The City of San Luis Obispo, Diversity Coalition of SLO County, and Community Action Partnership of SLO County were awarded a DOE Buildings Upgrade Prize to deliver an equity focused retrofit pilot for mobile and manufactured housing communities. Most lot-to-moderate income homeowners in the city live in these communities. In this panel, speakers will share lessons learned from resident engagement, stakeholder roundtables, and connecting homeowners with outreach coordinators to guide them through energy audits, weatherization, and get them informed and on-board for upcoming electrification upgrades.
Speakers
Chris Read, Sustainability Manager, City of San Luis Obispo
Chris Read is the Sustainability Manager at the City of San Luis Obispo and is committed to collaboratively creating carbon neutral, equitable, accessible, and prosperous communities. Mr. Read has worked with local governments for over a decade and is deeply driven to address the causes and impacts of climate change.
Rita Casaverde, Executive Director, Diversity Coalition of SLO County
Rita Casaverde was born and raised in Lima, Peru and moved to California in 2012. In Peru, Rita received the Green Youth award by the United Nations. This award recognized her conservation work with communities in the Andes of Peru where she helped protect an endemic forest and multiple watersheds. After moving to California, Rita had the opportunity to build a career in the Tech industry as a Product Manager, but after eight years working for local tech companies, she decided to join the office of Congressman Salud Carbajal to streamline her passions. In 2020, Rita and other community leaders helped found SLO County UndocuSupport with the goal of financially supporting immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rita joined the Diversity Coalition as Executive Director in 2022.
Jim McNamara, Energy Director, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo
Jim MacNamara is responsible for the management of multi-faceted energy and home repair programs and services including weatherization, heating and cooling replacements, home repairs, handicapped access improvements, construction and social services. He has lead on program development, contract administration, staff supervision and financial management for over 30 years.