Board of Directors
RII is recruiting board members with investment and research experience in controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
Please contact Executive Director Derek Smith to learn more.

Her current work focuses on maximizing energy savings from key buildings policies including building codes and appliance standards, scaling up retrofit activity in homes and commercial buildings with an emphasis on deep retrofits, expanding opportunities for energy savings in low-income and multifamily housing, and analyzing new opportunities for energy efficiency in the buildings sector. Jennifer brings to ACEEE several years’ experience in the environmental technology field and has experience in community organizing and education on a variety of environmental and consumer issues.
Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors of the Attachments Energy Rating Council and the Resource Innovation Institute. She is an NCQLP Lighting Certified Professional. Jennifer earned a Master of Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Trinity University.

Jonathan was also previously a Managing Director and Investment Committee Member of Citicorp Capital Asia Pacific Region, a $350M growth equity fund based in Hong Kong. On behalf of Citigroup, Jonathan was a Board member of 3 listed and 2 private companies including WebPattern, a Korean company which in 2000, was one of the first to track consumer Internet usage behavior. Early in Jonathan’s career, as part of the Kyoto Protocol carbon credit program, he worked with a large Brazilian ethanol producer to introduce Sorghum into China as a source of biofuel.

In roles as both cannabis advisor and cultivation owner, he regularly converts vision into reality through architectural design skills of the highest class and over a decade of agricultural experience. Matt's ability with the tools and the creative energies of design come from combining careers in architecture and horticulture: with degrees in structural engineering, industrial design, and a Master degree in Architecture, Matt has now spent more than 10 years building hands-on cannabis experience. His focus is particularly set on the design of industrial scale cutting-edge cultivation/processing operations that emphasize sustainability and has designed over 75 large scale indoor production facilities, including his own 50,000 square foot building in the heart of Seattle.
In an effort to reduce the cannabis industry’s carbon footprint, Mr. Gaboury is a committed conservationist and innovator in pragmatic sustainability. He has previously worked for the University of South Florida School of Sustainability to help design a digital architecture that uses 70% less electricity than average. His innovative design and operational procedures have reduced the aggregate carbon footprint of cannabis production facilities across the United States by 2,027,500 watts, which equates to 15,111,480+ kW hours of electric usage per year. Mr. Gaboury recently won the World Architecture Community Award.

He co-founded the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), the first and largest non-profit organization founded to create equal access and economic empowerment for cannabis businesses, their patients, and the communities most affected by the war on drugs. Due to his past work in industrial energy efficiency and recent cannabis success, Oregon’s own Governor Kate Brown appointed Jesce to the Task Force for Cannabis Environmental Best Practice. As a result of his hard work and dedication to making positive contributions to the cannabis industry, Jesce has been featured by numerous publications like the Guardian, The Washington Post, Cannabis Business Times, Marijuana Business Magazine and USA Today. Additionally he has served on numerous federal, state and local cannabis regulatory advisory committees that have helped shape the legal cannabis market in Oregon and California.

Previously, John was the Chief Executive Officer of Morris Energy Consulting, an energy firm with a focus on EV, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Crypto Currencies and Microgrids.

Over the past five years, Tawnie has been actively engaged in protecting the interests of legacy and cottage cultivators as California state developed cannabis legislation and regulations.
Her roles include:
Chairwoman, Flow Kana (2019 - 2020)
Chairwoman, California Growers Association (2017-2018)
Cofounder, Sonoma County Growers Alliance (2015)
Board member, Sonoma County Cannabis Advisory Board (2017-18)
Co-chair, Sonoma County Cannabis Economic Task Force (2016)
As an industry advisor, her expertise extends to hands-on experience with processes and operations throughout the industry supply chain, from manufacturing, processing, and packaging, to lab testing, distribution, transportation, and retail operations.


Prior to his legal career, Alex advocated for responsible climate and energy policy both as an aide in the Oregon legislature, where he helped craft and pass legislation to finance energy efficiency retrofits in public buildings, and in the nonprofit sector, where he coordinated clean energy town halls with members of Congress nationwide. Alex sees the changing legal landscape for cannabis as an opportunity to drive the development and adoption of cutting-edge energy efficiency practices and technologies as the industry rapidly emerges from the underground, and he joined the Resource Innovation Institute board to help make that happen.