GCV Education Fund Board of Directors

Jason Rooks is a Georgia native with more than a decade of experience lobbying the Georgia General Assembly and consulting on political campaigns in Georgia. He served as Director of Government Affairs for GaSEIA from 2012-2018. Mr. Rooks also directed Taxpayers for Energy Efficiency, a successful statewide ballot initiative campaign in 2010. As a well-respected voice on renewable energy and energy efficiency, he has helped create numerous clean energy incentives through legislation and regulatory actions at the Georgia PSC. From 2002 to 2008, he served as Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters. Prior to that, founded a start-up company in Silicon Valley, and he started his professional career as a practicing attorney in Gainesville, Georgia. Mr. Rooks received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Mr. Rooks and his wife, Amy, have two children and live in an Earthcraft house with a 4 kW solar system on the roof.

James is a renewable energy investor and advocate based in Atlanta. He has 7+ years of experience in the clean energy / clean tech investment space. Recently he worked as a policy analyst with CleanCapital, a leading investment platform for distributed solar and storage with more than 200 MW across the US.

James is particularly interested in expanding access to solar for schools and non-profits. In partnership with Southface Institute and Creative Solar USA, James helped finance and develop a 126 kW solar + storage project for a K-12 school in Atlanta, helping it become the first school in the state to go 100% solar.

James serves on the boards of Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, Georgia Solar Energy Association, and the Altamaha Riverkeeper. He has a BA and MA degree from Emory University and a MSc in Carbon Finance from University of Edinburgh. He and his wife live in Atlanta with their cat and dog. 

Ontario Smith is a political and external affairs specialist with more than than 15 years of experience navigating the challenging political and regulatory environments that face projects across the United States. 

Ontario has worked for Fortune 200 companies in a variety of capacities within analytical, policy and political organizations. Ontario’s career began at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco, where he led regulatory efforts related to ratemaking. Ontario transitioned into a role as principal local representative to the City and County of San Francisco where he led outreach and lobbying strategies with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and other City agencies. Ontario also worked at AT&T, in Atlanta, where he led external affairs in the Metro Atlanta region. 

In his current capacity as Managing Principal and Co-Founder at S2 Partners, Ontario works with clients across the country to enhance their relationships with local and state government officials, local stakeholders and organized labor. The S2 Partners team works to facilitate an environment where collaborative zoning, land use and workforce strategies are implemented, ensuring that important projects are designed, approved and constructed in diverse communities. 

Ontario is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Dr. Treva Gear is the founder and chair of the Concerned Citizens of Cook County, a community grassroots organization in Adel, Georgia.  She is also the Georgia State Manager for Dogwood Alliance, an environmental organization that focuses on protecting southern forests and communities from industrial logging.  Dr. Gear is an Army veteran, an educator of 17 years, and a community organizer. She has run for political office in two election cycles. Dr. Gear ran for GA State House District 175 in 2018 and GA State Senate in 2020. She believes in being the change that she wants to see in the world and doesn’t mind “getting into good trouble.” Dr. Gear holds a doctorate in Adult and Career Education from Valdosta State University.