BECC Webinar – Behavioral Science in Buildings and Transportation: BEAR Hub Results

Grace is the primary staff member for BEAR Hub. She conducts research on the human behavior aspects of energy efficiency to encourage more pro-environmental behaviors. Grace has extensive experience assisting organizations, government agencies, and businesses in implementing behavior-based solutions. She specializes in visualizations and design thinking, as well as qualitative data collection and analysis. Grace holds a master of behavioral and decision sciences from the University of Pennsylvania.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Nick holds a BS in computer science from Oregon State University and a certificate in project management from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. With five years of experience, Nick leads implementation of the City of Honolulu’s Better Buildings Benchmarking Program. He starts each day with a bike ride into the office, energized to support community energy solutions for efficiency and affordability. Previously he worked with Johnson Controls and at the Department of Energy at the Idaho National Laboratory.

Alexi works across departments and with local partners to advance Moab’s Sustainability Action Plan and related community efforts. Her work spans strategic planning, dark skies, energy efficiency, and transportation. Prior to joining the City, she was the first sustainability program manager at Utah State University, where she also completed her PhD. Growing up on the rice-growing side of Arkansas, she is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and alumna of Arkansas State and Indiana Universities.

Jon is focused on using data, technology, and behavioral insights to solve complex social challenges. As founder of EmpowerSaves, he works with utilities, community organizations, and public-sector partners to identify and engage households that are often underserved by traditional outreach—helping connect more people with energy assistance, efficiency, and other essential programs. His work combines decades of marketing experience with a practical belief that better data, smarter communication, and a deeper understanding of human behavior can make programs more effective and improve people’s lives.

Dr. Sussman leads research on energy efficiency behavior change and health programs. He directs BEAR Hub (Behavior, Energy, Action and Research), co-chairs the BECC conference (Behavior, Energy and Climate Change) and has authored academic papers and book chapters on the psychology of climate change, behavioral interventions to encourage energy efficiency, and the psychological determinants of pro-environmental behavior. Dr. Sussman has been an advisor for organizations, including the G20, that implement energy efficiency behavior change programs, and has testified before the California legislature and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Reuven is an adjunct professor and member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Victoria (Canada) and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Environmental Psychology and Journal of Social Psychology. Dr. Sussman earned a doctor of science in social and environmental psychology from the University of Victoria.