Walter S. Howes is the Managing Partner of Verdigris Capital, LLC, a private equity partnership focused on sustainable solutions in the areas of – energy, transportation, agriculture, construction and information management. Prior to Verdigris, Walter served at DOE in numerous positions, including, Director for the Office of Acquisition Reform and Privatization, where he was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Energy in the formulation, guidance and implementation of the Department’s privatization and contract reform initiatives. He also held the positions of Senior Advisor for Acquisition Policy and Director of the Loan Guarantee Office as established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. He has over 20 years of experience in investment and commercial banking, venture capital and international privatization activities, having served as President of the EBI Capital Group, Vice President for the First Boston Corporation and Citicorp, and with the Ministry of Industry & Finance for the Czech Government. Walter received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University with honors and his master’s degree in International Finance from New York University.