Who I am
I left banking on a hunch, moved to Shanghai, and never looked back.
In 2011 I walked away from a career in finance to work on clean energy. China had the most ambitious environmental goals in the world, and coal was choking its cities, so I moved to Shanghai to be where the problem was biggest. I stayed nine years, learned Mandarin, and founded Seeder Clean Energy, one of the first companies in China to offer third-party solar PPAs. Riding the “Solarcoaster” from the inside is why I understand the supply chain US storage projects now depend on.
The lesson I brought home: China has won the battery cell, and refighting that battle slows US deployment. America should treat the cell as a commodity, partner to bring manufacturing onshore, and leapfrog on what comes next. Hear me make the case on Cleaning Up →
Today I’m back in the Bay Area, living in Sausalito and building GridVest, which helps developers and EPCs get battery storage projects built. The through-line hasn’t changed: more clean energy, deployed faster, at a cost that makes sense.
Closer to home, I serve on the City of Sausalito’s Sustainability Commission, pushing for fast-track permitting for battery storage, and as Vice President of the Floating Home Association. As a 2022 Aspen Tech Policy Hub fellow, I wrote a policy brief on solar microgrids for Marin County. Living on the water has shown me what a close community can be, and I’m increasingly interested in how more of us could live that way.
The book I’m writing
Connected Yet Alone
Rebuilding Community in the Digital Age
We have more ways to connect than ever, yet many of us feel lonelier than ever. Drawing on research, expert insight, and personal stories, the book explores why, and offers practical ways to balance our digital lives with real-world connection, build stronger communities, and reclaim a sense of belonging.
Speaks English, conversational Mandarin, and Spanish.
