Chartered in 2024, the inaugural Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third- Party Verifier Program Advisory Council (informally referred to as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council) was established on January 2, 2025.
Below is a roster of the current Council members. Terms for this initial Council are staggered, as outlined in the Growing Climate Solutions Act. At least 51 percent of the Council members are active farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners.
Members appointed to the Council are:
Federal Government Employees
Nikola Smith, Washington, D.C., USDA Forest Service (1-year term)
James Whetstone, Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology (2-year term)
Kathryn Zook, Washington, D.C., USDA Office of Energy and Environmental Policy (3-year term)
Venus Welch-White, Washington, D.C., Environmental Protection Agency (1-year term)
Agriculture Industry
Brent Bible, Indiana (3-year term)
John Bidart, California (3-year term)
Patrick Brown, North Carolina (3-year term)
Grace Brown, Texas (1-year term)
Jeanne Carver, Oregon (2-year term)
Andrea Chu, Texas (1-year term)
Sara Cover, Nebraska (1-year term)
Courtney Hall, Minnesota (3-year term)
Mitchell Hora, Iowa (2-year term)
Brandon Hunnicutt, Nebraska (3-year term)
Mark Isbell, Arkansas (3-year term)
Tom McDonald, Colorado (3-year term)
Roger Noonan, New Hampshire (1-year term)
Dan Sonke, California (2-year term)
Thomas Titus, Illinois (2-year term)
Private Forest Landowners or the Forestry and Forest Products Industry
Claire Getty, Tennessee (2-year term)
Edie Hall, Washington, D.C. (3-year term)
Rachael Jamison, Washington, D.C. (2-year term)
Hector Restrepo, North Carolina (2-year term)
Scientific Research Community
Ann Bartuska, Washington, D.C. (2-year term)
Timothy Baye, Wisconsin (1-year term)
Jason Rowntree, Michigan (3-year term)
Voluntary Environmental Credit Market Expertise
Ryan Schauland, California (3-year term)
McKenzie Smith, California (2-year term)
Nongovernmental or Civil Society Organization
Nathan Truitt, Washington, D.C. (2-year term)
Bryan Van Stippen, Minnesota (3-year term)
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, Washington, D.C. (1-year term)
Private Sector Voluntary Carbon Market Participation
Max DuBuisson, Massachusetts (3-year term)
Kate Ivancic, Minnesota (2-year term)
Spencer Plumb, Washington, D.C. (1-year term)
Other Individuals Deemed Necessary by the Secretary
Ben Nelson, Iowa (2-year term)
Julius Pasay, Oregon (1-year term)