Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Series
Steering Committee

Anna Halpern-Lande

Anna Halpern-Lande has worked with entrepreneurial companies since 1997 and in intrapreneurial roles since 1993. Ms Halpern-Lande's focus is the biospace, where she works as both an entrepreneur (for first generation technologies) and as a consultant (for second generation technologies). Ms. Halpern-Lande is co-founder and principal of Tellurian Biodiesel LLC, and the founder and principal of Cyrnel LLC, a consulting firm specializing in go-to-market /market development strategies and execution for companies in the clean technology sector, with a particular emphasis on the biospace. Projects have involved financial engineering, raising capital, customer segmentation, market assessment, product launch, building lead generation, and developing company and product messaging. She is the Founder and Program Leader of MIT CNC Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Program ; co-lead of the Environmental Entrepreneurs (www.e2.org) Biofuels Team and is a co- creator of AB 1007 (Alt. Fuels Bill); founder and executive council member of the California Clean Tech Open (www.cacleantech.com), a public/private challenge competition designed to spark a clean tech cluster in California.

Previously, she worked as a consulting manager at Booz Allen & Hamilton, both in the US and in the European Community, focused primarily on assisting clients manage the disruptive impacts of new technologies; and at Wells Fargo bank in a variety of intrapreneurial roles. Ms. Halpern-Lande has an MBA from MIT Sloan in New Product and Venture Development and an AB from Harvard University

Gregg Dieguez

Gregg is a semi-successful entrepreneur and co-founder of several software firms, including SunGard Data Systems. He is currently COO of SteepRock, Inc. In his spare time he is always looking to start something. Gregg has SB and SM degrees from MIT's Sloan School of Management.

Xantha Bruso

Xantha Bruso is a Climate Protection Policy Specialist at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where she structures climate change policy, inventories PG&E's GHG emissions, and implements GHG emissions reduction and renewable energy projects. In previous positions at PG&E, Xantha worked on commercializing emerging renewable energy technologies and on administering the California Solar Initiative.

Prior to PG&E, Xantha earned her MBA at the Presidio School of Management. Before business school, Xantha was an environmental mediator at Concur, Inc. in Berkeley, where she mediated science-based disputes and conducted strategic planning on natural resource and development issues. Xantha earned her B.A. in Geography and Asian Studies from Dartmouth College and her Master of City Planning degree from MIT in 2002. She has been a Steering Committee member of the MITCNC’s Clean Tech and Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship Series since 2005.

Lara Abrams

Lara Abrams is the founder of Lara Abrams Communications, LLC. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lara Abrams Communications, LLC consults with companies on business development, pipeline and lead generation strategies, and represents clients into new prospect and partner opportunities.  Lara is a contributing writer for Greener World Media, and a well known blogger in the world of clean tech, with one of her own: The Abrams Clean Tech Report. For more on Lara – http://www.laraabrams.com.

Lawrence Wong

Lawrence Wong is the Sr. Technical Project Manger of a wireless start up company in the areas of Location Base Services. In the previous companies, Lawrence has successfully led the development team of another startup, which was acquired by Alcatel Lucent, in the areas of Voice Portal using XML, Text-to-Speech and Speech Recognition and Telephony using VOIP and ISDN. Lawrence also worked in the R&D areas for Nortel Network including in-building office wireless and enterprise voice switch. Lawrence has the Master in Computer Science and Business Administration.