FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2023
Contact: Cinamon Watson
303-949-7264
CSI Names Terry J. Stevinson 2023 Policy Fellows
Schuller and Benevento to focus on energy
Denver, CO – “We are pleased to announce Tisha Schuller and Doug Benevento as our 2023 Terry J. Stevinson fellows,” said Common Sense Institute (CSI) Executive Director Kelly Caufield.
Established in honor of Terry J. Stevinson, a founding board member of CSI, this fellowship is dedicated to examining a critical issue confronting Colorado and presenting achievable solutions. This fellowship brings two individuals together with different viewpoints, ideologies, or background to tackle bold solutions for Colorado.
“The focus of the 2023 project is energy,” continued Caufield. “From rising utility costs to prices at the pump, Coloradans are facing a range of energy challenges in the future. Tisha and Doug will explore innovative solutions for pursuing a broader energy policy strategy, opportunities, impacts, and tradeoffs of increasing transformative new energy technologies within Colorado and envisioning the energy and policy landscape for Colorado for the coming decades.”
Tisha Schuller
Tisha Schuller founded Adamantine Energy to provide thought leadership to energy companies to translate sustainability and decarbonization aspiration into action. Tisha advises private clients from Fortune 100 energy companies to non-profit environmental organizations in matters including ESG and decarbonization strategies, managing disruption, energy policy, environmental justice, and stakeholder engagement. She also serves as the Strategic Advisor for Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative. Previously, Tisha served as president and CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association and as principal and vice president of Tetra Tech, a national environmental consulting and engineering firm. She has a B.S. from Stanford University.
Tisha serves on many academic and non-profit boards including those of the Breakthrough Institute, the Energy for Growth Hub, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science Institute for Science & Policy Strategic Council, the University of Wisconsin Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, and she is a member of the National Petroleum Council, an advisory board to the U.S. secretary of energy under the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. Tisha’s book, Accidentally Adamant was published in 2018, The Gamechanger’s Playbook: How Oil & Gas Leaders Thrive in an Era of Continuous Disruption was published in 2020, and her latest book, Real Decarbonization: How Oil & Gas Companies Are Seizing the Low-Carbon Future, was released in November of 2022. Tisha authors a weekly series entitled Both of These Things Are True and hosts the Real Decarbonization podcast.
Doug Benevento
Doug Benevento is a partner at Holland & Hart. Doug brings a sophisticated understanding of environmental policy and compliance from his high-level leadership roles at federal and state agencies, including serving as the EPA Acting Deputy Administrator and the EPA Region 8 Administrator. He draws on this expertise and strong working relationships with regulators across the Mountain West and in Washington, DC to advocate for clients through both legal and legislative avenues. Doug guides companies to understand and respond to the regulatory impacts and ongoing developments of environmental justice matters.
As the former Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Doug has a public health background and ability to proactively identify and develop solutions. He is also currently serving as President of Douglas County, Colorado Board of Health.
His role as a senior executive at Xcel Energy, gives him valuable insight into the challenges of navigating complex regulatory regimes and myriad regulations. He counsels companies from diverse sectors in the development of permitting and compliance strategies and represents clients in enforcement actions and rulemaking proceedings before state and federal agencies.
“Tisha and Doug bring a wealth of expertise to CSI and we’re looking forward to their study,” continued Caufield.
The study will be released later this year.
Over the last three years, the Terry J. Stevinson Fellowship has spurred thoughtful policy discussions and potential solutions regarding the many policy and economic challenges brought about by population growth in Colorado. Three reports have been published over the years, including:
- 2020 – Transportation Report – Fellows Ben Stein & Henry Sobanet
- 2021 – Housing Report – Fellows Evelyn Lim & Peter LiFari
- 2022 – Water Report – Fellows Eric Kuhn & Jennifer Gimbel
###
Common Sense Institute is a non-partisan research organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado’s economy. CSI is at the forefront of important discussions concerning the future of free enterprise in Colorado and aims to have an impact on the issues that matter most to Coloradans. CSI’s mission is to examine the fiscal impacts of policies, initiatives, and proposed laws so that Coloradans are educated and informed on issues impacting their lives.
Learn more about the Terry J. Stevinson Fellowship here.