Dr. Karen Wayland is CEO of GridWise Alliance and Principal at kW Energy Strategies, where she provides strategic consulting on grid modernization and clean energy policy. She is a recognized expert in national energy and environmental policy and served in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and nonprofits, including as policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy and to the Speaker of the House. She serves as Director on the Board of Center for Sustainable Energy and is a Distinguished Associate at Energy Futures Initiative, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy and an Equity in Energy Ambassador at the US Department of Energy. She holds a Master of Science from the University of Connecticut and a Dual Ph.D. in the fields of geochemistry and resource development from Michigan State University.