Title

Formulating Policy and Saving the World: Creating a shared mission in a world of agendas

Time

1:40pm - 3:00pm

Location

Remote instruction

Abstract

The transportation sector is in transition, with electrification, emerging automation, and new connected, digitalized technologies that enable greater optimization than was ever before possible. To address climate change, reduce air pollution, and make for a cleaner, healthier sector with greater transportation access for all, this transition requires rapid and thoughtful deployment. But the industry, government (federal and state), and NGOs do not always agree on the best path forward, and policies can be inexact and inconsistent tools. This discussion will explore coalition-building efforts and explore strategies to move the mission forward, build consensus, and formulate policy in a complex environment.

Biographical Sketch

Natasha Vidangos is the Vice President of Research & Analysis at the Alliance to Save Energy, where she directs the Alliance’s research priorities and oversees strategic initiatives, including establishing networks among private sector, governments, and advocacy groups to define and advocate for the evolving opportunities for energy efficiency in a transforming energy sector. She leads the Alliance to Save Energy 50×50 Transportation Initiative, the Energy Efficiency Impact Report, and the Alliance’s new initiative in 2020, the Active Efficiency Collaborative. Prior to joining the Alliance, Natasha served as one of the founding members of the Energy Resources Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, serving as Senior Power Sector Advisor, Senior Western Hemisphere Energy Officer, and a science policy fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She also collaborated with the Department of Energy Office of Energy and Policy Systems Analysis and was the lead drafter for North American power systems integration for the second installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review. Natasha holds a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was an NSF Graduate Fellow, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Yale University. She was listed among Public Utilities Fortnightly’s “Fortnightly Under Forty” in 2019.