kate has been elected to membership
in the National Academy of Engineering,
a great
honor that recognizes her life’s work in engineering and public policy. The citation
reads: For
contributions to management of large-scale power system
technology, and harmonization of engineering solutions with public policy. Currently, Kate is Director of Energy & Technology Consulting at KeySource. She holds a PhD and an
MS in Engineering & Public Policy, an MS in Engineering Management, and a BS in Physics. She did a post-doc at the NAE and
says she feels “honored and humbled” to be recognized by this prestigious institution.
Editor’s note: We’d be delighted to note more of our distinguished members’ accomplishments. Send your news to Millie Myers msmyers@cmu.edu.
Also, feel free to post your news on one or both of our social media groups:
On Facebook search for us as ARCS Pittsburgh or find us at https://www. facebook.com/search/top?q=arcs%20 pittsburgh.
On LinkedIn you can also search for ARCS Pittsburgh or find us at https://www. linkedin.com/groups/8961476/
Recently Beth Wainwright posted a link (with a wonderful diagram) to the work of Nathan Brantly, the second-year scholar featured elsewhere in this newsletter.
Chapter News
How DoesYour Garden Grow?
Jeanne Berdik
There is an ancient saying that “A man (or woman) has no greater love than to plant a tree in whose shade she will never sit.” The ARCS Pittsburgh Endowment Committee wrote to you earlier this month encouraging you to think about endowing a scholar
award by yourself or in partnership with up
to 9 of your current or new best friends. Establishing an Endowed Scholar Award IS like planting a tree whose shade and fruit
will be a gift to generations yet unborn – not just the dozens of scholars who will directly profit from your generosity but potentially the thousands of men, women, and children who will benefit from their research. In just two years, ARCS Pittsburgh has established five Endowed Awards at CMU and one at Pitt. We would love to build on this great start but obviously need your commitment and help to do that. Please contact me at jeanne.berdik@ verizon.net with any questions or just to chat about the possibility of planting that tree today to feed and shade future generations.