Andrew McKeon, Executive Director
Andrew has served as Executive Director of RGGI, Inc. since 2016. Over that time, nine participating states grew to twelve by 2022, and auction proceeds went from $2.5 Billion to over $7.5 Billion today. Andrew has also helped to guide the participating states through two program review processes. As Executive Director Andrew oversees the day-to-day operations of RGGI, including supervision of the staff and subcontractors, as well as responsibility for all financial and accounting processes. Andrew oversees the execution of the quarterly CO2 allowance auctions, and timely reporting on allowance tracking and emissions monitoring, and CO2 allowance market monitoring. Andrew also is extensively involved in outreach to all stakeholders, in facilitating meetings with the RGGI board and RGGI state staff, and managing RGGI public communications.
Before joining RGGI, Andrew held the role of Director of Operations for the Environmental Registry at IHSMarkit. Prior to Markit, Andrew founded BusinessClimate, a sustainability consulting firm, where his clients included Intel, PwC and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Prior to BusinessClimate Andrew worked in engineering at Bell Laboratories, and in fixed income finance at Goldman Sachs. Andrew is a published author with articles appearing in business magazines such as strategy+business and on-line sustainability forums including GreenBiz and the Harvard Business School.
Andrew has been an invited speaker at the UN, NASA’s Goddard Institute, NYU, Purdue University, and PwC. For five years he served on the board of TransitCenter, an NGO dedicated to sustainable transportation solutions. Andrew holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from Columbia University.
Leila Fanaeian, Program Manager - Program Implementation
As Program Manager - Program Implementation at RGGI, Inc., Leila serves as the program lead for the implementation of the RGGI CO2 allowance auctions. Leila’s responsibilities also include market monitoring, reporting on emissions and generation monitoring in the RGGI region, and overall program support.
Prior to joining RGGI, Inc., Leila worked as a Program Coordinator for the Energy Management and Sustainability Operations unit at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, where she gained more than five years of project management and outreach experience. In addition to her background in climate science, design, and geospatial analysis, she has experience in the nonprofit sector, having facilitated conversations among local communities with an interest in sustainability. Most recently, Leila supported the co-chairs in managing the States and Cities chapter of the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s America’s Zero Carbon Action Plan.
Leila holds a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Alberta and a M.A. in Climate and Society from Columbia University.
Cooper Tamayo, Program Manager - Communications
As Program Manager - Communications at RGGI, Inc., Cooper serves as the point of contact on communications work across RGGI. Cooper’s responsibilities also include media monitoring, reporting on the investment of state auction proceeds, data analysis, and overall program support.
Prior to joining RGGI, Inc., Cooper worked for two years as a Project Coordinator with Kearns & West, where he provided facilitation, outreach, and stakeholder engagement support for a variety of projects related to clean energy, transportation, groundwater sustainability, and environmental justice. His experience also includes developing climate change communication materials for the National Park Service and analyzing Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) clean energy programs. Cooper specializes in topics related to climate science, clean energy, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement.
Cooper holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Brown University and a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Tim Woodruff, Program Manager - Technical Analysis and Evaluation
As Program Manager - Technical Analysis and Evaluation at RGGI, Inc., Tim supports the implementation of the RGGI CO2 allowance auctions, market monitoring, reporting on the investment of state auction proceeds, data analysis, and overall program support.
Prior to joining RGGI, Inc., Tim worked as a Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he researched international fluorinated gas policy to make recommendations regarding the EPA's new authority to regulate fluorinated gases under the AIM Act. Tim and his team prepared a list of best practices and accompanying policies for NRDC to use in advocacy to EPA. Before that, Tim worked as a policy analyst on a New York City Council campaign to help develop a climate policy platform for the candidate. Tim also has experience as a utility and energy analyst, where he analyzed energy data, public service commission documents, and utility rate tariffs to make management recommendations to clients.
Tim holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the Quinney College of Natural Resources at Utah State University and a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Lei Pei, Assistant Program Manager
As Assistant Program Manager at RGGI Inc., Lei supports and coordinates the CO2 Allowance Tracking System (COATS) functions and relevant activities. Lei's responsibilities also include allowance budgets and tracking, emissions tracking, and overall program support.
Prior to joining RGGI, Inc., Lei worked as an Associate at Gabel Associates, where she provided support on renewable energy and sustainability consulting, including but not limited to energy efficiency modeling and electric vehicles-related projects, to a variety of clients. Before that, Lei worked as a Climate Communication Associate at Climatepedia and a Graduate Consultant at Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including a publication on IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Chapter 17 as a Contributing Author. She is dedicated to environmental justice and climate communication with different stakeholders from bottom to top during these two positions.
Lei holds a B.S. in Geology and B.E. in Gemology and Material Technology from the China University of Geosciences and an M.A. in Climate and Society from Columbia University.
Peter Rennée, Business Manager
As Business Manager at RGGI, Inc., Peter supports the Executive Director in the financial management of RGGI, Inc. His responsibilities also include meeting the logistical and organizational needs of the RGGI, Inc., office and staff.
Prior to joining RGGI, Inc., Peter worked for 15 years at Columbia University in positions in Student Services, University Event Management, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. For more than five years, Peter was the Departmental Administrator for the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, responsible for administrative support, facilities, financial management and grants administration. Peter provided administrative and logistical support for energy related projects to the Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Earth Engineering Center, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy and the Waste to Energy Resource and Technology Council.
Peter holds a B.S. in Marketing from the State University of New York.