Jeff Meerdink brings 30 years of expertise in program, mega-project, and project delivery, backed by strong technical credentials and a commitment to client service. As Director of the Program Management Office for the $13B ARCHES Hydrogen Hub Program, he helped secure over $1.2B in Department of Energy seed funding for this groundbreaking public-private partnership.

Past roles include Program Director for the $30B Operation NEXT sustainable water reuse program, and Program Director the Infrastructure LA Initiative, managing complex multi-agency infrastructure projects. His international experience includes the $6.5B Lower Thames Crossing in the UK and directing a major university building program in Morocco.

As Vice President of Major Programs at Jacobs, Jeff oversees program development and delivery across various infrastructure sectors in the Americas-West Region. His leadership style emphasizes building collaborative, high-performing teams that consistently deliver economical and efficient solutions to complex challenges while ensuring strong stakeholder relationships and community benefits.

Tyson Eckerle serves as Senior Advisor for Clean Infrastructure and Mobility in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and Chief Government & Strategy Officer for the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES). In these roles, he collaborates with multiple stakeholders to streamline California’s efforts to accelerate our transition to a clean energy ecosystem, building on his experience as GO-Biz’s first Deputy Director of Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development.

In addition to helping launch ARCHES, Tyson served as lead author and steward for the development and implementation of California’s first Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development Strategy, and both the Hydrogen Station and Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permitting Guidebooks. Tyson holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Joy Langford serves as Chief Community Officer of ARCHES H2Hub, overseeing $150 million in direct community investment and $220 million in workforce development, with plans to create over 220,000 jobs in California's hydrogen infrastructure initiative.

With 18 years of experience in public-private partnerships, she specializes in environmental and corporate responsibility initiatives, helping major corporations navigate complex regulatory environments and community relationships. In 2024, she became President of the Water Replenishment District, managing renewable water rights throughout Southern California, following her 2022 appointment and 2023 election to the board.

Her diverse background includes serving as Senior Environmental Policy Advisor for the California State Assembly, originating over $100 million in utility-grade solar projects, and managing a mortgage bank. She holds degrees in Economics and Urban Planning from UC Santa Barbara and serves on multiple boards, including Climate Resolve and Young Professionals in Energy. Her current work focuses on sustainable transportation and renewable energy solutions across California municipalities.

Dr. Adam Z. Weber serves as Chief Technology Officer of the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) and is a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he leads the Energy-Conversion Group. He also co-directs the DOE-funded Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck Consortium.

His research focuses on optimizing fuel-cell and electrolyzer performance, understanding flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage, and analyzing solar-fuel generators and CO2 reduction processes. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles and holds six patents in these fields.

Adam’s contributions have earned numerous prestigious honors, including the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the 2016 Sir William Grove Award, and the 2023 DOE Fuel Cell Award. He is a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society and received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from UC Berkeley, following his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tufts University.

As Chief Counsel of ARCHES and Managing Counsel for the University of California's National Laboratory operations, Bart Lounsbury brings over a decade of experience in environmental and energy law to guide California's hydrogen hub development. In his role at UC's Office of the President, he oversees multiple practice areas while helping shape ARCHES' strategic vision and legal framework.

Prior to joining UC, Lounsbury's diverse career included environmental litigation at a San Francisco boutique firm, service as a Foreign Service Officer in Thailand, and work with a major environmental nonprofit organization. His educational background reflects his expertise in both law and urban planning, holding three degrees from Harvard University: a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Master of Urban Planning from the Graduate School of Design, and a B.A. from Harvard College. This unique combination of legal acumen, international experience, and environmental expertise positions him well to navigate the complex landscape of California's emerging hydrogen economy.

Dr. Anne Bessman serves as a strategic leader at ARCHES, where she joined in early 2023 to manage the complexity of California's H2Hub and its broader hydrogen ecosystem. With over a decade of experience in program and operations management, she has driven success across diverse institutions including Insight Data Science and Engineering Fellowships, Minerva University, and the University of California system. At UC, she oversaw $7M in annual Presidential Initiative programs and led systemwide implementations of Title IX and IP Management Systems. Her previous achievements include running operations for one of America's most selective universities with its own admissions testing program.

Anne earned her DPhil in Biomedical Engineering and MBiochem from the University of Oxford. Known for her ability to bridge technical concepts with clear communication, she excels at process design and building cohesive global teams. Her strategic approach combines organizational efficiency with strong empathy, ensuring both operational excellence and meaningful community impact.