Our Team
Joe Ryan
Executive Director
Joe Ryan is Executive Director of the Crux Alliance, marshaling and managing support for organizations dedicated to adopting sectoral climate policies worldwide. Before joining Crux, Joe was Executive Vice President at Securing America’s Future Energy, where he led operations and oversaw all organizational initiatives. Previously, Joe served as Vice President for Latin America and Oil Campaign Director at the ClimateWorks Foundation, where he led a consortium of international foundations to reduce transport emissions in the U.S., Europe, China, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Joe earlier served as a program officer at the Hewlett Foundation for 11 years.
Shana Silver
Senior Manager, Partnerships and Operations
Shana Silver is Senior Manager, Partnerships and Operations at the Crux Alliance, where she leads grants management, board relations, strategic partnerships, and alliance operations. Her experience includes working with governments, funders, NGOs, and communities to develop solutions to issues such as climate change, infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, and energy equity. Before joining Crux, Shana assisted with grants management and capacity building at a foundation focused on racial justice and systems change.
Sarah Spengeman
Director of Communications
Sarah Spengeman is the Communications Director at the Crux Alliance where she leads strategic communications efforts to share sectoral climate policy successes with global audiences. Prior to joining Crux, she led editorial strategy at Energy Innovation to ensure smart climate policy design recommendations informed policymaking. Sarah earlier served as the Associate Director for Advocacy and Communications at Health Care Without Harm, a global campaign to decarbonize the healthcare sector.
Rebecca Collyer
Director of International Clean Energy at the European Climate Foundation and Senior Advisor to the Crux Alliance
Working closely with colleagues, NGO partners, academics, and consultants, Rebecca Collyer helps to design integrated strategies to tackle rapid, renewables-led decarbonization of energy systems. Based in The Hague, Rebecca is responsible for international programs on energy systems transformation. She has a strong interest in strategies that will build countries’ and citizens’ support for progressive decarbonization policies and create targeted and measurable grant portfolios.
Julie Champion
Executive Assistant
Julie Champion serves as Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and the overall Crux Alliance team. Prior to joining Crux, she was Executive Assistant to the Partner(s) at Ajax Strategies, a family office-backed venture capital firm focused on scaling clean energy technology companies. Julie has also previously supported executives at Lennar/FivePoint, Dignity Health, and a number of other organizations throughout her career.
Silvia Paruzzolo
Director of Learning and Impact
Silvia Paruzzolo is the Learning and Impact Director at the Crux Alliance, where she leads efforts to foster collective learning and impact through evidence-based climate policies informed by in-depth local and global climate expertise. Before joining Crux, Silvia served in several leadership roles at Save the Children, advancing evidence generation and use priorities and marshaling the development of the first global child poverty strategy. Her career includes roles at the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, and the International Center for Research on Women.
Steve Capanna
Director of Policy
Steve Capanna serves as Policy Director at the Crux Alliance, where he leads the analytical work that underpins Crux’s mission, while overseeing cross-sectoral initiatives and helping set policy prioritization across the Alliance. From 2021 to 2025, Steve was the Director of Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he led DOE’s work providing technical expertise to the IRS and Treasury on the suite of Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax incentives. Prior to this, Steve led the Environmental Defense Fund’s innovation portfolio as Director of U.S. Climate Policy and Analysis. He was previously at the DOE from 2011 to 2019, where he served as Director of Strategic Analysis in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He began his career in 2005, working on energy efficiency policy and research at the Alliance to Save Energy.
Joe Ryan
Executive Director
Joe Ryan is Executive Director of the Crux Alliance, marshaling and managing support for organizations dedicated to adopting sectoral climate policies worldwide. Before joining Crux, Joe was Executive Vice President at Securing America’s Future Energy, where he led operations and oversaw all organizational initiatives. Previously, Joe served as Vice President for Latin America and Oil Campaign Director at the ClimateWorks Foundation, where he led a consortium of international foundations to reduce transport emissions in the U.S., Europe, China, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Joe earlier served as a program officer at the Hewlett Foundation for 11 years.
Shana Silver
Senior Manager, Partnerships and Operations
Shana Silver is Senior Manager, Partnerships and Operations at the Crux Alliance, where she leads grants management, board relations, strategic partnerships, and alliance operations. Her experience includes working with governments, funders, NGOs, and communities to develop solutions to issues such as climate change, infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, and energy equity. Before joining Crux, Shana assisted with grants management and capacity building at a foundation focused on racial justice and systems change.
Sarah Spengeman
Director of Communications
Sarah Spengeman is the Communications Director at the Crux Alliance where she leads strategic communications efforts to share sectoral climate policy successes with global audiences. Prior to joining Crux, she led editorial strategy at Energy Innovation to ensure smart climate policy design recommendations informed policymaking. Sarah earlier served as the Associate Director for Advocacy and Communications at Health Care Without Harm, a global campaign to decarbonize the healthcare sector.
Rebecca Collyer
Director of International Clean Energy at the European Climate Foundation and Senior Advisor to the Crux Alliance
Working closely with colleagues, NGO partners, academics, and consultants, Rebecca Collyer helps to design integrated strategies to tackle rapid, renewables-led decarbonization of energy systems. Based in The Hague, Rebecca is responsible for international programs on energy systems transformation. She has a strong interest in strategies that will build countries’ and citizens’ support for progressive decarbonization policies and create targeted and measurable grant portfolios.
Julie Champion
Executive Assistant
Julie Champion serves as Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and the overall Crux Alliance team. Prior to joining Crux, she was Executive Assistant to the Partner(s) at Ajax Strategies, a family office-backed venture capital firm focused on scaling clean energy technology companies. Julie has also previously supported executives at Lennar/FivePoint, Dignity Health, and a number of other organizations throughout her career.
Silvia Paruzzolo
Director of Learning and Impact
Silvia Paruzzolo is the Learning and Impact Director at the Crux Alliance, where she leads efforts to foster collective learning and impact through evidence-based climate policies informed by in-depth local and global climate expertise. Before joining Crux, Silvia served in several leadership roles at Save the Children, advancing evidence generation and use priorities and marshaling the development of the first global child poverty strategy. Her career includes roles at the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, and the International Center for Research on Women.
Steve Capanna
Director of Policy
Steve Capanna serves as Policy Director at the Crux Alliance, where he leads the analytical work that underpins Crux’s mission, while overseeing cross-sectoral initiatives and helping set policy prioritization across the Alliance. From 2021 to 2025, Steve was the Director of Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he led DOE’s work providing technical expertise to the IRS and Treasury on the suite of Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax incentives. Prior to this, Steve led the Environmental Defense Fund’s innovation portfolio as Director of U.S. Climate Policy and Analysis. He was previously at the DOE from 2011 to 2019, where he served as Director of Strategic Analysis in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He began his career in 2005, working on energy efficiency policy and research at the Alliance to Save Energy.
Christine Egan
Chief Executive Officer, CLASP
Peter Graham
Executive Director, Global Buildings Performance Network
Dr. Peter Graham is the Executive Director of the Global Buildings Performance Network, where he leads an international network of experts dedicated to mitigating GHG emissions from the buildings sector. He has more than 20 years of experience in international advocacy, research, and education in sustainable building design, construction, evaluation, and policy.
Drew Kodjak
Executive Director, International Council on Clean Transportation
Drew Kodjak is the Executive Director and co-founder of the International Council on Clean Transportation, a nonprofit focused on improving the environmental performance of global transportation. Under his leadership, the ICCT has informed key transportation policies in major markets such as Brazil, China, the EU, India, and the U.S. Previously, Kodjak worked at the U.S. EPA on air quality and transportation, laying the groundwork for successful environmental policies. In 2023-24, he served as Senior Director of Transportation Emissions in the Biden-Harris Administration, advancing vehicle regulations to reduce emissions and promote zero-emission vehicles.
Markus Steigenberger
Managing Director, Agora Energiewende
Markus Steigenberger is one of the two Managing Directors of Agora Energiewende. Prior to taking over Agora’s management in May 2021, he led the international team (since 2016) and the European team (2014-2016), and worked as head of office at Agora’s start. Before joining Agora, Markus oversaw the Germany program of the European Climate Foundation. He started his career as a journalist and has held various positions in German and international civil society organizations.
Julia Metz
Director, Agora Industry
Julia Metz is Director of Agora Industry and is responsible for the think tank’s work on climate-neutral industry in key countries worldwide. Before assuming this role, she was Programme Lead at Agora Industry and Agora Energiewende, managing a team on Climate and Industrial Policy. Prior to joining Agora, Julia worked on energy and climate policy across civil society, an industry association, and the German Bundestag. She began her career as a researcher on European policymaking in academia.
Heather Thompson
Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy