About

Jackie Burman

Vice President, Operations and Finance

Jackie Burman is the Vice President of Operations and Finance at Securing America’s Future Energy. In this role, Jackie works closely with the CEO and Vice President of Development to develop foundation and individual solicitation and engagement strategies for SAFE.

Prior to joining SAFE, Ms. Burman spent more than 4 years in Cape Town, South Africa where she assisted a wide range of non-profit organizations in reaching their funding goals. During her time abroad, she also helped create a fundraising academy to provide young adults with the skills necessary to begin careers in development. She worked in both marketing and fundraising in DC before this.

Ms. Burman holds a Bachelor of Art’s Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and Masters’ degrees in business administration and Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University.

Gidon Feen

Director of Special Projects

Gidon Feen serves as Director of Special Projects in the Office of the CEO. In this role, he supports Robbie Diamond across various projects, leading the development of new initiatives and offering program insights. Prior to joining SAFE, Gidon was a management consultant at DRT Strategies, Inc., where he developed a knowledge management pilot for the leadership of the FDA.

Prior to DRT, Gidon worked on the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, organizing counties in Iowa and overseeing one third of Florida as part of the youth vote program. During the campaign, Gidon managed a combination of four university campuses, seventeen staff, and 130,000 potential student voters across more than 150 miles. His development of novel programming and campaign outreach resulted in thousands of registered voters. Gidon has also worked for the Podesta Group, where he coauthored a white paper on the 2020 census and provided extensive analysis on the political, economic, and social climate in African, European, and Middle Eastern countries in relation to American and business interests.

Gidon’s experience also includes an internship at the White House, supporting staff in the Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council. There he assisted in organizing the opening event of the US-Africa Summit and coordinated President Obama’s meeting with the late Shimon Peres. He has also worked in the corporate offices of Apple, Inc. South Africa. Additionally, during his time in college, Gidon launched an innovative, multi-year campaign that led to his university implementing mandatory sexual assault prevention training for all incoming freshmen and the establishment of a Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.

A graduate of the George Washington University, Gidon was born in Jerusalem and raised across Israel, South Africa, and the United States. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy.

Jeffrey Gerlach

Director, Transportation Policy and Strategic Content

Jeff Gerlach is a Senior Policy Analyst at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), where he supports the research, writing, and content development of SAFE’s policy team. Prior to joining SAFE, Jeff worked at a management consulting firm, where he supported the Department of Energy’s Office of Petroleum Reserves and Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. He previously interned and consulted for SAFE in 2013, contributing to the Oil Security Index and the Commission on Energy and Geopolitics’ Oil Security 2025. Additionally, he worked on multiple political campaigns in Minnesota and completed a year of service in AmeriCorps.

Mr. Gerlach received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Anthropology from the University of St. Thomas in 2011 and his Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago in 2014.

Alex Hutkin

Manager, Free Oil Markets Campaign

Over the past 8 years, Alexander has worked with Congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle to introduce, negotiate, and pass bipartisan laws. Alexander’s areas of policy expertise include
technology, transportation, foreign policy, intelligence, defense, and homeland security.

As Legislative Director, Alexander ensured Rep. Steve Russell became one of the most prolific and effective lawmakers in his Freshman class. As a result, Rep. Russell is currently ranked the #4 most effective legislator (out of a peer group of 59 Representatives newly elected in 2014). Alexander has facilitated the Congressman’s introduction of 37 bills (149% above peer group), of which 9 bills passed the House (176% above peer group) and 4 bills were signed into law (408% above peer group).

As Dep. Chief of Staff, Alexander leveraged deep knowledge of political leadership dynamics to propel Rep. Russell into the chairmanship of the National Security Subcommittee, and secured the
Congressman’s status as the presumptive Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee at the conclusion of the current leader’s term—a rare honor for such a junior lawmaker.

Alyssa Siddiqui

Managing Director of Corporate Engagements

Alyssa Siddiqui is Managing Director of Corporate Relations at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE). She is responsible for identifying and implementing innovative strategies to enhance SAFE’s profile, expand its donor base, and develop new opportunities for engagement and growth.

Alyssa joined SAFE after over a decade at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, most recently as the Senior Director of Corporate Relations, where she led the strategy and execution of an integrated fundraising plan to achieve an annual revenue goal of over $9 million. She managed high-level corporate recruitment of new members, expanded relationships with existing clients and key stakeholders and launched the Let’s Rebuild America infrastructure initiative. Alyssa also oversaw the U.S. Chamber’s largest signature event, The Aviation Summit, held annually in Washington, DC which attracted over 900 attendees and participants, including top CEOs and industry leaders.

Alyssa began her career at the National Park Foundation working on the capital campaign for the Flight 93 National Memorial Fund. She graduated from Colby College with a Bachelors of Science in Government. She is a member of the Advisory Council, German American Aviation Heritage Foundation.

Martez Taylor

Executive Assistant

Alex Adams

Director, Editing and Content

Alex Adams is the Director of Editing and Content at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE). Prior to joining SAFE, Alex was a communications specialist at American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, as well as a media analyst supporting State Department and NATO operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Before moving to Washington, D.C., Alex was the business editor for Muscat Daily, an English-language newspaper in Oman, where he focused on energy, trade and business development issues during the Arab Spring. He previously worked as a freelance journalist in the UK, covering trials at London’s Central Criminal Court as well as national medical tribunals. Alex holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Akua Assata

Staff Assistant

Ladeene Freimuth

Senior Advisor, Grid Security Project

Ron Minsk

Head of Policy