Our Team

Heather leads the talented CRES Forum team as Executive Director and oversees core activities of the organization, ensuring the successful expansion of conservative clean energy policies. She joined CRES in 2016 as Managing Director where she was instrumental in increasing the organization’s impact through team growth and new initiatives such as National Clean Energy Week, which she serves as its chair. Heather is a 25-year veteran in strategic communications, public affairs, and advocacy and has held a number of senior non-profit positions including vice president of communications and marketing at a national advocacy organization, chief communications officer for a $700 million private foundation, and associate director at a national trade association. Prior to her non-profit work, she spent a decade working for DC-based public affairs firms and started her career as a staffer working for Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) and Congressman Gerald Weller (R-IL11). A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science, Heather is active in Republican local and state affairs in her home state of Virginia.

Charles Hernick is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum in Washington, DC.

Charles leads CRES Forum’s policy work and executes strategies to advance clean energy solutions and innovative approaches to reducing carbon emissions.

Charles is an energy expert who understands emerging clean technologies, market barriers, and policies and regulations. For over a decade he has worked at the crossroads of economic development, energy, and natural resource management across the U.S. and on the ground in over a dozen countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Before joining CRES, he advised executive-level decision-makers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Agency for International Development on energy and environmental issues, and identified project-level opportunities for clean energy expansion.

He is also a climate change expert who has integrated climate change considerations into U.S. government programs and policies and has authored climate mitigation and adaptation best practice guidelines for over a dozen development sectors.

Charles was the Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District in the November 2016 election. He routinely advises candidates seeking public office on energy and economic growth.

In 2019, Charles was appointed to the Maryland Clean Energy Council’s 2019 Advisory Council. He is a frequent guest on radio shows and webcasts, in university classrooms, and at international workshops to discuss clean energy and associated economic, national security, and environmental issues. He conducts interviews in English or Spanish.

Charles as an M.A. in International Relations and Environmental Policy from Boston University and a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota.

Larissa Fair is the Director of Communications for CRES Forum. She is a seasoned communications and marketing strategist with over fifteen years of experience in digital media, corporate communications, and public relations. She has worked with technology companies, NGOs, and consulting agencies to launch integrated marketing campaigns and programs. She is a respected leader with a robust range of marketing expertise, diverse industry experience, and proven success in startup and rapid growth companies.

At CRES, Larissa is focused on communications and outreach strategies to support CRES and CRES Forum’s overall message and mission. Prior to joining CRES, Larissa led marketing efforts in the medical device industry, cybersecurity and IT industry, and launched digital programs to drive message and action for the International Republican Institute (IRI), focused on spreading democracy worldwide. She has generated awareness and messaging for company brands and established activities to engage varied stakeholder groups into action. Larissa began her career working for government consulting and media relations firm Westin Rinehart Group, which was later acquired by BGR Group in 2008.

Previously, Larissa has held senior marketing positions leading public relations, social media, events, and corporate branding and messaging efforts. Larissa earned her degree from Radford University in Communications and Public Relations with a minor in Political Science. She served as President of the Washington, D.C. chapter of Social Media Club (SMC-DC) from 2007-2011 where she led a team of over 20 volunteers to educate businesses, nonprofits, and government leaders in best practices for social media. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and young daughter.

Colin joins CRES Forum after previously serving as Associate Communications and Outreach Manager at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute where he supported the Institute’s external communications as well as the development and implementation of public affairs strategies. He began his career in the strategic communications industry at DCI Group in Washington D.C., where he began specializing in energy policy. Colin graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in International Studies and is originally from Massachusetts.