Welcome CUB's new board members in 2025

Ardis Black (she/her) is a financial advisor based in St. Paul. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota. She has a deep-rooted passion for advocacy and problem-solving that began early in life and continue to guide her journey.

For more than a decade, Ardis has been a dedicated foster dog mom and volunteer with Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue. She enjoys staying active throughout all the Minnesota seasons, where she can be seen on her bike, her skis, or in her hiking boots. She is an avid gardener and naturally, she loves walking dogs. Ardis has two sons, Ian and Luke, and is part of a close-knit family residing in Minnesota, Washington State, and Colombia, South America.

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.

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.