Kate Gordon most recently served as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, where she led initiatives to help drive a more sustainable and inclusive energy transition.

Prior to her time in Washington, she served as Senior Climate Policy Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and helped develop some of the most forward looking policies at the state level. She is now a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley’s HAAS School of Business, and is writing a book about place-based policy and investment approaches to the US energy transition. 

In this episode we cover...

[1:20] Kate's unique regional development and why climate change is felt locally

[4:05] The importance of place-based initiatives and understanding communities

[8:14] Positive Feedback Loops

[10:00] Kate’s work at the state level on the Climate Catalyst Fund

[13:50] The Community Economic Resilience Fund

[16:24 ] The historic nature of the current federal climate funding

[18:55] How to turn historic funding into meaningful climate progress

[21:23] The Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm’s, key experiences

[23:25] The Community Benefits Plans Criteria

[28:45] CBP Success Stories

[32:45] The importance of repurposing America's current infrastructure

[34:35] Tangible examples of where we can repurpose energy infrastructure

[38:44] The biggest underinvested opportunities in climate

[42:10] A fun fact about Kate

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Episode recorded on January 19, 2024