Dave

Dave Houghton

David Houghton is a consulting engineer and a member of the adjunct faculty at Cal Poly where he teaches courses on mechanical and electrical systems for buildings with a focus on energy use, utility interactions, zero-net-energy buildings, and real-world lessons from three decades of engineering experience. He also teaches courses on transportation engineering, computer programming for engineering applications, and a graduate-level course on airport planning and design. He currently sits on the City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Lydia

Lydia Heberling

Lydia moved to San Luis Obispo in 2021 to be an assistant professor in the Ethnic Studies department at Cal Poly where she teaches courses in American Indian Studies and U.S. multiethnic literatures. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her areas of expertise are in American and Indigenous literary studies, with a focus on literatures from Indigenous California. Lydia’s interest in the Engagement Panel grows out of a larger interest in energy and resource justice, as well as California’s coastal futures.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Susan

Susan Strachan

Susan Strachan has over thirty years of energy project permitting and compliance experience, managing the licensing, permitting, and construction compliance for numerous complex, large-scale energy projects for municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, and private developers. Her projects include renewable power plants, electric transmission lines, pipelines, and power plant decommissioning. Most recently, Susan worked for San Luis Obispo County Planning and Building Department as a Division Manager, managing the permitting and environmental review for the decommissioning of the DCPP. She retired from the County in January 2026 and is now consulting on renewable energy projects.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Patrick

Patrick Lemieux

Patrick Lemieux has lived on the Central Coast for over 15 years and is a San Luis Obispo resident. Patrick works at Cal Poly as a Bentley Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Patrick was previously on the Panel and resigned in 2022 to take a one-year academic fellowship at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. He began his career as an engineer at AlliedSignal Aerospace (now called Honeywell International) and at Exponent Inc (formerly Failure Analysis Associates). Patrick’s interests include exploring using the desalination facilities at DCPP to supplement community water sources, effectively integrating offshore wind energy, ensuring safe storage of spent nuclear fuels, and providing good stewardship to protect the DCPP lands for future generations.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Kara

Kara Woodruff

Kara is a 30+ year resident of San Luis Obispo, an original member of the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel, a lawyer, and the District Director for Senator John Laird.  She was formerly a financial planner and chief compliance officer for a local investment firm, and continues to serve at the firm as a Principal.  Kara has been directly involved in the conservation of over 100,000 acres in SLO County and brings to the Panel an impassioned interest in the conservation of the Diablo Canyon Lands, including Wild Cherry Canyon. Kara is the proud mother of two grown daughters, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and MA and JD degrees from Duke University.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Cory

Cory Jones

Cory Jones was born and raised on the Central Coast and now resides in Atascadero. An engaged community member for many years, he is especially focused on ensuring that local voices—particularly those of younger generations—are represented in the decisions shaping the future of San Luis Obispo County. Cory earned his education at Cal Poly and, after completing his MBA, now serves as COO for an international Forest Landscape Restoration program affiliated with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Global Rewilding Alliance.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Rachel

Rachel Dahlen-Osborne

Rachel Dahlen-Osborne is the Executive Vice President of Commercial at Morse, a Venture Holdings company, where she leads sales, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy for the company's fintech portfolio.

Born and raised in Atascadero, Rachel returned home to the Central Coast in 2009 after nearly a decade away. She brings to the panel a local business and economic-transition perspective, with particular interest in how decommissioning decisions will shape jobs, land use, soil health, and the long-term economic resilience of San Luis Obispo County communities.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Tom

Tom Jones

Tom Jones is the Senior Director of Regulatory, Environmental and Repurposing for Pacific Gas and Electric Company where he oversees regulatory and external strategies for both Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) and Humboldt Bay Power Plant. This includes the planning for extended operations and the ultimate transition to decommissioning at DCPP. He has worked on all federal, state and local approvals needed for PG&E’s two ISFSIs (dry cask storage systems), steam generator replacements at DCPP, and the Joint Proposal Agreement– the transition and retirement plan for DCPP.  In addition, Tom oversees the stewardship of over 12,000 acres and 14 miles of coastline of the Diablo properties and the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel.

Tom serves as the PG&E representative on the Engagement Panel

Semu

Semu Torres

Semu Torres was born on a private, Native American reservation east of Santa Margarita. He earned a BS in Business Management from Cal Poly. After graduation, he developed a passion for education while volunteering as an English teacher for immigrant families. He received his master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Language Acquisition and taught in San Jose before relocating to Switzerland with his wife where he worked as a teacher. Semu returned to the Central Coast in 2017 and now serves as site coordinator for a public Montessori school in Morro Bay and recently completed his school administration credential.

Current term concludes May, 2028

John

John Crews

John Crews is a native of the Central Coast and a graduate of Cal Poly with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked locally in general aviation, aerospace, and the onshore and offshore oil industry. For the last 20 years of his career, he was Director of the Energy & Industrial Division for a local engineering design consulting firm. John also served as Chairman of the local chapters of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. John and his wife have lived in Morro Bay for the last 18 years.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Linda

Linda Seeley

Linda is a nurse-midwife and OB/GYN nurse practitioner, having worked and lived in SLO County for the past 35 years. She is an advanced facilitator of the Work that Reconnects as developed by Joanna Macy, Ph.D. Linda serves as vice-president and spokesperson for San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, is a member of the Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Core Team and is a founding member and officer of the local nonprofit Biodiversity First! She is particularly concerned about safer storage of the highly irradiated nuclear waste at Diablo Canyon. Linda strives to give voice to the community on issues of transparency and safe, timely decommissioning.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Dena

Dena Bellman

Dena comes to the decommissioning panel with extensive planning and civic involvement experience. She has lived in San Luis Obispo County most of her life and works as the District Planning Chief with the Channel Coast District of California State Parks. Dena brings a strong knowledge of government and community to this decommissioning effort. She is active in many community-building efforts, having most recently served as Vice Chair of United Way of SLO County Board of Directors, Treasurer of the Board for 5Cities Homeless Coalition and Director for South County Chambers of Commerce Board. She has also engaged in economic development and tourism efforts, serving on the economic development committee for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, film commission and tourism committees with SLOCAL and as an Advisory Board member for the SLO County Business Improvement District. Dena has a passion for travel and has immersed philanthropy in travel by volunteering with ICARE International, having completed several humanitarian missions to Central and South America.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Frances

Frances Romero

Frances Romero is a 26-year resident of Guadalupe and is a Senior Planner with TW Land Planning & Development with experience in land use, government relations and community outreach. Frances was the first woman Mayor of Guadalupe and has served on the Santa Barbara County Park Commission, the Guadalupe Planning Commission, and was the Executive Director of the Dunes Center who developed the plan that saved the organization from financial insolvency. Currently, Frances serves as an Advisory Committee Member to The Ascend Fund, a Citizen’s Oversight Committee Member for the Guadalupe Union School District and an Honorary Commander Emeritus with the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Current term concludes May, 2026

Linda

Linda Vanasupa

Linda Vanasupa is a Professor Emeritus of materials engineering at Cal Poly and has been a resident of San Luis Obispo since 1991. Her career work has been in pursuit of a just transition to a regenerative planetary co-existence. During her tenure at Cal Poly, she co-led community-engaged initiatives on sustainability. She is also a Distinguished Academic Partner to Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in the Boston area, where she continues her collaborations in socially-just engineering.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Panel Members

The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (DCDEP) is comprised of representatives from the local community.  Each member of the DCDEP serves a three-year term (following the initial staggering of terms). Membership will be renewed or vacancies refilled through approval by a consensus of community members of the DCDEP,  PG&E and the California Public Utilities Commission consistent with the DCDEP Charter.

Dena Bellman

Dena comes to the decommissioning panel with extensive planning and civic involvement experience. She has lived in San Luis Obispo County most of her life and works as the District Planning Chief with the Channel Coast District of California State Parks. Dena brings a strong knowledge of government and community to this decommissioning effort. She is active in many community-building efforts, having most recently served as Vice Chair of United Way of SLO County Board of Directors, Treasurer of the Board for 5Cities Homeless Coalition and Director for South County Chambers of Commerce Board. She has also engaged in economic development and tourism efforts, serving on the economic development committee for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, film commission and tourism committees with SLOCAL and as an Advisory Board member for the SLO County Business Improvement District. Dena has a passion for travel and has immersed philanthropy in travel by volunteering with ICARE International, having completed several humanitarian missions to Central and South America.

Current term concludes May, 2027

John Crews

John is a native of the Central Coast and a graduate of Cal Poly with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked locally in general aviation, aerospace, and the onshore and offshore oil industry. For the last 20 years of his career, he was Director of the Energy & Industrial Division for a local engineering design consulting firm. John also served as Chairman of the local chapters of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. John and his wife have lived in Morro Bay for the last 18 years.

John’s four children have graduated from Cal Poly and are now spread across the country from Oceano to Ohio. He and his wife have lived in Morro Bay for the last 18 years. They enjoy sailing, hiking, and bicycle riding, as well as a little world travel (Japan is our favorite destination).  John is an active member of the Cayucos chapter of the Lions Club International service organization.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Rachel Dahlen-Osborne

Rachel is the Executive Vice President of Commercial at Morse, a Venture Holdings company, where she leads sales, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy for the company’s fintech portfolio. She brings deep industry knowledge across healthcare, government, and retail, paired with technical expertise in AI, and has built her career translating complex technology into clear value for buyers and stakeholders in heavily regulated, multi-stakeholder environments.

Rachel co-founded Speak, a member engagement and payments platform that simplified how consumers access and use health benefits, which was acquired by Morse. Earlier in her career, she founded and led Dahlen Associates, a San Luis Obispo County–based consulting firm that focused on retail development, licensing, and consumer brand launches. She is a member of Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (WBL), a national network of senior executive women in healthcare.

Born and raised in Atascadero, Rachel returned home to the Central Coast in 2009 after nearly a decade away. She brings to the panel a local business and economic-transition lens, with particular interest in how decommissioning decisions will shape jobs, land use, soil health, and the long-term economic resilience of San Luis Obispo County communities. Rachel is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Lydia Heberling

Lydia moved to San Luis Obispo in 2021 to be an assistant professor in the Ethnic Studies department at Cal Poly. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her areas of expertise are in American and Indigenous literary studies, with a focus on literatures from Indigenous California. She has published scholarly work in the journal, Studies in American Indian Literatures. She is also active in the emerging field of critical surf studies and is a core member of the San Diego State University Surf/Skate Collaborative. She served as co-editor of a collection of critical surf studies essays titled Waves of Belonging: Indigeneity, Race, and Gender in the Surfing Lineup which was published in 2025 by the University of Washington Press. At Cal Poly she teaches courses in American Indian Studies and U.S. multiethnic literatures.

Lydia’s interest in the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel grows out of a larger interest in energy and resource justice, as well as California’s coastal futures. She has published public scholarship related to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and SB 846. Since 2025 she has been working with members of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission on issues related to water sovereignty in support of the tribes in Owens Valley who are in ongoing negotiations for water rights with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In 2024 she organized, with members from yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash tribe, the first Indigenous Surfers Symposium, which brought together Indigenous surfers and coastal stewards from across Oceania for a three-day event focused on coastal resiliency, climate futures, and Indigenous sovereignty.

Beyond life as a professor, Lydia loves being in or near the ocean, surfing, hiking, swimming, going for cold water dips in Morro Bay, and camping with her husband and dog.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Dave Houghton

David Houghton is a consulting engineer and a member of the adjunct faculty at California Polytechnic State University. At Cal Poly, he teaches courses on mechanical and electrical systems for buildings, with a focus on energy use, utility interactions, zero-net-energy buildings, and real-world lessons from three decades of engineering experience. He also teaches courses on transportation engineering, computer programming for engineering applications, and a graduate-level course on airport planning and design.

Dave previously founded Resource Engineering Group, a Colorado-based firm providing structural, mechanical, electrical, and energy engineering services, and through that company was engineer of record for hundreds of building projects, including multi-family developments, large and small commercial spaces, schools, and resorts. He is a registered professional engineer in both civil and mechanical disciplines, has published several books and dozens of technical papers, and is a frequent presenter on technical topics. He also has experience in aerospace engineering, focused on materials testing and weld verification.

Dave’s executive experience includes serving on the board of directors of an electric distribution utility, as chair of the Gunnison County Planning Commission, and serving on the boards of several non-profit organizations. He currently sits on the City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission. Dave is an instrument-rated commercial pilot with more than 35 years of flying experience and over 1,400 hours of accumulated flight time. Dave earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with honors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Cory Jones

Cory Jones was born and raised on the Central Coast and now resides in Atascadero, California. An engaged community member for many years, he brings a thoughtful, forward-looking perspective to regional planning and public engagement. He is especially focused on ensuring that local voices—particularly those of younger generations—are represented in the decisions shaping the future of San Luis Obispo County.

Cory earned his education locally at Cal Poly and, after completing his MBA, now serves as COO for an international Forest Landscape Restoration program affiliated with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Global Rewilding Alliance. In this role, he regularly considers a wide range of perspectives and stakeholders when making project decisions—experience he believes will translate well to his role on this panel. He is particularly interested in bridging the gap between policy decisions and community understanding, and is committed to ensuring that the outcomes of the Diablo Canyon decommissioning process are communicated clearly and meaningfully to his peers—fostering transparency, trust, and confidence throughout the region.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Tom Jones (PG&E)

Tom Jones is the Senior Director of Regulatory, Environmental and Repurposing for Pacific Gas and Electric Company where he oversees regulatory and external strategies for both Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) and Humboldt Bay Power Plant. This includes the planning for extended operations and the ultimate transition to decommissioning at DCPP. He has worked on all federal, state and local approvals needed for PG&E’s two ISFSIs (dry cask storage systems), steam generator replacements at DCPP, and the Joint Proposal Agreement– the transition and retirement plan for DCPP.  In addition, Tom oversees the stewardship of over 12,000 acres and 14 miles of coastline of the Diablo properties and the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel.

Tom joined PG&E in 2001, and prior to his current role, he served in Corporate Affairs and Local Government Relations for over a decade. He has been actively involved in many community organizations, serving as the chairman of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Governing Board, chairman of the Economic Vitality Corporation, planning commissioner for the City of Atascadero, San Luis Obispo Literacy Council, San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Central Coast Economic Forecast Project, Kern Economic Development Corporation, and the Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County.

Tom received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and currently lives in Atascadero with his wife Jamie and their children.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Representative.

Patrick Lemieux

Patrick Lemieux has lived on the Central Coast for over 15 years and is currently a resident of San Luis Obispo. Patrick currently works at Cal Poly as a Bentley Professor of Mechanical Engineering and recently completed a year-long fellowship at the Munich University of Applied Sciences.  He began his career in 1999 as an engineer at AlliedSignal Aerospace (now called Honeywell International) and at Exponent Inc (formerly Failure Analysis Associates).

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Brunswick, a Master of Science degree from Cranfield University and Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is currently a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA), the Sierra Club and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

Patrick loves the great outdoors and spends time running, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, biking, fishing, backpacking, hiking and skiing. Patrick believes it is important to explore using the desalination facilities at DCPP to supplement community water sources, effectively integrate offshore wind energy without power disruptions, ensure safe storage of spent nuclear fuels, and provide good stewardship of the lands and to preserve a large portion of the DCPP lands in the most pristine condition possible for future generations.

Current term concludes May, 2026

Linda Seeley

Linda is a nurse-midwife and OB/GYN nurse practitioner, having worked and lived in SLO County for the past 35 years. She is an advanced facilitator of the Work that Reconnects as developed by Joanna Macy, Ph.D. Linda serves as vice-president and spokesperson for San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, is a member of the Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Core Team and is a founding member and officer of the local nonprofit Biodiversity First! She is particularly concerned about safer storage of the highly irradiated nuclear waste at Diablo Canyon. Linda strives to give voice to the community on issues of transparency and safe, timely decommissioning.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Susan Strachan

Susan has over thirty years of energy project permitting and compliance experience, managing the licensing, permitting, and construction compliance for numerous complex, large-scale energy projects for municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, and private developers. Her projects include renewable power plants, electric transmission lines, pipelines, and power plant decommissioning.

Most recently, Susan worked for San Luis Obispo County Planning and Building Department as a Division Manager, managing the permitting and environmental review for the decommissioning of the DCPP. She retired from the County in January 2026 and is now consulting on renewable energy projects.

Current term concludes May, 2027

Semu Torres

Semu is a lifelong resident of California’s Central Coast. Born on a private Native American reservation east of Santa Margarita, he moved to Los Osos in second grade and later earned a BS in Business Management from Cal Poly. After graduation, he developed a passion for education while volunteering as an English teacher for immigrant families. He transitioned to teaching and completed a Master’s in Cross-Cultural Language Acquisition. He taught in San Jose for several years before relocating to Switzerland with his wife, where he spent nearly 12 years as a teacher and pedagogical leader at a bilingual school. He returned to the Central Coast in 2017. He now serves as site coordinator for a Public Montessori school in Morro Bay and recently completed his school administration credential. Semu is eager to represent the local community and educational perspectives during the decommissioning process.

Current term concludes May, 2028

Kara Woodruff

Kara is a 30+ year resident of San Luis Obispo, an original member of the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel, a lawyer, and the District Director for Senator John Laird.  She was formerly a financial planner and chief compliance officer for a local investment firm, and continues to serve at the firm as a Principal.  Kara has been directly involved in the conservation of over 100,000 acres in SLO County and brings to the Panel an impassioned interest in the conservation of the Diablo Canyon Lands, including Wild Cherry Canyon. Kara is the proud mother of two grown daughters, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and MA and JD degrees from Duke University.

Current term concludes May, 2029

Chuck Anders - Facilitator

Chuck has over thirty years of experience facilitating complex issues in public and private sectors and founded Strategic Initiatives in 1996 to assist organizations in achieving their goals. He has designed and facilitated the successful outcome of numerous high-profile public engagement processes throughout California and the Southwest, including remediation strategies that protect public health and ecological resources in San Luis Obispo. He is a 25-year resident of the Central Coast and lives in Nipomo. Chuck is a professional engineer, and as an active member of the community, is a past president of the San Luis Obispo County YMCA Board of Directors.

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