About Us
With over 15 years experience guiding multi-stakeholder processes to success, our team has the experience you need to get it done.
About our Founder and CEO.
Kim Carnahan has over 15 years of experience in climate change and energy, including serving as the Chief Negotiator for Climate Change at the US Department of State. Over nearly a decade at the State Department, she managed the 13-government agency team that negotiated the Paris Agreement and its implementing guidance as well as energy and environment agreements at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO). She has a deep background in environmental markets, having previously served as the International Policy Director at the International Emissions Trading Association, as well as in alternative fuels and management consulting, thanks to her time as Senior Director for Net Zero Fuels and Market-Based Solutions at ENGIE Impact, a global energy and climate consulting firm. Kim spearheaded the launch of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) in 2o21, in partnership with environmental NGOs and nearly 2 dozen major global corporations. She continues to manage SABA, which enables companies to decarbonize air transport through investment in sustainable aviation fuel, and is currently developing similar initiatives in adjacent sectors.
Ellen Palmer
Chief Finance & Operations Officer
Ellen is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in finance and operational leadership, specializing in climate and energy sectors. At Neoteric, she plays a pivotal role in overseeing finance, operations, and human resources, ensuring the organization’s short and long-term health.
Prior to her current position, Ellen served as the CFO/COO at Fresh Energy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to shaping clean energy policy in Minnesota and producing the national Energy News Network. She also served as the CFO/COO and sustainability director at a climate-positive outdoor apparel company. Ellen specializes in bringing teams and missions to life through sound financial guidance and management, human resource development, and effective systems and processes that support substantial organizational growth. She holds a bachelors degree in Environmental Studies and an MBA, and is an accreditation executive leadership coach.
Andre de Fontaine
Senior Director
Andre has more than a decade of experience managing complex energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, with a special focus on developing and managing multi-stakeholder initiatives. Previously, at ENGIE Impact, he led the firm’s green fuels work in the United States, and helped private companies, state governments and non-profit organizations evaluate clean hydrogen and other alternative fuels technologies and policies. He also led the first-ever collective procurement for sustainable aviation fuel on behalf of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance. Before joining ENGIE, Andre worked on industrial decarbonization at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he launched the Better Plants program, a voluntary energy efficiency partnership consisting of some of the world’s largest manufacturing companies. Prior to DOE, he was a Fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, where he helped advance market-based climate policies and engagement with the Center’s Business Environmental Leadership Council. Andre has a BA in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego and an MA in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
Kari Pederson
Chief of Staff, Senior Advisor
As the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at Neoteric, Kari brings a unique blend of experience in corporate operations and executive communications, coupled with a deep background in the negotiation of U.S. climate policy and management of federally-funded climate and energy programs. In her current role, she specializes in end-to-end campaign creation, strategy, and implementation, as well as other special projects related to Neoteric's future nonprofit efforts.
Kari most recently served as the deputy lead for the CEO of Apple’s Executive Operations team where she was responsible for providing comprehensive principal management for the CEO and other executives by driving high-impact communication strategies, leading collaborative project management, and successfully managing executive presence at key global events. Prior to Apple, she spent nearly seven years working in the climate and energy space in government, most notably as climate officer and negotiator at the U.S. State Department where she focused on advancing U.S. climate change adaptation priorities on the global stage.
Alison Greene
Communications Manager
As Communications Manager, Alison brings more than 10 years of experience in the energy and climate space developing, coordinating, and executing initiatives to communicate value proposition, build and strengthen brand awareness and reputation, and drive engagement. At Neoteric, she manages multi-disciplinary communications efforts, including the development of the nonprofit GMA.
Prior to her current role, Alison was Director of Marketing & Communications for Anew Climate, where she played a key role in the company’s branding and messaging efforts prior to and in conjunction with its formation. She also spent over 6 years in the traditional energy services industry where she helped champion emerging sustainability communications initiatives. Alison has successfully directed internal and external communications, digital content and campaigns, events, and branding campaigns in close collaboration with executive teams. She holds a BS in Mass Communications from Boston University and lives in Roswell, Georgia.
Clayton Gerber
Program Manager
As a Program Manager at Neoteric, Clayton leads sectoral initiatives to design market-based initiatives and systems to drive resources towards decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. He leverages his sustainability consulting and economic background to bring an analytical, strategic, and environmental perspective to program design. He is currently leading AIM's efforts in decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking and cement/concrete.
Prior to Neoteric, Clayton was a consultant at ENGIE Impact helping corporate clients establish, plan for, and operationalize their GHG reduction strategy. Clayton specialized on market-based mechanisms for innovative technologies and transportation fleet decarbonization across industries such as technology, consumer products, and semiconductors. Before that, he was a consultant at Novantas (now Curinos) advising financial institutions on their pricing strategy and network transformation. Clayton holds a BA in Economics with a minor in Sustainability and Environmental Management from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Oakland, CA.
Ashini Khetpal
Project Manager
Ashini has a background in business strategy with experience in management consulting and startup strategy. In her role at Neoteric, she provides operational and analytical support for project teams, manages stakeholders across Neoteric's initiatives, and coordinates business operations.
Prior to Neoteric, Ashini was on the Strategy and B2B Ops team at Impossible Foods, where she led special projects to enable data-driven decision-making and accelerate the company's progress toward its sustainability mission. Before that, she was a consultant at EY-Parthenon, specializing in commercial due diligence efforts for investment firms. Ashini holds a BA in Chemistry from Williams College.
Edmond Yi
Project Associate, Alternative Fuels and GHG Accounting
Edmond is an engineer with diverse experience in energy policy and climate regulation. In his role at Neoteric, he works with fuel producers and aviation customers to drive the uptake of high-integrity sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into a quickly evolving market.
In his prior work, Edmond leveraged his experience with energy policy and life cycle assessment to contribute to the development of electricity transmission infrastructure and power markets, as well as implement regulatory programs to reduce the climate impacts of transportation fuels. During his time at the California Air Resources Board, Edmond was an Air Resources Engineer and led the verification process for lifecycle carbon intensities for LCFS-certified fuel pathways. Most recently, Edmond worked at the California Public Utilities Commission as the project manager for the Public Advocate’s Office for multiple transmission infrastructure permitting proceedings.
Edmond holds a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an MS in Energy, Civil Infrastructure, and Climate from UC Berkeley.
Sam Pearl Schwartz
Project Associate
Sam has a background in international energy and climate policy with experience supporting strategic partnerships and membership-driven organizations within the voluntary market. In his role at Neoteric, he manages the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation (AIM) Platform and provides support to decarbonize heavy-duty trucking.
Prior to Neoteric, Sam worked on the Next Generation Carbon Free Electricity team at the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA). He supported CEBA’s efforts to develop the next generation of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) to enable more impactful voluntary market clean energy procurement. Before that, Sam worked at the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, a group of nonprofits, large energy customers, and energy suppliers striving to solve the market and policy barriers to decarbonizing thermal energy usage.
Sam holds a MA in International Affairs and Energy Policy from Georgetown University, and a BA in History from Tufts University.
Alex Coulombe
Project Associate, Team Coordinator
Alex has a background in environmental commodities trading with experience across voluntary and compliance markets globally. In her role at Neoteric, she manages stakeholders for the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance and coordinates business operations.
Prior to Neoteric, Alex worked at ACT Commodities where she focused on new product development within the voluntary market, generating new trading strategies for 24/7 renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuel certificates, and scope 3 environmental solutions. She supported carbon accounting for corporate customers, building customized environmental attribute inventories to align with industry standards including GHG Protocol, RE100, and SBTi.
Alex holds a BS in Economics and Environmental Studies from Northeastern University.