Mandy Gunasekara

From the Oval Office to the Senate Cloakroom, Mandy has been at the center of the most consequential energy and environmental decisions of the last decade.  She is a veteran Republican climate and energy strategist, communicator, and environmental attorney who has a well-earned reputation for delivering results.  For the past three years, Mandy has advised family offices and portfolio companies on navigating regulatory hurdles and opportunities. 

Most recently, Mandy served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Under the leadership of Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Mandy set and implemented environmental policy priorities for the Trump-Pence  Administration.  She created and managed teams of political and career employees to shepherd key regulatory actions through the rule-making process.  Mandy also served as a primary liaison with the White House and other administrative agencies. 

Before returning to EPA as Chief of Staff, Mandy was the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. In this role, she spearheaded many of the  administration's greatest energy and environmental policy achievements. Mandy was the chief architect of the Paris Accord withdrawal and the repeal of the Clean Power Plan – a costly regulation that undercut state’s authority and would have substantially increased electricity prices. 

Prior to her latest EPA post, she founded and ran the Energy 45 Fund, a Jackson, Mississippi-based non-profit dedicated to informing the public about the energy, environmental and economic gains made under the Trump-Pence  Administration.   Mandy also worked as a Senior Fellow for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Life: Powered project and a Visiting Fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum.  

Previously, Mandy served in a number of roles in the U.S. Congress, including as Majority Counsel for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for Chairmen Inhofe (R-OK) and Barasso (R-WY), respectively.  She also worked closely with Sen. Capito (R-WV) in her former role as Subcommittee Chair for Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. In addition, Mandy was senior counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives for Rep.  Bob Latta (R-OH) where she crafted  his energy and environment goals with  the U.S. Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mandy is a frequent guest on television and a prolific print media opinion commentator.   She guest radio host for Super Talk Mississippi, regularly appears on Fox News and Fox Business, writes opinion pieces for the Daily Caller, Y’all Politics, and USA Today, and is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post and E&E News. 

Mandy earned a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a B.A. from Mississippi College. She's a sixth-generation Mississippian who along with her husband and two children call Oxford, Mississippi, home. 

Surya Gunasekara serves as Counsel, Public Policy at JinkoSolar US and Founder of Section VII Capital, a boutique energy, environmental, and bitcoin investment firm that assists portfolio companies,  ranging from blockchain startups to global public companies, in navigating Capitol Hill. In addition, he is the Co-founder and General Counsel of Satoshi Action Fund, a non-profit dedicated to informing policymakers and regulators about the intersection of Bitcoin mining and energy policy. In this role, he advises the organization on draft and pending legislation at the state and federal level, as well as general legal matters.

Surya previously held senior positions at the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security. He also spent several years as the Chief of Staff and General Counsel for U.S. Congressman Jim Renacci, a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Before serving on Capitol Hill, Surya worked at two major trade associations and the Department of Defense focusing on tax, customs, and energy issues.

Surya holds a J.D. cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Prior to law school, he graduated from the University of Denver with a Masters in Natural Resource and Energy Policy and from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Political Science. He lives with his wife and two children in Oxford, Mississippi.

Forrest Carman is a current 3L at the University of Mississippi School of Law where serves as a Staff Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal,  President of the Federalist Society - Mississippi Student Chapter, and Vice President of Operations for the Government Law Students Association. 

Prior to law school, Forrest worked as the legislative aide to Georgia State Senator Bo Hatchett, one of Governor Kemp's Senate Floor Leaders. Forrest also served as Campaign Manager for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s reelection campaign.  This past summer, Forrest worked Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) for the House Judiciary Committee as a Law Clerk in Washington, D.C. While with House Judiciary, Forrest worked on a variety of issues under the committee’s jurisdiction, such as government and judicial ethics, legal and regulatory reform, and oversight of U.S. Federal Law Enforcement agencies. Forrest helped prepare for, conduct, summarize, and review Transcribed Interviews and Depositions. 

Forrest received a Bachelor's in Business Administration, with a double major in Finance and Real Estate with a minor in Political Science from the University of Mississippi in 2021. After completing law school, Forrest hopes to practice law in Washington, D.C., in the areas of Election, Campaign Finance, Congressional Investigations, Government Affairs & Ethics, and Constitutional Law.