California
Bob Keefe is E2’s executive director, overseeing all aspects of E2’s work and its staff and chapters stretching from New York to San Diego. Bob speaks regularly about the clean energy economy and the economic benefits of smart environmental policies. He has testified before Congress and numerous state legislatures and has appeared in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, CNN and others. Bob is the author of two books on the economics of climate change: “Climatenomics: Washington Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet” (2022) and “Clean Economy NOW: Stories from the Frontlines of an American Business Revolution” (2024) and co-author of several other business-related books. Prior to joining E2 in 2011, Bob spent more than 20 years as a journalist, covering business, political, national and environmental news from coast to coast. He served as the Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; as a California-based national reporter for Cox Newspapers/Cox News Service; as technology editor for the Austin (TX) American-Statesman and as a business and investigative reporter at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and The Greenville (SC) News. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Pearl McLeod is E2’s Senior Program Assistant. At E2, Pearl is responsible for supporting many E2 projects and staffers. Prior to E2, Pearl has worked exclusively at environmental non-profits on both development and communications teams. She has led a wide variety of projects, including managing donor databases, creating policy reports, and editing print magazines. Pearl hails from Nova Scotia, Canada and holds a BA in Sociology from University of California, Berkeley.
Midwest
Gail Parson is E2’s Deputy Director. Gail has spent more than 25 years in the nonprofit community, working on issues involving corporate partnerships, volunteer networks, fundraising, communications and grassroots organizing. In addition, she has provided technical assistance to a variety of organizations to develop and implement successful local and federal advocacy campaigns. Gail is a graduate of Indiana University and holds a master’s degree in history from DePaul University.
Micaela Preskill is E2’s Midwest States Advocate. Since 2010, Micaela has run issue and electoral campaigns in Illinois, Colorado, Washington state and Massachusetts for the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Micaela joined E2 from the Public Interest Network in Chicago, where she was the organization’s national recruitment director, responsible for recruiting, training and building staff and volunteer networks across the country. A California native, she is a graduate of Brandeis University.
Mountain West
Susan Nedell is E2’s Mountain West Advocate. Susan has more than 20 years of experience in executive entrepreneurship within the cleantech, aerospace, and software industries. Most recently, she has worked as an industry analyst contributing to Pike Research’s Smart Transportation and Smart Buildings practices. Prior to this she was a senior manager at Eetrex, an early stage engineering company specializing in the development of chargers and inverter-chargers for electric trucks, and Li-ion battery systems for stationary storage. In 1992, Nedell co-founded Wyndemere, an aerospace product design and engineering firm specializing in flight data analysis, decision support systems and aircraft electronics, which was recognized by the Inc 500 list in 1998. Nedell began her career as a planetary geologist at the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, and holds a BA in geology from the University of Vermont as well as an MS in geology from San Jose State University, and a graduate certificate in water engineering and management from the University of Colorado.
Northeast
Ying Li joined E2 full time in 2011 and is now the Director of Development and Fundraising. Prior to that she worked for many years in the Development Operations department at NRDC. Her most recent position there was as senior specialist, working on donor outreach, cultivation, events and data management. During that time, Ying also managed events, membership and advocacy for the New York Metro and New England chapters of E2. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a minor in marketing from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Uchenna Bright is E2’s Eastern States Advocate. Uchenna comes to E2 from NRDC where she worked with the China program and the Climate & Clean Energy program on green buildings and clean vehicles and fuels. In addition, Uchenna co-founded a web-based, green building company that produced a directory in support of individuals and organizations interested in building green. The company bridged the gap between consumers and the green building alternatives they sought by providing free user access to an extensive database of green building materials, professionals and retailers. With her experience at NRDC and her entrepreneurial background, Uchenna understands the value of using multi-faceted strategies to solve complex problems that result in lasting, positive change while also recognizing the crucial role businesses play in shaping economically and environmentally sound policies that successfully transform markets in a productive, sustainable way.
Southeast
Zach Amittay is E2’s Southeast Advocate and leads E2’s work in the region, including in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. Zach was previously an Advocate on E2’s West Coast team, contributing to the organizations work in California, Oregon, and Washington state. Prior to joining E2, Zach was a program assistant for the Natural Resources Defense Council and served on the staff of the late U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. Zach grew up in Massachusetts and received his Bachelor’s from Washington University in St. Louis, where he majored in economics and writing. He lives and works in Western North Carolina.
Washington, DC
Michael Timberlake is E2’s Communications Director. Prior to joining E2 in 2017, Michael worked for DC public affairs firms Finn Partners, Rasky Baerlein-Prism, and Rational 360 where he managed numerous communications campaigns for non-profit, business, and other clients. He also served as the media relations manager for the Alliance to Save Energy in Washington from 2012-2014. A Kansas native, Michael is a graduate of Marquette University.
Sandra Purohit is E2’s Director of Federal Advocacy. Sandra started her career in the private sector working in the environmental claims division of insurance giant, Travelers Inc. She transitioned to non-profit advocacy working with non-partisan organizations large and small from the National Parks Conservation Association to the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. Just before joining E2, Sandra worked for 12 years at Defenders of Wildlife, most recently serving as its Government Relations Legislative Counsel. Sandra holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and economics; a master’s in public finance, management and leadership and a J.D. with an Environmental Law Certification. She also spent time as a legal fellow on Capitol Hill. Originally from South Africa, Sandra now calls the DC metro area home.
