YPE Sacramento

Matt Klopfenstein is a Legislative Advocate and Legal Advisor at Cal Advisors, representing clients in legislative and regulatory arenas. Matt specializes in technology, energy, environmental, water, transportation, and local government policymaking, covering a wide breadth of high-profile issues. Matt works with a variety of the firm’s clients on further the deployment of distributed generation, clean vehicle rebate programs and increasing funding for electric vehicles (EV) and EV infrastructure. Matt is also a regular speaker at conferences on environmental policy and land use. Before joining Cal Advisors, Matt worked as a law clerk representing local government agencies. Matt obtained his J.D. degree and the Capitol Certificate in Public Law & Policy from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif with Great Distinction. He received his B.A. degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he majored in English.

Laura Shybut is the chief consultant for the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, where she works on a range of energy policy issues. Prior to joining the Utilities Committee, Laura was Chief of Staff for Senator Jerry Hill, representing the Bay Area’s Senate District 13. She also served as consultant for the Senate Subcommittee on Gas, Electric, and Transportation Safety, where Senator Hill was Chair.  Prior to joining Senator Hill’s office, Laura was a CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow for the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee.  Laura is a member of California Women in Energy.  Laura earned a Bachelor’s in Science from Lyon College and a Doctorate from the University of Oregon, both in Chemistry. In between, she worked toward her Masters degree in Chemistry at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh under a Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship.

Nick is a Regulatory Advocate for the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), a statewide coalition of public water agencies with 450 public agency members that are collectively responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and businesses in California. ACWA recognizes the important nexus between energy and water and advocates for statewide resilience in energy infrastructure and energy-related policies that maximize the beneficial use of water. He manages ACWA’s state regulatory advocacy portfolio on energy and water quality issues before state agencies. He convenes committees and working groups to develop ACWA positions on state regulatory issues, develops strategic partnerships with larger coalitions of stakeholders, develops testimony, and advocates directly with regulatory agencies. Prior to this position, Nick was a Regulatory Policy Analyst for the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) where he focused on state issues facing publicly-owned electric utilities (such as: Cap and Trade, Renewables Portfolio Standard, PSPS, Low Carbon Fuel Standard). Additionally, Nick has past experience working at the CEC on the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Program on market facilitation programs for advanced energy technologies. Nick currently is also a Board Member for the UCLA Internship Alumni Network.

Nick earned a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from UCLA and Bachelor’s of Arts degrees in Political Science and International Studies from UC Irvine. In his spare time, he enjoys: hiking, reading, sports, supporting local coffee and craft beer establishments, and traveling.

Nathaly Teran is a Senior Legislative Aide to Assemblywoman Luz Rivas. She is responsible for staffing several policy areas including Assembly Health Committee, utilities, energy, environmental quality, natural resources and water, and others. In her role she helps research, craft, and analyze legislation.

Prior to joining Assemblywoman Luz Rivas’ office, she was a Legislative Aide to Senator Susan Rubio and responsible for staffing the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications and Governmental Organization Committees. Before that role, she was a Special Assistant to Senator Ben Hueso. 

Nathaly was born and raised in Westminster, CA. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz where she double majored in Politics and Legal Studies. Nathaly participated in the UCDC program where she interned for U.S. Senator Patty Murray and had her issue brief on gun violence published by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Nathaly is a member of California Women in Energy. She is starting her Master’s in Public Policy and Administration this fall at Sacramento State. On her free time she loves to cook plant based food, upkeep her houseplants, and catch up with friends and family.

Lillian Mirviss is the Government Affairs Senior Manager at the Center for Sustainable Energy. As a strategic communicator and project manager focused on energy policy, Lillian walks (virtual) halls of the capitol to promote decarbonization legislation and push California toward its climate goals. Prior to Center for Sustainable Energy, Lillian was a Government Affairs Manager at OhmConnect, a residential Demand Response startup, and she began her career working for the State at the California Energy Commission. Lillian has a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Bachelor of Arts in Geology-Biology from Brown University. Outside of work, Lillian loves to backpack with her dog and is learning to white water kayak, enabling her to explore new sides of California every weekend.