The North America Advisory Board plays an essential role in facilitating the high calibre of people and thought leadership that underpin the success of the Club. The role of the North America Advisory Board is to further the mission of The Hawthorn Club by providing strategic guidance to its direction in North America.

Kate Brandt
Sustainability Officer, Google
Kate Brandt leads sustainability across Google’s worldwide operations, products and supply chain. In this role, Kate coordinates with Google’s data centers, real estate, supply chain, and product teams to ensure the company is capitalizing on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability and circular economy.
Previously Kate served as the Nation’s first Federal Chief Sustainability Officer. In this capacity, she was responsible for promoting sustainability across Federal Government operations including 360,000 buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and $445 billion annually in purchased goods and services.
Prior to the White House, Kate held several senior roles in U.S. Federal Government including Senior Advisor at the Department of Energy, Director for Energy and Environment in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, and Energy Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy.
Kate is the recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian, for her work helping the Navy go green. Outside Magazine also named her, in honor of the magazine’s 40-year anniversary, as one of 40 women who has made the biggest impact on our world.
Kate serves on the boards of BSR, Restor, and the Corporate Eco Forum. Kate received a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She graduated with honors from Brown University.

Deborah Merril
PRESIDENT, RETAIL, BP
Deb is an energy executive with 22 years of experience in North American and global retail energy markets. She has served as a board director for Just Energy, a publicly traded retail energy provider (NYSE:JE TSX:JE.TO) with revenues of $3.8B. She also served on the board of ecobee, a private company focused on creating smarter wi-fi thermostats that provide energy efficiency and savings.
Prior to this, Deb led Just Energy for four years as the President and co-CEO. where she led the company through a transformation to a consumer-focused retail energy provider delivering real value to consumers. During her time as co-CEO, she grew EBITDA by 24%, reduced debt from 6.8x net debt to EBITDA down to 2.5x, expanded sales channels and new customer additions by 26% and expanded the company outside North America. She is a recognized leader in the industry and pioneered the strategic vision of the company that positioned Just Energy for long term sustainable growth.
In 2002, Deb co-founded Just Energy LP, a Houston-based retail energy start-up. In 2007, the $34 million business caught the attention of the Energy Savings Group, which purchased Just Energy, retaining its sound operational structure, and the proven leadership team behind it. Deb holds a BA from the College of Wooster, as well as an MBA from Texas A&M University. She is active with various organizations including serving on the advisory board for the Women’s Energy Network.

Carla Tully
Board Member, Pattern Energy
Ms. Tully serves on the boards of Emera, Inc. (NYSE/TSX: EMA), Pattern Energy, and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum. She is a Senior Advisor to the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) North American and European energy groups and an advisor to several energy startups.
Ms. Tully is a former Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Earthrise Energy, an energy transition company she developed and grew into a successful independent power producer. Previously, she served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Renewable Energy at MAP Energy, a $2.4 billion energy investment firm, where she scaled the company’s renewable energy development business. At the AES Corporation, a global Fortune 500 utility and energy generation company, Ms. Tully held key senior leadership roles, including President of AES UK and Ireland. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from the University of Southern California. She received the Silver Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur in 2022 and UK Institute of Directors’ Award – Director of the Year for Corporate Responsibility in 2016.

Heather Redman
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Flying Fish Partners
Heather Redman has more than two decades of experience in the areas of business development, corporate development and structuring, strategy, operations, M&A, corporate and project finance, product acquisition, intellectual property, licensing and tax. She has handled many corporate transactions including successful exits, financings and joint ventures for her companies. Her experience ranges from management positions in consumer products companies to B2B companies serving Fortune 500 customers. Heather is a principal shareholder and a director and member of the Compensation Committee of Summit Power Group. She is also VP Business Operations and General Counsel at Indix Corporation. She is an active angel and venture capital investor and advisor and a member of the Alliance of Angels and Element 8.

Gin Kirkland Kinney
Senior Vice President, Administration and Corporate Affairs, NRG
Gin Kirkland Kinney is Senior Vice President, Administration and Corporate Affairs. In this role, she oversees communications, marketing, sustainability, philanthropy, and talent & culture. She leads this diverse and talented group with a focus on building a well-rounded company culture and employee experience, shaping external thought leadership, enhancing customer experiences, advancing corporate reputation, and driving business growth.
She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and business development, with a strong foundation of more than 10 years in the global energy industry. She previously held roles in energy and cleantech startups, including the development of large-scale solar and distributed energy projects.
An active member of the community, Gin is a board member of Houston Area Women’s Center. She also serves on the advisory board for the Hawthorn Club for Executive Women in Energy and Tech and is a member of the Chief Marketing Officer Council.
Gin holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia.

Melanie Nakagawa
Chief Sustainability Officer, Microsoft
Melanie Nakagawa is Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft where she leads Microsoft’s ambitious climate goals to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove its historical carbon emissions by 2050. Melanie previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Climate and Energy on the National Security Council at the White House, one of several roles she has held in the US Government. At the White House, Melanie played a leadership role on international and domestic climate initiatives, as well as energy issues that included the international energy response to the war in Ukraine.
As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation (US Department of State) Melanie was the senior official responsible for supporting the shift toward a low carbon economy as integral to economic development and global energy security. She has served on the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Policy Planning Staff where she led the climate change, energy, environment, science, and sustainable development portfolios.