Team

Richard Branson

Back to Top Chairman, Virgin Group (BVI)
JUCCCE Honorary Committee Member

Best known best for his successful companies under the Virgin brand name, Sir Richard is also famous for his extreme sporting endeavors and philanthropy.

Richard Branson was born on July 18, 1950. While attending school he started a national magazine called Student at the age of 16, and a year later founded his first charity, Student Advisory Center, to help young people. At 20 he set up Virgin as a mail order record retailer.

Virgin opened its first store on Oxford Street in London, and then a recording studio in Oxfordshire in 1972. Mike Oldfield was the first artist to sign with Virgin records and his album "Tubular Bells" sold more than five million copies.

Virgin expanded into a highly successful record label best known for putting out the first "Sex Pistols" album, and went on to promote numerous international superstars including Genesis, Bryan Ferry, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and others. Virgin Music was sold in 1992 for $1 billion.

Branson's private company, Virgin Group, is the parent to a host of different ventures from airlines and software publishing to mobile phones, wine sales and railroads. Virgin emphasizes presenting customers with a different, more entertaining way of achieving their goal.

In addition to his business activities Sir Richard is also a trustee for numerous charities including The Healthcare Foundation, International Rescue Corps, Peace One Day and his own organization, Virgin Unite.

At the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2006, Sir Richard pledged 3 billion dollars to combat global warming and support the expansion of renewable energy production. His commitment will be funded by personal profits from Virgin's rail and airline businesses over the next ten years.

The Queen of England knighted Sir Richard in 1999 for his business ability, promotion of entrepreneurship and enthusiasm for the spirit of Britain. He lives in London and Oxfordshire, and is married with two children.

James E. Rogers

Back to Top Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
JUCCCE Honorary Committee Member

Jim Rogers is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy. Rogers has nearly 20 years of experience as a chief executive officer in the electric utility industry. He was named president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy following the merger of Duke Energy and Cinergy in April 2006. Before the merger, Rogers served as Cinergy's chairman and chief executive officer for more than 11 years. Prior to the formation of Cinergy, he joined PSI Energy in 1988 as the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer. Rogers has served as deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); executive vice president of interstate pipelines for the Enron Gas Pipeline Group; and as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. In the course of his career, Rogers has served more than 40 cumulative years on the boards of Fortune 500 companies. He is currently a director of Fifth Third Bancorp, Cigna Corporation and Applied Materials, Inc. He has served as a director of Duke Realty Corporation, Cinergy Corp., PSI Energy, Bankers Life Holding Corporation, Irkutskenergo AO (a Russian utility), and Indiana National Bank. He is immediate past chairman and ex officio member of the Executive Committee of the Edison Electric Institute; and is chairman of the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He serves as a member of the board of directors and the Executive Committee of the Nuclear Energy Institute, and is a board member of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. Rogers also serves on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Business Roundtable, the National Coal Council, the National Petroleum Council, and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. In 2007, Rogers was named the energy industry's CEO of the Year by Platts and Business Person of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal.

John Koo

Back to Top Chairman, LS Corp.
JUCCCE Honorary Committee member Mr. John Koo, former Chairman and CEO of LG Electronics Inc., was selected as the Chairman of LS Cable Ltd. and LS Industrial Systems Co., Ltd on January 1, 2004. Currently, he is the Chairman & Chairman of the Board of Directors of LS Corp.

Shortly after graduating from Princeton University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, Mr. Koo joined LG International Corp., which serves as the trading arm of LG. From 1977 to 1979, he served as director of LGI’s branch office in Hong Kong, and later moved on to become the regional director of the company’s Singapore office from 1982 to 1987. In 1987, Mr. Koo transferred to LG Electronics Inc. (formerly Goldstar Co. Ltd.) as senior vice president of overseas operations, and was promoted to executive vice president the following year. He was promoted to senior executive vice president in 1991, president in 1994, CEO in 1996 and Chairman & CEO in 2003.

Mr. Koo also served as the chairman of Electronic Industries Association of Korea (EIAK), as the chairman of Electronic Display Industrial Research Association of Korea (EDIRAK), as the chairman of Industrial Design Committee of FKI (Federation of Korean Industries). as the chairman of Korean Committee of International Council on Large Electric Systems and as the Chairman of Board, Korea Institute of Design Promotion.

Mr. Koo is the recipient of Korea’s Gold Tower-Order of the Industrial Service Merit award in 1995. He enjoys playing basketball and golf, and is an accomplished Baduk (oriental board game) player of the sixth degree.

Nicky Gavron

Back to Top Former Vice Mayor of London
JUCCCE honorary Committee member Nicky Gavron has been at the forefront of land-use, transport and environmental policy making for London for over two decades, becoming the first statutory Deputy Mayor, 2000-2008.

Leading for the Mayor on the London Plan and climate change, she introduced groundbreaking policies and strategies to reduce C02 emissions, brought together in the revised London Plan and Climate Change Action Plan. Initiatives included the establishment of the London Climate Change Agency, Better Buildings Partnership and C40 Large Cities Leadership Group.

Re-elected as a London Assembly Member in May 2008, she now chairs the London Assembly Planning and Housing Committee and is very active in promoting the climate change agenda in London and internationally.

Marjorie Yang

Back to Top Chairman and CEO of Esquel Group (HK)
JUCCCE Honorary Committee Member 2008

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the shirt manufacturing giant Esquel Group, Marjorie Yang is one of the world's most successful businesswomen, named among FORTUNE's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for six consecutive years between 2000 and 2005.

Marjorie places strong emphasis on ethical business practices, social and environmental responsibility and worker welfare. "It is very important for us to set an example in Asia as a company that can be both viable and socially conscious," she says. "If we can continue to set that standard, others will follow in our path."

Marjorie was born in Hong Kong but received higher education in the United States. She holds a BSc in mathematics from M.I.T., and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She and her father established Esquel, and from small beginnings the company rapidly expanded into a leading manufacturer of high-quality men's cotton shirts with annual revenues of over $500 million and clients such as Polo, Hugo Boss, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Under Marjorie's leadership, Esquel has adopted progressive management techniques and a dynamic, vertically integrated operations structure that controls everything from growing the cotton used in its shirts to packaging, export and retailing of the finished product.

In addition to her work with Esquel, Marjorie is the Director of Conservation International and holds non-executive Directorship postings with several corporations including Swire Pacific Limited, HSBC and the Asia Business Council. Her daughter, Dee Poon, is also a JUCCCE affiliate.

Marjorie is a standing member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for China's northwestern province of Xinjiang, where she has undertaken extensive efforts to revitalize the economy and promote education among impoverished children.

Steve Papermaster

Back to Top Co-Chair of Energy Committee, US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
JUCCCE Co-Founder, US Steering Committee Chair

Steve Papermaster is an experienced entrepreneur and investor in the private sector as well as an active leader in a number of key public sector roles. As Chairman of Powershift Ventures L.P., an Austin, Texas, USA based venture capital firm, Mr. Papermaster focuses on investments in technology companies, including software and internet, bio and nanotech, and clean energy. Mr. Papermaster has also provided innovative, constructive leadership to several public sector initiatives which impact United States and international policies for science, technology, and economic development.

Primary among these is Mr. Papermaster's role on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which he was appointed to by President George W. Bush in 2001. His present and past entrepreneurial experiences include serving as Chairman, CEO and/or board member for several public and private companies. In addition to his PCAST initiatives, Mr. Papermaster serves as chairman of Technology Network Texas (TechNet), as well as being a member of TechNet's National Executive Committee. Mr. Papermaster is a past recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and has served as a national judge and represented the United States as the judge for the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards. He is active as a community leader with organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Innovation Alliance, and 360 Summits.

Peggy Liu

Back to Top Chairperson

Peggy Liu is Chairperson of JUCCCE. She was honored as a Time Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader 2009. Peggy was an adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative 2008 on Energy & Climate Change. Most recently, Peggy was COO of Mustang Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund in Shanghai, China. Peggy, an active alumna of MIT, organized the MIT Forum on the Future of Energy in China 2007 from which JUCCCE was formed. In the 1990's Peggy was on the cover of "Red Herring Hits" as an Internet pioneer in Silicon Valley. She was General Manager of Consumer Applications at Zaplet, a dynamic email communications platform (funded by KPCB and acquired by MetricStream). She was also VP of Marketing at SeeUthere.com (now owned by Starcite). As an independent advisor, she consulted ecommerce companies on strategy, fundraising, and business partnerships. In 1996, Peggy co-founded and was CEO of Channel A, one of the earliest business-to-consumer ecommerce web sites. She led NetManage into the retail channel with Internet Chameleon, the first consumer software package to connect Windows users to the Internet. As Product Manager at Symantec, she managed the Macintosh development tools line, helped launch Symantec C++ for Windows, and built the OEM channel for Symantec's Norton Group. Peggy was also a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. Peggy is Chinese-American and resides in Shanghai. She has a B.S. from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Peggy is also a member of TARA (Today's Already Rising Achievers). She has been in non-profit leadership positions for most of her life and has a passion for making the world a better place.

Anita Comisky

Back to Top Chief Financial Officer
Anita Comisky has spent the past 20 years holding key positions in finance and accounting for both for profit and nonprofit organizations. This includes working internationally building organizations and strengthening their financial positions. Anita started her career with Price Waterhouse Coopers (formerly Coopers & Lybrand) performing workouts and turnarounds for financially troubled companies. From there she moved to Gemini Consulting where she spent time in England, Spain and The Netherlands implementing systems and processes to achieve financial growth through efficiency and effectiveness. Anita has most recently been in the role of Chief Financial officer for Griffith Centers for Children a nonprofit focused on providing troubled children and families opportunities to become healthy and productive members of society. There she helped streamline operations and produce positive cash flow.

Peggy Liu

Back to Top JUCCCE Chairperson

Peggy Liu is Chairperson of JUCCCE.She was honored as a Time Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader 2009. Peggy was an adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative 2008 on Energy & Climate Change. Most recently, Peggy was COO of Mustang Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund in Shanghai, China. Peggy, an active alumna of MIT, organized the MIT Forum on the Future of Energy in China 2007 from which JUCCCE was formed. In the 1990's Peggy was on the cover of "Red Herring Hits" as an Internet pioneer in Silicon Valley. She was General Manager of Consumer Applications at Zaplet, a dynamic email communications platform (funded by KPCB and acquired by MetricStream). She was also VP of Marketing at SeeUthere.com (now owned by Starcite). As an independent advisor, she consulted ecommerce companies on strategy, fundraising, and business partnerships. In 1996, Peggy co-founded and was CEO of Channel A, one of the earliest business-to-consumer ecommerce web sites. She led NetManage into the retail channel with Internet Chameleon, the first consumer software package to connect Windows users to the Internet. As Product Manager at Symantec, she managed the Macintosh development tools line, helped launch Symantec C++ for Windows, and built the OEM channel for Symantec's Norton Group. Peggy was also a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. Peggy is Chinese-American and resides in Shanghai. She has a B.S. from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She has been in non-profit leadership positions for most of her life and has a passion for making the world a better place.

Charles McElwee

Back to Top Climate Policy Program Officer,
Climate Works Charles R. McElwee is Program Officer for Climate Policy at ClimateWorks Foundation, an organization that works to prevent dangerous climate change by enabling low-carbon economic growth and sustainable prosperity for people everywhere through an international network of affiliated organizations. Mr. McElwee was trained as a lawyer and practiced environmental and energy law for over 20 years with an international law firm, including five years in Shanghai. He is also an adjunct professor of law at Shanghai Jiaotong University’s School of Law (where he won the President’s Prize for extraordinary contributions to the University in 2009). For the last two years he served as chair of the Environment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai. Mr. McElwee is a frequent author, speaker, and commentator on China environmental and energy issues. He was awarded the Shanghai Municipal Government’s Magnolia Award (the highest honor the City bestows upon foreigners) in 2008.

David Nieh

Back to Top

David Nieh serves as General Manager of Planning and Development for Shui On Land. He formerly directed the studio for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's Shanghai office. David is a registered architect and certified planner, as well as a Leadership in Energy Efficient Design Accredited Professional. He was chief architect for the City of San Jose and Redevelopment Agency, and has taught architecture, urban design, and urban studies at Stanford University. Mr. Nieh has served on boards ranging from strategic economics, creative communities, campus development, education, social innovation, biotech, and public art. This past year, he was Co-Chair of the Global Leadership Forum for Economic and Cultural Development in Silicon Valley, hosting 15 international city-regions in conjunction with the ISEA 2006 Biennale (International Society for the Electronic Arts) and Pacific Rim New Media Summit (PRNMS). His work has won numerous awards, and he has been a guest speaker in Asia, North America and Europe. With social consciousness and energy sustainability as key principles, his projects are large-scale and urban in nature, focusing on the translation of strategic planning initiatives into the implementation of infrastructure, architecture and built form.

Zhaozu Jiang

Back to Top Vice Chairman, IAC: Chairman, Energy Development and Research Center
JUCCCE Co-Founder

Mr. Jiang Zhaozu was the director general of fuel and power bureau (Energy bureau) of State Development Planning Commission, executive vice chairman and executive vice general manager of China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, advisor of Shanxia Project leading group of water resources department, senior consultant of energy bureau, member of Chinese representative for World Energy Congress. Currently he is the vice chairman of IAC and chairman of energy development and research center. He is also an advisor of China International Engineering Consulting Corporation (CIECC) committee of experts.

Stephen Hammer Ph.D

Back to Top Director
JUCCCE Energy Smart Cities Initiative Dr. Stephen Hammer recently joined JUCCCE as Executive Director of the China Energy Smart Cities Initiative. Dr. Hammer was previously Director of the Urban Energy Program at Columbia University's Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, where he led a team conducting research on energy markets, technology, policy and regulation in cities. Dr. Hammer continues to teach courses on energy policy-making in cities to graduate students at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. In 2007, Dr. Hammer co-founded the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), an international consortium of academic researchers focused on the analysis of climate change as it relates to cities around the world. Dr. Hammer is a member of New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s Energy Policy Task Force; a climate change policy advisor to the State of New York; and a consultant to the World Bank, where he works on a project exploring how to promote energy efficiency in developing country cities. Dr. Hammer holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, a masters degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelors degree in environmental policy analysis and planning from the University of California at Davis.

Anita Comisky

Back to Top CFO
Anita Comisky has spent the past 20 years holding key positions in finance and accounting for both for profit and nonprofit organizations. This includes working internationally building organizations and strengthening their financial positions. Anita started her career with Price Waterhouse Coopers (formerly Coopers & Lybrand) performing workouts and turnarounds for financially troubled companies. From there she moved to Gemini Consulting where she spent time in England, Spain and The Netherlands implementing systems and processes to achieve financial growth through efficiency and effectiveness. Anita has most recently been in the role of Chief Financial officer for Griffith Centers for Children a nonprofit focused on providing troubled children and families opportunities to become healthy and productive members of society. There she helped streamline operations and produce positive cash flow.

ML Chan, PhD

Back to Top Executive Director, JUCCCE Smart Grid Cooperative
JUCCCE Smart Grid Cooperative

Dr. ML Chan, Vice President of Asian Development, Quanta Technology, LLC, which is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has expertise in Smart Grid and the utilization of computer and communications system technologies to deliver power system reliability, performance improvement, and optimal asset management for utilities. He combines his power system planning and operations expertise to integrate renewable, distributed energy resources, demand responses and load management, AMI/AMR systems, Home Automation Network (HAN), feeder automation, substation automation, SCADA, asset condition monitoring, condition-based maintenance (CBM), phasor measurement unit, wide area protection and FACTS technologies into a Smart Grid vision for utilities. The full realization of that vision is made possible when Dr. Chan guides utilities in developing and implementing enterprise IT system architecture to provide business intelligence for utility operations. His environmental resources background since the 70's also provides with significant insight to integrate renewable resources, demand side management and efficient energy building technologies into utility operations and planning. For more than 30 years, Dr. Chan has provided consulting services to over 70 utilities in the United States and around the world. He has published over 60 technical papers in the open literature, and has given many presentations and speeches in seminars and tutorials. He is the Chair of IEEE Power System Planning and Implementation Committee, and a member of Executive Advisory Committee for DistrbuTECH Conferences. He is also on the Editorial Board of IEEE Transactions on Power Systems. Dr. Chan has SB, SM and Electrical Engineer's degrees from MIT, and PhD from Cornell University. Prior to joining Quanta Technology, he worked with Energy Resources Company, Tetra Tech, Systems Control, Inc., Energy Management Associates, ECC, Inc., ML Consulting Group, SchlumbergerSema, and KEMA, Inc.

O Koo

Back to Top Managing Director

O Koo is an energy expert, with almost a decade of experience in China. He is recognized by his proven track record in anticipating, advising, and implementing sustainable and energy efficiency solutions, and has worked with governments assisting with new legislation and adoption of energy efficiency policies throughout Asia Pacific.

O Koo is a Co-Founder of Noether Associates, and serves as an Executive Consultant to Dow Chemical Co.

O Koo began his career with Merrill Lynch and later joined General Electric where he held various leadership roles including Quality Leader at GE Industrial Systems, and General Manager for GE Asia's Lighting business. He has appeared on television, a keynote presenter at international conferences on energy efficiency, and a guest speaker for universities including Harvard, Insead, MIT, and Stanford, and most recently, attended Asia New Leader Dialogue in Jakarta.

Elizabeth Campbell

Back to Top Chief of Staff to the Chairperson
Elizabeth Campbell is Chief of Staff to the Chairperson of JUCCCE (Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy), where she assists the Chairperson in organizational development. During her time in China, Elizabeth has worked with migrant workers in Beijing and Miao minority groups in Guizhou. She is an award-winning public speaker, and is fluent in Mandarin. She is committed to furthering a positive course in Sino-American relations. Elizabeth is a graduate of Yale University (B.A., Political Science, with distinction, 2009), Milton Academy (cum laude, 2005), and the Harvard Beijing Academy. Elizabeth has been a recipient of Yale University's Frank M. Patterson Prize in Political Science, the Howard Topol Roberts Fellowship Prize, the Mellon Undergraduate Research Grant, the Yale-China Public Service Fellowship, and the Richard U. Light Fellowship. Elizabeth is from Jasper, Indiana, USA, and resides in Shanghai.

Mark E. Evans

Back to Top Technical Director
Mark Evans is the Technical Director for JUCCCE (Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy), where he manages all aspects of JUCCCE's web & digital media outreach, as well as JUCCCE's internal information and data systems. Before relocating to China, Mark worked in the renewable energy, CSR & sustainability sectors with Blue Tree Strategies, and the traditional energy business with McCullough Research, where he & his cohorts battled the Enron Corporation over contract termination payments and any general nefarious corporate philandering they could prove. Mark holds a BA in Linguistics from Reed College, which may or may not be helping him learn Mandarin. Mark organizes technology and social entrepreneurship events in Shanghai, takes occasional vacations to far flung places, has a proven track record of cooking amazing food (sometimes for money) and follows football (soccer) closely, especially the Portland Timbers.

Van Yang

Back to Top Creative Director
Van Yang is an award winning director/cinematographer and Creative Director of JUCCCE. He known for his documentary work on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and health in China, including "Green Long March Forward," "Sustainable Cities in China," and "Changing Lives in China" which won at the 2009 UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference International Video Contest. Van believes film is akin to dance: a choreography of movement to music that serves to inform, empower and inspire. He is known in the film community for an intimate, cinematic style and a collection of vintage lenses dating back to 1966. His past projects include the U.S. Dept of Energy, Coco-Cola, GE, L'Oreal, American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, Duke Energy and award winning Chinese actress & environmentalist Li Bingbing.

Yiwei Chen

Back to Top Program Manager, JUCCCE Smart Grid Cooperative
Prior to joining JUCCCE in 2009, Yiwei served as a professional translator and education consultant in Taiwan. She also spent two years volunteering with a Taiwan-based Charity Foundation to learn about international disaster relief and management of international charity organization. She received Masters of Public Policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2009 with a concentration on energy and environmental policy. At JUCCCE, Yiwei assists in the Energy Smart Cities Initiative and serves as program manager for the JUCCCE Smart Grid Cooperative.

John Haffner

Back to Top Executive in Residence
John Haffner is Executive in Residence at JUCCCE, where he is collaborating with JUCCCE Chairperson Peggy Liu on a forthcoming book on clean energy leadership in China. An energy specialist focused on the climate challenge, John’s career includes experience in the private, public, academic and nonprofit sectors. A qualified lawyer, John has served as a management and policy consultant to various organisations in the energy sector, an environmental advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, has made constructive contributions to improved Canadian and international nuclear law and policy, and is now completing a book on global energy policy based on more than 50 interviews with energy experts worldwide. Prior to becoming a 2008 World Fellow at Yale University, John was project manager of Ontario Power Generation’s role in the province’s $60 billion, 20-year energy plan.

John’s experience in Asia includes China law studies at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, work for McKinsey & Co. in Japan, and lead authorship of Japan’s Open Future: an Agenda for Global Citizenship (Anthem Press, 2009). In addition to his work at JUCCCE, John is completing a study for Yale University on renewable energy innovation in Asia in the aftermath of the financial crisis.