The Just Transition Advisory Committee (JTAC) includes representatives of coal communities, labor unions, and utilities as well as issue experts and members of the Colorado General Assembly and the Governor’s Cabinet.
The JTAC was responsible for creating, in partnership with local communities, the Draft Colorado Transition Plan, which informed today’s Colorado Just Transition Action Plan. The committee will continue to play a useful role by supporting the Office of Just Transition as it reports on its progress and updates its plan on an annual basis.
Below is a list of committee members. For a review of the Office of Just Transition's goals, visit our About page.
Advisory Committee Membership
Dennis Dougherty, Chair |
Executive Director, Colorado AFL-CIO |
Representing Coal Transition Workers |
Ray Beck, Vice Chair |
County Commissioner, Moffat County |
Representing Coal Transition Communities |
Joe Barela |
Executive Director, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment |
Ex Officio Member |
John Becker |
County Commissioner, Morgan County |
Representing Coal Transition Communities |
Wade Buchanan* |
Director of Policy, Office of the Governor of Colorado |
Ex Officio Member *Resigned March 1, 2020 to become Director of the Colorado Office of Just Transition |
Lizeth Chacon |
Executive Director, Colorado People's Alliance |
Representing Disproportionately Impacted Communities |
The Honorable Kerry Donovan |
Colorado State Senator |
Representing the Colorado Senate |
The Honorable Daneya Esgar |
Colorado State Representative |
Representing the Colorado House of Representatives |
Katherine Ferguson |
Associate Director, Aspen Institute of Community Strategies Group |
Representing Professional Economic Development or Workforce Retraining Experience |
Rick Garcia |
Executive Director, Colorado Department of Local Affairs |
Ex Officio Member |
Ernest House Jr. |
Senior Policy Director and Director, American Indian/Alaska Native Program, Keystone Policy Center Former Executive Director, Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs |
Representing Disproportionately Impacted Communities |
Paul Major |
President and CEO, Telluride Foundation |
Representing Professional Economic Development or Workforce Retraining Experience |
Betsy Markey |
Executive Director, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade |
Ex Officio Member |
Richard Meisinger |
Business Manager and Financial Secretary, IBEW Local 111 |
Representing Coal Transition Workers |
Elizabeth Melton |
County Commissioner, Routt County |
Representing Coal Transition Communities |
Chad Orvis |
Senior Manager, Employee Relations, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. |
Representing Utilities Operating Coal-Fueled Electric Generating Units |
Carl Smith |
Colorado Legislative Director, SMART Union -- Transportation Division |
Representing Coal Transition Workers |
Holly Stanton |
Manager, Strategic Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition, Xcel Energy |
Representing Utilities Operating Coal-Fueled Electric Generating Units |
Will Toor |
Executive Director, Colorado Energy Office |
Ex Officio Member |