Roger Sorkin

Roger Sorkin — Founder & Executive Director

Roger Sorkin is an award-winning producer, writer, editor, and director of mission-driven films designed to strengthen civilizational security. Prior to founding ARP, Roger consulted with and created documentary and dramatic films for a wide range of nonprofit, academic and government institutions, including the UN World Food Programme, U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, USAID, NATO, Flex Your Rights Foundation, American Cancer Society, and many others. He has taught energy and environmental communication at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, and is a featured speaker to diverse audiences across government, academia, NGOs, faith groups, trade associations and others. Roger is a fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and he has served on the Climate and Security Working Group at the Center for Climate and Security, and on the Managed Retreat Expert Group with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals. He received a B.A. in anthropology from the Johns Hopkins University in 1993, then worked as a public radio journalist and producer before receiving an M.A. in communication from Stanford University in 2000. He began his career in TV and film on projects for National Geographic, Frontline, and Bill Moyers in Washington, D.C.

Nate Birnbaum

Nate Birnbaum — Co-Founder & Producer

Nate Birnbaum is an award-winning producer and co-founded ARP in 2017 after starting his career managing the release of The Burden (2015) and moving on to produce Tidewater (2017) and Current Revolution (2018). Nate has always been passionate about film, and has worked in environmental media since before graduating cum laude from American University in 2015, where he studied environmental policy and film, while also receiving a crash course as a programming intern at the Environmental Film Festival in The Nation’s Capital for three years. Prior to completing his studies, Nate lived in Colorado where he worked as a production and development assistant for The Story Group on their series Americans on the Frontlines of Climate Change. During this time, Nate also founded The Climate Studio, an independent project which uses photography to illustrate localized climate change and organize calls to action in communities. When he’s not helping to launch ARP, producing new films, or managing The Climate Studio, Nate is an avid photographer and adventurer with a serious affinity for anything that gets him deep into nature.

Welton Chang

Welton Chang — PhD in Political Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Army Veteran

Welton studies Psychology at UPENN, focusing on group and individual decision-making, judgment, innovation, accountability, and bureaucratic reform. He is a member of the Good Judgment Lab, and he served for nine years as a DOD analyst and U.S. Army officer. His overseas experience includes 21 months in Iraq and a year in South Korea. He sits on the board of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, the Center for National Policy's Cyberspace and Security Program's Steering Committee, and is a Truman National Security Fellow. Welton earned a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth and an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown.

Lindsay Fitzgerald

Lindsay Fitzgerald — Vice President of Government Relations, Gevo

Lindsay Fitzgerald has served as Vice President, Government Relations at Gevo since May 2021. She leads a global team whose mission is to develop and promote policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to joining Gevo, Lindsay served as Senior Manager, then Director of Government Affairs at Renewable Energy Group, a leading provider of biodiesel and renewable biodiesel, where she was responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for local, state, federal, and international governments. She also served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at the National Biodiesel Board. She started her career as a consulting member, then a government team member responsible for the implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard at the U.S. EPA. She is a seasoned government affair professional with a special aptitude for strategy, collaboration, and big-picture, actionable planning, and execution.

Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson — GlidePath Federal Solutions, Canadian Solar, CleanCapital, MBA from Cornell, U.S. Army veteran

Kevin brings ten years of energy sector expertise, primarily focused on business development for government and microgrids, as well as mergers and acquisitions. His previous roles include CoFounder, Board Advisor, and Chief Commercial Officer for CleanCapital; Managing Director of Federal & Microgrid Business Development for Canadian Solar (USA), Inc.; and Senior Manager of Mergers & Acquisitions for Acciona Energy.
Prior to entering the private sector, Kevin served as a Captain in the United States Army. He earned his BS in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Cornell University. Kevin’s awards include: Roy H. Park Leadership Fellow, Truman National Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project, Emerging Leader at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and White House Champions of Change, as well as membership on the non-profit Board of Directors for the American Resilience Project and Clean Energy Leadership Institute. 

Nicole Lederer

Nicole Lederer — Chairman and Co-Founder of Environmental Entrepreneurs, Board of Directors, NRDC

Nicole Lederer is Chairman and Co-Founder of Environmental Entrepreneurs, focusing on growing pro-environment business constituency, establishing collaboration between business and environmental leaders and creating a positive dialogue with legislators at the state and national levels. Nicole leads E2's federal advocacy agenda, supporting policies that foster environmental innovation, sustainable economic development and green job creation. Nicole also serves on the board of Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and is a frequent speaker on green job creation as well as other business benefits related to environmental policy.

Hon. Dennis McGinn

Hon. Dennis McGinn — Retired Asst. Sec. of the Navy, Retired Vice Admiral, fmr. Pres. of ACORE

In 2011, Retired Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn took the helm as President of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) where he advanced the organization’s mission of building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy. Under his leadership, ACORE launched EnergyFactCheck, a website designed to rebalance the debate about renewable energy, providing fact-based information to counter misinformation about the industry. Admiral McGinn is a widely recognized energy and national security expert. He is regularly asked to participate in public forums about energy and national security and has been published in newspaper articles and opinion pages across the country.
He serves as co-chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board advising policy makers on the nexus of energy and national security, and as an international security senior fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute. He is also on the Steering Committee of the Energy Future Coalition, a member of the United States Energy Security Council, and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center Energy Board. He was previously with Battelle Memorial Institute, where he was a corporate officer and led the energy, transportation, and environment division.McGinn's continued commitment to bettering the nation follows a 35-year career with the U.S. Navy where he served as a naval aviator, test pilot, aircraft carrier commanding officer, and national security strategist. His capstone assignment with the Navy was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs at the Pentagon, where he oversaw the development of future U.S. Navy capabilities. In a previous operational leadership role, he commanded the U.S. Third Fleet. Admiral McGinn earned a B.S. degree in naval engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, attended the national security program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and was a Chief of Naval Operations strategic studies fellow at the U.S. Naval War College.

Peter O’Brien

Peter O’Brien — Former Executive Director of D.C. Environmental Film Festival, M.A. John Hopkins SAIS, B.A. Harvard

Peter O’Brien is an environmental media consultant, working with filmmakers and festival organizers to strengthen the impact of films about the environment.  He was the Executive Director of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital from 2008-2014, and is currently a member of their board of directors. Peter is also a board member of the Green Film Network, an international film festival consortium.  He has advised filmmakers and film festivals in the U.S. and internationally, and has served on numerous film juries.  A native of Washington, DC, he holds a B.A. in English and American Language and Literature from Harvard University, and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.  

Jonathan Silverthorne

Jonathan Silverthorne - Director, Revers Center for Energy, Sustainability & Innovation

Jonathan Silverthorne is the Director of the Revers Center for Energy, Sustainability, and Innovation at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. His experience spans work in the energy industry, leadership development field, and international policy.

Before Tuck, Jonathan worked on financing and deploying solar and storage projects at Amp Energy, a global developer and asset owner, where he focused on late-stage development, investor diligence, and US policy. From 2011-2017, he ran professional fellowships for rising leaders in energy, climate, and foreign policy as Director of the Millennium Leadership Program at the Atlantic Council. With a background in international affairs, he also served in the Obama Administration as a policy advisor at the US Department of Homeland Security.

Jonathan has an MBA and master’s degree in energy studies from Yale University and a BA in History from Dartmouth. He speaks French, Russian, and conversational Arabic and enjoys tennis, hiking, and exploring the Upper Valley with his dog, Argo.