Frank J. Macchiarola is Chief Policy Officer at American Clean Power Association (ACP). In this role, he leads a policy team developing the framework necessary to efficiently deploy the full suite of advanced clean energy technologies.

Prior to joining ACP, Frank served as Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics, and Regulatory Affairs at the American Petroleum Institute and Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at America’s Natural Gas Alliance. Earlier in his career, Frank served as Staff Director of the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the US Senate Committee on Health Education Labor & Pensions. He was also a partner in the Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell LLP.

Frank currently serves as an associate member of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Energy & Environmental Markets Advisory Committee and a member of the board of directors of the National Brain Tumor Society. He was twice recognized by National Journal as a top Capitol Hill staff member, and in 2022 he was named by Washingtonian as one of the 500 most influential people shaping public policy.

Frank earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, M.P.Aff. from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and A.B. in History from College of the Holy Cross.

Mr. Prashant Krishnan is currently working as Director Health and Safety with EDP Renewables and is based in Houston, Texas. Mr. Krishnan has over 11 years of engineering and compliance experience in conventional and renewable energy industries. He oversees the Health, Safety and Quality Programs for the North America platform, consisting of constructing 500 - 1,000 MW annually, operating greater than 6.5 GW and developing future projects. His key focus is to drive improvements in the safety culture at operating sites, construction sites and development regions by implementing programs that have clear definition of the desired culture EDPR North America wishes to achieve.

Kristy Abel is the Head of HSE for Vestas North Americas Region. Kristy is responsible for facilitating best in class safety governance and performance for over 250 service locations throughout the US and Canada, 2 manufacturing facilities for turbine nacelles and blades in Colorado, transport of turbine components from port to construction sites, and many other activities within the Vestas portfolio including an emerging offshore business.
Kristy brings over 20 years of experience in energy generation, transmission and distribution; primarily in HSE and operational positions.

Jason has made it his mission to share his experience as an arc flash survivor to help others stay safe on the job. He is currently the Lead Corporate Safety and Technical Trainer for Tyndale Enterprises, Inc. and an NFPA Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP). Jason has been an NFPA 70E instructor for several years and has been a certified master electrician for over 28 years. His nationally recognized presentations include his own compelling arc flash survival and recovery story.

JC Sandberg is the Chief Advocacy Officer at the American Clean Power Association (ACP). He leads ACP’s state and federal advocacy and regulatory policy work as well as ACP’s legal and research teams. Prior to joining ACP, Sandberg led global government affairs and policy at GE Renewable Energy. In this role, JC was instrumental in the global growth of the company’s onshore and offshore wind, grid, hydro, and storage businesses. Sandberg played an active role in the establishment of policy and regulatory frameworks enabling the accelerated deployment of renewable energy in domestic and foreign markets.

Sandberg began his policy career in 2001 as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works where his portfolio included surface transportation, federal government response to the 9/11 attacks and a range of environmental issues. During his Senate tenure, Sandberg was a lead Senate negotiator on the $300 billion reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Following his work on the Hill, he served as Counsel to the law firm of Baker Donelson where he advised clients on energy and infrastructure issues.

Sandberg earned his B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from the University of Arizona.

Laura Wilson Phelan is the Chief Strategy and Program Officer for the Clean Power Institute and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Leadership at the American Clean Power Association. In this role, she supports the development of the vision for the Clean Power Institute, specifically related to workforce development, as well as its operations. Laura comes to ACP with extensive experience at grassroots’ and management levels across the non-profit and government sectors. She began her career as a teacher through Teach For America and the Peace Corps. She later applied her field experience to policy work at the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State and U.S. House of Representatives before becoming a founding member of the leadership team at Teach For All and a senior advisor on social policy at Teach For America. She later led operations and national work for the Flamboyan Foundation. Most recently, Laura founded and led Kindred, a nonprofit focused on creating racially and educationally equitable schools. She served as an elected member of the DC State Board of Education from 2015-2019.

Laura earned a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, teaching certification from National Hispanic University, a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Wake Forest University and is fluent in Spanish. She is an avid soccer player and fan and is the proud mother of twin middle school students.

Kelly Darnell is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the American Clean Power Association and President of the Clean Power Institute. She is the former Interim Chief Executive Officer and COO for the Bipartisan Policy Center.

She previously served as COO at The Executive Leadership Council, United Way of the National Capital Area and for the Washington, D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Prior to her operations positions, she worked at Bank of America in Capital Markets Structured Finance, focusing on mortgage finance and derivatives.  She also practiced corporate law at Saul Ewing, LLP.

Kelly’s political positions include serving as the Federal Affairs Director for the City of Atlanta and as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta in the U.S. House of Representatives.

She is the Immediate Past President of the D.C. Bar Foundation and serves on the University of Maryland and School of Public Policy Dean’s Advisory Council. She is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and has received numerous awards, including the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award.

She received her B.A. in Economics from Spelman College and an M.P.M. from the University of Maryland. She received her law degree from the American University, Washington College of Law.