Jasmine King-Bush currently serves as Program Director of Energy Efficiency with CLEAResult. Previously, Jasmine was Manager for energy efficiency efforts and programs offered by ONE Gas Inc.’s local distribution companies: Kansas Gas Service, Oklahoma Natural Gas and Texas Gas Service.  Having been with the organization for over three years, Jasmine previously worked with the Commercial Project team and the Texas Gas Service EE program as supervisor before being entrusted with the program leadership role in April of 2022.  Born and raised in the Bay Area of California, Jasmine’s background as a Financial Analyst working on various DOE projects along with her leadership experience within the Diversity and Inclusion and community outreach spaces contribute to her ability to promote engagement, facilitate discourse around hot-button issues and craft a strategic approach to identifying resolutions.  Jasmine is a mom to 3 boys, 1 opinionated Shih-Tzu and loves to escape to warm destinations whenever possible.

Kurt serves as the Vice President of Environmental Advancement at Daikin Comfort Technologies North America. In his role, Kurt works with utilities, regulators, and policy makers to advance high efficiency and environmentally friendly products that Daikin hopes will become standard in the market. Prior to this role, Kurt worked on M&A and other strategic projects for Daikin. He also served as the Project Director for the construction of the third largest manufacturing facility in the US, the Daikin Texas Technology Park in Waller.

Saleem Khan, PE, CxA is the president of Texas Energy Engineering Services Inc. (TEESI) with over thirty years of facilities engineering consulting experience. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering (NWFP-UET, Pakistan) and MS in Industrial Engineering (Oklahoma State University) specializing in facilities planning and design, energy management, engineering economics and management. Mr. Khan has been actively involved in Texas energy management programs for almost 40 years and has conducted energy audits at over 1,000 facilities identifying cost-effective energy efficiency measures. He has managed energy & water efficiency improvements (self-funded, third-party and SECO LoanSTAR funded) from planning, design to implementation with construction cost in excess of $85 million across Texas. Mr. Khan has been the lead engineer on several MEP design projects for new construction and renovations with construction costs over $450 million. In addition, he has implemented commissioning projects at over 10 million square feet of existing & new construction facilities.

Cyrus Reed has served as Conservation Director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club since 2008. In that position, he has been the state chapter of Sierra Club’s lead advocate on clean energy, air quality and energy efficiency programs, participating in both regulatory and legislative efforts to improve building codes, increase the use of renewable energy and increase commitments to energy efficiency and demand response through weatherization among other efforts. Reed is also a member of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Reliability Operations Subcommittee and is a frequent participant in the Demand Side Working Group, as well as the Resource Management Commission at the City of Austin. Reed lives in Austin with a wife and three soccer-playing kids and holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Texas Austin. He is also involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and coaching youth soccer.

Farshad believes that energy is one of the most important issues facing humanity and he also has a passion to find hidden solutions to the world’s energy problems. He is a licensed professional engineer, certified energy manager (CEM), and has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Waterloo in Canada, and applies his technical knowledge to the area of energy management.

Over 28 years of experience in all areas related to facilities design, construction, testing & balancing, controls, project management, and energy management has given him a deep insight on how all parts of this puzzle fits together. Currently, he serves the state of Texas as the Energy and Engineering Manager at Texas Facilities Commission (TFC). TFC Office of Energy Management is responsible for all activities necessary to conserve and save utilities in state facilities.

Gary serves as Partner/VP of Business Development at Blink Energy Services. He has collaborated with numerous developers, architects, engineers, and construction professionals, consistently delivering innovative, cost-effective green and sustainability solutions that meet and exceed project requirements. His portfolio spans custom residential homes, multifamily housing, and high-rise commercial buildings. Focusing on buildings as a system, Gary has consistently found solutions to nagging problems in the built environment and helped the team remedy the issues. Gary, an effective communicator and team leader, has helped projects troubleshoot and resolve issues, saving clients substantial resources.

Before joining the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), Jason spent the previous seven years as SPEER’s Building Code Program Manager. Prior to joining SPEER, Jason served as the Building Official for the City of Granbury for five years. He has over 25 years combined experience in building construction, codes and inspection. He maintains 9 ICC certifications, is a Certified Building Official and a Texas Municipal League Leadership Fellow. Jason has an MBA from Texas Tech University (Go Red Raiders!).

Joe Mays currently serves as the Director of Utility and Customer Solutions at Cascade Energy, where he specializes in industrial energy efficiency, leveraging the company’s expertise to optimize complex processes. With over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, Joe has worked with residential, commercial, and industrial clients to address their natural gas and electricity needs. His experience includes leading energy efficiency (EE) and demand-side management (DSM) outreach, conducting facility assessments, managing incentives and programs, and serving as an expert witness in utility energy efficiency, DSM, and rate case proceedings to develop new utility recovery mechanisms. Additionally, Joe spent more than a decade as an industrial engineer and project manager, focusing on improving efficiency and contributing to the revitalization of U.S. manufacturing.

He holds an MBA with an emphasis in project management, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, and a Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Earlier in his career, Joe served as a helicopter crew chief in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves.

Umair Surani is a built environment energy solutions expert with 14 years of experience in commercializing energy efficient technologies and practices. He is an innovator, technologist, and strategist, having driven transformative projects across industries – from developing heat pump standards at AHRI to coaching HVAC distributors and contractors at Fujitsu, and creating city-scale digital twins for urban planning at ENGIE. Currently, Umair advises building operators on facility improvement solutions and cleantech startups on commercialization strategy, while also serving as a board member for the US Proptech Council.

With a multidisciplinary background spanning engineering and business development, Umair brings a systems-level perspective and a creative, forward-thinking approach to energy challenges. His greatest strength is bridging diverse perspectives – between policymakers, tradespeople, and communities – he excels at fostering collaboration and stimulating innovative ideas. He holds a BSc in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from SMU.