Staff & Board

Robert Blake (he/him/his) is the owner of Solar Bear, pronounced Gizis-o-makwa in Ojibwe, a solar development company located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also, Robert is the Executive Director of Native Sun Community Power Development, a Non-Profit likewise located in Minneapolis. Robert is a tribal citizen of the Red Lake Nation. His passion is spreading the word about renewable energy through communication, cooperation, and collaboration.

Rob Davis (he/him) is Chief Growth Officer for M-RETS, North America’s largest registry for clean energy certificates. A nonprofit, M-RETS’ platform handles more than 300 terawatts of generation and serves as a trusted centralized gateway to environmental markets. Previously, Davis led public affairs, media relations, and federal grant programs for Connexus Energy, the Midwest’s largest electric cooperative. In 2024, the North American Agrivoltaics Awards recognized Davis as “Solar Steward of the Year.” Davis’ work has been featured in trainings by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in feature stories in The New York Times and Scientific American, and on TED.com. Previously, Davis helped launch technology start-ups and created the international crowdsourced campaign that launched the Firefox web browser.

Tenzin Gakyi (she/her/hers) is a first-generation immigrant of Tibetan descent. She graduated from  Century College and subsequently from Minnesota  State University, Mankato. Tenzin currently serves as a labor organizer and United Steelworkers (USW) grievance leader. She is also part of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance ( APALA) Young Leaders Council and is an alumnus of Citizens League’s Capitol Pathway and SEIU API Organizer Leadership Program. She is passionate about amplifying the voices of all Minnesotans, especially those who are historically marginalized, as CUB MN continues to strive for an equitable Minnesota energy world. Tenzin resides in Bloomington with her partner and cat Bhuchung.

Beverly Jones Heydinger joined the CUB Board in 2018 after retiring as Chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.  Prior to serving on the PUC, she was a state administrative law judge (1999-2012), and served in the MN Attorney General’s Office as an assistant and deputy attorney general (1978-1999).

Beverly is a graduate of Carleton College College and the University of Michigan Law School. 

In retirement, in addition to CUB, Beverly serves on the board of District Energy Saint Paul, volunteers for YWCA St. Paul, and does pro bono legal work assisting immigrants to apply for citizenship.  

Beverly grew up in New Hampshire where she now spends her summers, and has lived in St. Paul since 1978 with a rotating group of family, friends, students and pets.  She has two great children, one in California and one in Namibia, and one wonderful grandson. Her husband, Rick, died in 2020.

Michelle has served as Government Relations Director for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) since January of 2022. Before her appointment at MDA, Michelle worked at Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) where she had multiple different roles throughout her over 6 years there. She most recently was the Director of Programming, focusing on event planning, grant work, and lobbying. Before that role, she was the Director of Renewable Energy focusing on educating farmers and rural residents on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Michelle was named one of the Midwest Energy News 40 under 40 in 2017. She attended the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and earned a double major in Agricultural Education Leadership & Communication Specialization and Spanish Studies. Michelle is fluent in Spanish. During her time at the U of M, she studied abroad in Argentina and Venezuela. Before working at MFU Michelle was the New Product Developer at EARTH University in Costa Rica.

Karen Moe (she/her) has served as the Director of the Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) department for the City of Minneapolis since October 2022. Previously she was the Deputy Director of NCR, and before that, she served as the Coordinator for Community Engagement and Grants for the City’s Regulatory Services department.

Karen came to the City from Community Action, where she served as the Deputy Director of the Minnesota Community Action Partnership (MinnCAP) and two years as Director of Program Operations of Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin. While at CAP, Karen worked with the Weatherization Assistance Program, Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), SNAP, rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs, and many other programs.

Originally from Chicago, Karen got her bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature from Earlham College. She returned to Chicago and worked there for roughly fifteen years for various organizations and associations. She moved to Minnesota to complete her graduate study at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Outside of work, Karen has volunteered with various programs and organizations both in Illinois and Minnesota. She lives in South Minneapolis with her partner, two lovable (and energetic) dogs, and her parents. 

Bret’s work focuses on supporting the lively volunteer network in Northern Minnesota, of which he has been a member since its inception in 2014. He is a resource for energy efficiency and solar project consultation, as he previously worked for the Duluth based non-profit Ecolibrium3 in the field of community energy.  Bret obtained a Master of Art in Management (MAM), with a focus on sustainability and organizational development, from the College of St. Scholastica in 2010, and a BA from Colorado State University before there was a public internet (it’s true!). In between, he was a guide in the Rocky Mountain West and worked for REI. When he is not tinkering with solar panels and trying to figure out how to pinch another watt or two, he still tries to get outside as much as possible. Bret lives in a beautiful neighborhood in Duluth with his wife, Laura, and two sons, Colin and David.

You can reach Bret at bretpence@mnipl.org

Buddy Robinson is retired. He formerly was the Staff Director of the MN Citizens Federation NE (previously known as the Senior Federation NE) from 1979 to 2019. In that work, he was involved in defending the interests of low use, lower income ratepayers in every MN Power rate case, plus a number of other MN PUC proceedings, as well as some related advocacy in the state legislature. He participates in the Duluth Climate and Energy Network. He has also long been involved in health care reform and is currently on the Board and the Legislative Committee of Health Care for All MN. He has a BA in History and Sociology from Columbia U., and co-wrote a book with Mark Hanna, Strategies for Community Empowerment (published in 1994).  An East Coast transplant, he lives in Duluth with his wife Jan.

Dinah Swain, CFRE (she/her) is the Director of Development at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.  Dinah has worked for several nonprofits over a 20-year career, including the National Parks of Lake Superior, helping lead a decarbonization strategy for the five national parks that ring the majestic lake.  

Dinah has a BA in Public Policy from Duke University and an MA in Journalism from New York University. Dinah has deep interest in energy issues and is halfway through an MA in Environmental Law from Tulane. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Dinah has lived in and loved St. Paul, Minnesota, for nearly 30 years, and has two accomplished and beautiful young adult daughters. 

Akia Vang (he/him) is a recent alumnus of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program at the University of Minnesota. He is currently a Sustainability Intern at the Metropolitan Council where his duties cover the expanding work of natural systems that include stormwater infrastructure and waste management. Outside of work, Akia is involved in a number of endeavors at the nexus of climate, energy, and environment such as serving on the Northside Green Zone Taskforce in Minneapolis and advising his local watershed organization. A former intern of the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, Akia is thrilled to be back and joining the CUB Board.