Ajay Rao is an experienced impact investor in emerging and frontier markets specializing in healthcare, agribusiness, and financial institutions. He also has experience in port infrastructure and small- and mid-sized enterprise-focused debt funds. Prior to his current position as the Regional Managing Director for South Asia at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Ajay served as a Director on the DFC’s Social Enterprise Finance Team, originating and underwriting investments worldwide including Georgia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, India and Pakistan. In India, Ajay has led the accounting for seven projects totaling over $100 million in DFC loans that catalyzed over $150 million of private sector investment for Indian small businesses. Prior to DFC/OPIC Ajay was a small business banker at Citibank, N.A. Ajay is a CFA charterholder, holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. Ajay is also an alumnus of the Caux Scholars Program which provides training to young professionals in conflict resolution and peace building.

Mr. Anand Kumar was appointed as the Chairperson of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) in April 2016. Before this, he served as Chairperson of the Regulatory body of Meghalaya State for 5 years. Besides, he also holds the post of Vice Chairman of the Forum of Regulators and Forum of Indian Regulator and is the Member of the State Advisory Board of Apex body of Auditors. Mr. Kumar has a significant experience of over 37 years in Indian Power Sector, out of which he devoted almost 21 years in Reforms, Restructuring & Regulations. During his career, he has served four States Regulatory Commissions in India. Mr. Kumar holds a master’s degree in Business Management and graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT-Roorkee. He is trained in Software Programming at Hitachi- Japan & Economic Regulations at National Regulatory Research Institute, Ohio University, USA.

Brenda VanHorn is a career member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Counselor currently serving in Mumbai India. In this role, she directs the Commercial Service teams in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in assisting American businesses with market access, information and advocacy. Previous to her India tour she served in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Poland and in the United States. Her efforts contributed to the successful completion of many energy projects worldwide in both the traditional and alternative energy fields. Prior to joining the Commercial Service, Ms. VanHorn enjoyed a career in the private sector where she worked as an International trade manager. Throughout her public and private career, she has focused on opening doors for American businesses in the global marketplace.

Griff ThompsonDirector, Office of Renewable Energy and Energy EfficiencyGriff Thompson is responsible for establishing and managing the strategic direction and programmatic implementation of the office’s mission in promoting U.S. foreign policy and national security goals through electricity system reforms, development of functioning power markets, and revised policy and regulatory frameworks necessary for investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The office is focused on national and regional electricity system reform and market development; and the promotion of innovative policy, regulatory and finance renewable energy and energy efficiency models that drive economic growth and expand domestic and regional security. Before joining the Bureau of Energy Resources, Dr. Thompson was Senior Climate Change Program Manager within the Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, and Lead Negotiator on Technology for the U.S. Government at the UNFCCC. Previously Mr. Thompson has served as Director of the Office of Energy at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), President of the International Institute for Energy Conservation, and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Dr. Thompson has a B.A. in English from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Georgetown University.Dr. Thompsonis also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches graduate classes on “The Geopolitics of Energy,” “Renewable Energy and Sustainability,” and “Ethical Issues in International Development.

Ms. Julia Kennedy Acting Office Director and Deputy Indo-Pacific Coordinator Julia Kennedy is the Acting Office Director and Deputy Indo-Pacific Coordinator at USAID/India and was previously the Deputy Director of the Clean Energy and Environment Office. Ms. Kennedy has served in Haiti and Ecuador. Before joining USAID, she worked for the Department of State climate change negotiations team and reported on environment issues for the U.S. embassy in Chad. Ms. Kennedy also worked for a non-profit supporting community economic development and sustainable urban design in Chicago. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Ms. Kennedy holds a Master’s degree in Global Environmental Policy from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Brown University. She is from Brooklyn, New York.

Kapil Mohan IAS was recently appointed as the Principal Energy Secretary of the Energy Department of Karnataka. He was earlier serving as Principal Secretary to the State Government of Karnataka looking after the Infrastructure Development Department. He has handled various portfolios including Housing, Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Youth Services and Sports Department, and was also leading the Bangalore utility. He is a 1990 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka Cadre.

Karen Klimowski Acting Deputy Mission Director and Indo-Pacific Coordinator, South Asia USAID/India Karen Klimowski, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the U.S. Agency for International Development, has worked in international development for over 30 years in Asia, Pacific Islands, and Africa. She currently serves as the Acting Deputy Mission Director in New Delhi, India, assisting in overseeing programs in energy, environment, health, Tibet issues, education, and digital economy, among others. Prior to assuming her current duties, Ms. Klimowski served as the Indo-Pacific Coordinator for South Asia in India where she provided strategic direction to advance USAID’s Indo-Pacific programs and build strategic partnerships across the region to achieve the U.S. government’s goal of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. She also served in the Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, and Indonesia, overseeing a number of presidential initiatives and programs in health; education; and conflict affected areas, cutting across multiple development sectors including economic growth, democracy and governance, and environment. Ms. Klimowski began her U.S. government service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone and before joining USAID’s Foreign Service in 2005, Ms. Klimowski worked for the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Malawi; Zimbabwe; and Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to her U.S. government work, she worked for Orange County Health Care Agency in Santa Ana, California, and various non-governmental and academic institutions in California. A native of Santa Cruz, California, Karen received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physiology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master’s in Public Health degree from San Diego State University.

Dr. Kenneth R. Vincent is the Director of the Office of Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Previously, he served the Chief of Staff in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, which is responsible for fossil energy research and development, export authorizations for liquefied natural gas, and management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In his prior position as an Economist for the Office of Petroleum Reserves, he oversaw major planning and economic studies for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, conducted oil market and policy analysis, and executed the program’s international activities. Dr. Vincent began his career at DOE as oil market analyst with the U.S. Energy Information Administration. He holds a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, a Master of International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from George Washington University.

MEHNAZ ANSARI Sr. Regional Representative- South Asia Indo Pacific Region United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Ms. Mehnaz Ansari heads the United States Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) office for the South Asia Region. She is based at the US Embassy in New Delhi. She is responsible for managing USTDA’s South Asia office operations and leads USTDA activities in advancing host country development priorities, US industry trade interest and US government’s foreign policy objectives. India is USTDA’s largest portfolio worldwide. Besides USTDA’s core programs in Civil Aviation and Clean energy, Mehnaz has helped expand South Asia portfolio to include sectors such as Rail, Ports, Smart Cities, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, ICT, Executive Education, Standards and Finance. She has been working on USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative and helped experiment it first time with fostering a partnership at a subnational level with the State of Maharashtra. She has been instrumental to partner with the World Bank on working together on Digital Infrastructure and Smart Cities across South Asia. She actively works with the governments in South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Afghanistan to develop new markets and promote US Business interests. Mehnaz represents USTDA on its two-signature public-private partnerships in India, the US–India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) and the US–India Energy Cooperation Program (ECP). She is a member of the Government of India’s Consultative Committee on Smart Cities for Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. She is also a member of the Global ICT Sector Team. Mehnaz is an avid speaker and published writer on International and Indian platforms on multiple sectors including aviation, smart cities, rail, energy, ports, and business management. A recipient of multiple U.S. Government Mission and Industry awards, Mehnaz is also a member of U.S. Mission’s Gender Empowerment Committee, USTDA’s Global Transportation Team and life member of Women in Aviation-India Chapter and The Rotary Wing Society of India.

Pramod Singh is currently the Chief of Party for the South Asia Regional Energy Hub (SAREH) program of USAID. Pramod Singh has around 14 years of work experience in the energy sector of which 13 years is in clean energy consulting for clients in government, private sector, international development agencies and philanthropies. He has led projects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change and power in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Europe, Nepal, India, Philippines, Thailand, Solomon Islands and USA. In the past, he has worked with ICF International’s Delhi office, Schatz Energy Research Centre, USA and Indian Oil Corporation Limited. Pramod holds a B.Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Roorkee and a M.S. degree in Environmental systems in Energy Technology and Policy stream from Humboldt State University, California. He is also a Certified Energy Auditor by the Government of India.

A career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Ramona M El Hamzaoui has been with USAID for 19 years. Before joining USAID/India as the Deputy Mission Director in July 2017, Ramona was posted in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she served as USAID Deputy Mission Director. Prior to Ethiopia, Ramona served in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she managed several presidential initiatives under the economic development portfolio. Ramona’s USAID assignments include tours in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She served as Acting Mission Director and Program Office Director in Rabat, Morocco, and Agriculture Officer and Democracy Officer in Bogota, Colombia, focused on alternative development, human rights, local governance and access to justice programs. Prior to joining USAID, Ramona worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the International Cooperation/Research and Scientific Exchanges Division supporting Middle East Peace Process scientific exchange programs. She worked for five years as an associate Peace Corps director in Morocco managing agriculture, environment and veterinary programs. Her private sector experience includes work with an environmental consulting firm in Vermont and the International Programs Office at the University of Maine. A native Vermonter, Ms. El Hamzaoui holds a Master’s Degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Maine where she concentrated on the economic valuation of natural resources. Ms. El Hamzaoui speaks French, Spanish and Moroccan Arabic.