December 9, 201 9

Dear Governor Wa lz, Lt. Governor Flanagan, Commissioner Bishop and Assis lant
Commissioner McDonnell:

C lima te change is the most urgent issue of ou r time and I am committed to confronting i1.
I have a deep app reciation for climate change mitiga tion and the ro le of educa tion in
p romoting action. I have been a co ll eague a nd p artn er to Minneso ta po licymake rs and
sta te government, inc luding the Pawlenty, Dayton and Wa lz administrations. With a we llestablished track record in leading climate change policy campa ig ns and so lutions, I om
eager lo join the Governor's Advisory Counc il on Climate Change to ensure Minnesota
mee ts its Next Generation Energy Ac t goa ls, reduces greenhouse gas emiss ions , and
p romoles equity, education, and resi liency in a ll decisions.

The pace of cl imate change tha t Minnesota is experiencing is unprecedented , and
demands urgent acJ-ion across a ll government agencies. The Walz adm inis1ra tion has set
a so li d slake in the ground for One Minneso ta's Cl ea n Energy path: l 00% carbon free
e lectric ity by 2050 w ith supportin g conservatio n, clean e ne rgy firs t, and e lec tric
transporta tion po li cies. This bo ld leade rsh ip must be translated across th e eco nomy .

For over 13 years , I have been leading Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legac y, a
nonprofit that engages people in climate change solutions through education , youth
leadership , influentia l engagement, and pub lic po licy to enable the transition to a
decarbon ized clean energy economy. As Executive Director, I have b uill this organization
from an idea lo a million -dollar organization tha t is a powe rfu l voice for cl imale solutions
and act ion. I have a proven abi lily to translate strategy into action.

Each year, more than 7,500 educators are reached through our professional
deve lopment and curricu lum offerings, and more than 1,000 young leaders are e ngaged
in crea ting so lutio ns on their campuses and in their communities 1hrough our staff
mentors. To date, more than l 00,000 peop le have been inspired to l ake action through

 our programs. Working directly with two different Governors (Re publi can and Democrat)
and po licyma kers , and through extensive public enga gement, we successfu lly p laced
Minnesota as a leader in climate change so lutions in 2007 (Ne xt Gen eration Energy Act )
and again in 2013 , passing agg ressive carbon reduction goals a nd ren ewable ene rgy
standard s. We have a lso ga lva nized c lima le actio n w ithin the priva1e sector, includ ing
more than 75 bu sin esses.

My work depends on effective partnerships. I have b een an active member of th e Clean
Energ y and Jobs Campaign and cu rrently serve on the l 00% Campaign Steering
Committee. I ha ve worked closely with Xce l Energ y to faci lita te publ ic co nve rsa tions o n
tran si tioning to a clean e nerg y econo m y and to fos ter gre e n STEM careers in K- 12
ed ucation . Be yond Minnesota , I have work ed w ith the U.S. EPA NOAA, severa l Midwest
Governors, c ivic organizations , fa ith com munities, and industry.

I look forward to bu ildin g on m y prior experience on the Minnesota C limate Chang e
Advisory Group (es tabl ish e d b y Governor Pawlenty) , the C limate So lutions and Ec onom ic
Opportunities A na lys is facilitated by Env iro nm en ta l Initiative a nd the Environmenta l
Qua li ty Board , as wel l as my deep expertise w ithin the local c limate co mmunity. With a
passion for c li mate ju stic e , environ m en tal education , and yo uth leade rship , I wi ll a lso
b ring these pe rs pecti ve s. I om unabashed ly hope ful and so lutions-focused , and b e lie ve
everyo ne has a stake in climate change and a ro le in solutions .

We need bo ld leadership: wha t is required is an overhau l of our e nerg y systems, buildi ng
and transpo rta ti o n infras tructu re , how we produce ou r food , protec t our health , and
c omprehensive edu c ation and training to p repare a new green workforce and ju st
tran si tion fo r res il ie nt commu ni tie s. I am exc ited lo adv ise the Walz administration on our
road m ap to rea lize this type of bold leadership. Than k you for you r conside rati on of m y
app lica tion to serve on the Governor ' s Adv isory Council on Climate Change .

Sincere ly,

Ni co le Rom