Letter of motivation
March 1, 2021
Dear Mr. Secretariat,
It is with pleasure that I submit my candidacy for the role of Vice President of Consortium.
Pecan Street has served as a member of the Research Consortium for nearly two years. I had the honor of attending the COP25 4p1000 Consortium Members meeting in Madrid. Through this experience, I came to highly regard and value the unique role of the 4p1000 Initiative in development of the scientific, economic and policy solutions that will accelerate worldwide transition to regenerative farming practices.
Through this transition, we can significantly mitigate the worst impacts of climate change by converting the agriculture industry from a net greenhouse gas emitter to a global carbon sink. The growth of formal and informal carbon offset markets provides a critical new tool to generating much-needed revenue for farmers as well. I believe this area of work is one of the most important for climate mitigation.
At Pecan Street, we are deeply engaged in solving the measurement and verification challenges that might inhibit farmers from participating in carbon markets and may also result in ineffective investments in solutions that don not result in the anticipated climate benefits. Our efforts are undertaken in partnership with leading academic and industry researchers in the USA and the UK and will soon be expanded from a focus on farm-level activities to community-scale activities through a recently awarded grant to Pecan Street from the United States National Science Foundation.
My motivation to serve as the VP of Consortium Members is twofold. First, to help ensure that the best practices proven out by Consortium members and other credible organizations around the world are rapidly converted into global standards that help to establish new funding resources for farmers and reliable farm management practice change protocols that increase the health and productivity of cropland soils while providing critical climate change mitigation services. Second, to support effective communications and collaboration among Consortium members so that all members, regardless of their country, have an equal voice in the process and opportunity to leverage the work of their fellow members rather than duplicating efforts. This collaboration and the unique standing of the 4p1000 Initiative with the UN enable all of our individual efforts to add up to a powerful force for change. By bringing to the UNFCC the Consortium’s recommendations for financing and global policy that only the UN can provide, 4p1000 has a critical role to play in advancing smart climate solutions that also result in secure food systems. By bringing to individual Consortium members insights from the UN dialogues and related international agencies, members receive a unique opportunity to align their work with the needs and interests of the global community. It would be a pleasure to serve in this role, and in that capacity, I hope to support the efficacy of 4p1000 as well as each of its Consortium members.
Thank you for considering my candidacy,
Suzanne Russo
CEO, Pecan Street Inc.
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Curriculum Vitae
Education
- The University of Texas at Austin, M.S. Community and Regional Planning, 2007.
Thesis: Participatory Mapping as a Pathway to Indigenous Land Rights in Latin America
Co-Editor: Planning Forum: Journal of the School of Community & Regional Planning - The University of Texas at Austin, B.A. Humanities, 2003.
Thesis: International Community Development and Natural Resource Management among the Maasai in Kenya
Professional Experience
- Pecan Street Inc.: Chief Executive Officer, 2018-Present; Chief Operating Officer, 2013-2018; Chief of Staff, 2010-2013. Chief executive in charge of an internationally-renowned research and development 501(c)3 organization that utilizes big data, information technology, and field-based research to accelerate public- and private-sector innovation for climate and conservation solutions.
Secured nearly $20M in DOE awards as prime or sub-recipient via competitive FOA’s with continuous DOE funding for 10 years. Developed a robust network of public and private sector partners based on a strong reputation for innovation and efficacy. Created the world’s largest research database for residential energy and water data, used by over 2500 researchers in 60 countries. Expanded the organization from a focus on rooftop solar and smart homes to include smart water management, net zero development, transportation electrification, building electrification, and soil carbon sequestration on farms. - Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute: Treasurer & Secretary, Board of Directors, 2019- Present. Member of advisory group that formed TEPRI, a 501(c)3 that works with electric utilities, researchers, and public entities to design and support implementation of lasting energy solutions for low-income households. Oversee the organization’s financial management and its strategic approach to fulfilling its mission.
- NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development: Director of Sustainability, 2008-2010. Designed and secured adoption of the department’s green building policies and sustainability initiatives. Managed implementation across program offices and borough offices. Built a coalition of private and public sector partners to support program and policy roll-out, generating new resources for research, education and policy compliance. Coordinated with the Mayor’s office for integration into the first PlaNYC and provided strategic guidance on green building policies to other housing agencies.
- The University of Texas: Research Assistant, 2007. Researched affordable housing policies and programs across Texas major cities and developed regional report cards for use in advocacy at the Texas legislature.
- Texas Association of Community Development Corporations: Advocacy Fellow, 2006. Environmental advocate for lobbying branch with responsibility for tracking bills in the Texas legislature, preparing testimony, and building coalitions.
Publications
- Russo, S. (January 4, 2021) “Regulating consumer data will catalyze clean energy deployments.”
Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/04/regulating-consumer-data-willcatalyze-clean-energy-deployments/?sh=7d3df7552f34 - Russo, S. & S. Hinson (2018) “Enabling technologies and technical solutions for the Energy Internet: lessons learned and case studies from Pecan Street Inc.” in S. Wencong and A. Huang (Ed.) The Energy Internet: An Open Energy Platform to Transform Legacy Power Systems into Open Innovation and Global Economic Engine (pp: 203-221). New York, NY: Woodhead Publishing.
- Russo, S. (Oct 19, 2017) Keynote Address: Using big data to unlock and catalyze community climate change action: A roadmap and case studies from Pecan Street Inc. 4th World Congress on Climate Change. Rome, Italy: Oct 19-21, 2017.
- McCracken, B., S. Russo, et al. (2013) “Data-Driven Insights: The Nation’s Deepest Ever Research on Customer Energy Use.” Smart Energy & Metering International, v. 1: 36-39.
- Russo, S., M. Montoya and M. Bosquez (2008) “Service Learning Through a Community-University Partnership.” Planning Forum, v. 14: University of Texas Press.
- Russo, S., Uzzel, C. and E. Anderson. (2006) “Disaster Preparedness and Management in Texas: Who’s Responsible?” Planning Forum, v. 12: University of Texas Press.
- Russo, S. (2005) “Community-Based Natural Resource Management, Gender and Sustainable Development in Southern Kenya.” The University of Texas Undergraduate Research Journal, v. 4: University of Texas Press.
Synergistic Activities
- Lead & Founder: “Digital Dirt Consortium” A network of university researchers and private companies collaborating on development of advanced models and measurement systems to accelerate the development of markets that compensate farmers for soil carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services (2019-current) Funded by Pecan Street Inc.
- Principal Investigator: “Catalyzing soil carbon sequestration on croplands through advances in measurement and verification.” (2020-2021) Funded by a $350,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
- Principal Investigator: “Connecting communities through smart tools and sensors to deliver enhanced ecosystem services and economic returns from regenerative farmland management.” (2021-2022)
Funded by a $150,000 planning grant from the National Science Foundation - Principal Investigator: “AI for Soil Carbon Sequestration Working Group.”A partnership with the Texas Advanced Computing Center that convened public and private sector experts to explore novel application of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to overcoming data gaps and measurement challenges in verifying soil carbon sequestration. (2020-2021) Funded by the National Science Foundation.
Relevant Volunteer Activities, Memberships & Awards
- Member, Forbes Technology Council, 2020
- Member & Regional Representative, 4p1000, 2019-current
- Member, Women in Engineering, 2018-current
- Austin 40 Under 40 awardee for leadership in energy and transportation, 2019
- Member, Board of Advisors, CleanTX, 2018 - current
- Named by Forbes Magazine as a “Rising Star” for ‘using technology to blow up social change,’ 2014
