Leadership and Board

The Global CCS Foundation brings together individuals of all different backgrounds who are focused on mitigating climate change through the deployment of CCUS.

Our Leadership

Jarad Daniels

Chief Executive Officer

Jarad has more than 20 years of experience in international collaboration and leadership on clean energy and sustainable development. He has broad expertise in energy and deep experience in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), having worked with many countries, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and companies on technology development and deployment and government policy.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jarad led the Office of Strategic Planning, Analysis, and Engagement within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Carbon Management. Earlier responsibilities included managing research, development, and demonstration programs for advanced power systems and environmental stewardship. His professional experience includes life cycle analysis, process engineering and materials science.

Jarad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Kansas State University and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Jeff Erikson

Director of Programs

Jeff is the Director of Programs for the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Foundation. Jeff brings three decades of experience, a keen understanding of what is required to deploy CCUS at scale, and a deep network of CCUS experts, to create programs of work that will result in breakthrough impact. Jeff joined the Global CCS Institute in January 2016. 

Prior to joining the Institute, Jeff was Director of Global Projects at the Carbon War Room, an international non-governmental organization and think tank working on issues regarding market-based solutions to climate change. 

Jeff served as Senior Vice President at SustainAbility, a global think tank and strategic advisory firm. He spent 14 years at Mobil Oil and ExxonMobil Corporation, where he was responsible for projects and programs in multiple engineering specialties and across a broad range of environmental, health and safety issues. 

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Bucknell University and is a professional engineer.

Emily Nolan

Foundations and Grants Manager

Emily is responsible for establishing relationships and securing grants from organizations to support the mission of the Foundation: to increase the impact of CCS to help achieve a net-zero world. 

Having worked in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years, Emily has experience in foundation fundraising – establishing and executing strategies to secure grants from private and institutional foundations to support organizational priorities and programs. 

Emily received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. 

Our Board

Maria Jelescu Dreyfus

Board Member

Maria is the CEO and Founder of Ardinall Investment Management; an investment firm focused on climate change, energy access and sustainable energy infrastructure that she started in 2017. Prior to Ardinall Investment Management, Ms. Dreyfus spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs, where she most recently served as a Portfolio Manager and Managing Director in the Goldman Sachs Investment Partners (GSIP) Group.

She sits on the Center on Global Energy Policy advisory board at Columbia University, on its executive committee, and serves as co-chair of its Women in Energy program. Additionally, Ms. Dreyfus is a member of the MIT Corporation’s Development Committee and sits on the MIT Economics Department’s Visiting Committee. She also serves as a New York State Secure Choice Savings Program Board member.

Her current and past non-profit board memberships include New America Alliance, Breakthrough New York, and Girls Inc. of NYC. She is a member of the Economic Club of New York, the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), and the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle.

Ms. Dreyfus has held her CFA since 2004 and holds a dual degree in economics and management science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Roger Aines

Board Member

Roger Aines is the Chief Scientist of the Energy and Homeland Security Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Aines leads the Carbon Initiative at LLNL, which aims to understand, develop, and implement technologies for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—so-called negative emissions technologies.

Aines has been at LLNL since 1984 working on nuclear waste disposal, environmental remediation, application of stochastic methods to inversion and data fusion, management of carbon emissions including separation technology, and monitoring and verification methods for sequestration. With Amy Aines, he authored the recently released Championing Science, a book that helps scientists communicate more effectively with decision makers.

Kurt Waltzer

Board Member

Kurt Waltzer is the principal for Energy Systems Innovation (ESI), focused on working with civil society, market leaders, and policymakers to help develop systems-level solutions for the most challenging parts of decarbonization.

Prior to launching ESI, Kurt was CEO and Managing Director at the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), where he focused on managing CATF’s resources and strategy, as well as growing the organization from a US-based NGO to a global climate organization.

Over the past two decades he has successfully developed efforts and obtained outcomes in policy, markets, and technology innovation that relate to reaching a net zero emissions system. A particular focus has been creating the policies and networks needed to support technology through development phases – from early stage to deployment. Efforts have included a concentration on carbon capture and storage where Kurt helped develop strategies and lead efforts that resulted in the adoption of major CCUS policies, such as the enhanced and expanded US 45Q tax credit. He has also incubated programmatic advocacy efforts across a range of technologies, including SHR geothermal, nuclear fission and fusion, and zero carbon fuels (hydrogen/ammonia).

Prior to working at CATF, Kurt worked on clean energy policy issues for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Izaak Walton League of America as well as the Ohio Environmental Council. Kurt has an MBA from the University of Michigan as well as a BS in economics and a BS in biology from Ohio State.

More Information

About Us

We’re on a mission to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage through partnerships and high-impact programs.

Supporters

The Global CCS Foundation is grateful to our diverse group of supporters who are dedicated to accelerating climate solutions around the world.