Vanessa received her master’s in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and has over 13 years of experience in energy, education, and nonprofit leadership. She has worked across the public and private sectors to advance pragmatic, bipartisan energy solutions grounded in data, stakeholder collaboration, and responsible resource development.

Over the past 18 months, Vanessa has focused on advancing geothermal energy policy at the state, local, and federal levels—coordinating cross-sector engagement, supporting policymakers with technical and market insights, and building coalitions among industry, Tribal governments, agencies, and community partners to accelerate responsible geothermal deployment. She also leads national education and outreach initiatives, including workforce development programs, student mentorship and scholarship efforts, and regional geothermal education events designed to strengthen the talent pipeline and broaden industry participation across the United States.

Over the last year, Vanessa has helped guide the Geothermal Rising Policy Council through one of its most productive periods yet. Through coordinated member engagement, the Council supported nine bipartisan geothermal permitting bills in the House Natural Resources Committee, strengthened geothermal’s visibility in federal tax credit implementation, advanced state-level policy wins in Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado, and delivered unified industry comments on key federal rulemakings affecting leasing, permitting, and transmission. This collective effort—driven by GR members across the full geothermal ecosystem—has elevated geothermal in national energy conversations and created new momentum for responsible, scalable deployment in the years ahead.