power & renewables summit 2019

Kim is a founding partner of Point Reyes Energy Partners and the former regional head and Vice President at First Solar. She has over 30 years of experience in the power sector having successfully developed and financed over $4.5 billion of power projects. Kim spent over a decade at AES where she successfully led the development and financing of over 600MW of power projects and transacted several M&A transactions. Kim graduated from Williams College and Yale School of Management with an MBA and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with an MES.

RJ Johnson is the Vice President of Origination for NextEra Energy Resources. RJ and his team are responsible for market development, customer engagement and contracting of wind, solar and storage facilities in North America. Previously, RJ was a founding member of the NextEra Energy Storage team, and was responsible for commercial development of wholesale and distributed energy storage systems.  RJ began his career at NextEra Energy as a wind developer leading cross-functional teams to develop facilities in California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas and the Mid-West. Prior to joining NextEra Energy Resources, RJ served as a Captain in the U.S. Army where he had roles as a Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Adjutant and Assistant Operations Officer in the 4th Infantry Division. 

RJ holds a degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Craig Glazer, vice president – Federal Government Policy, PJM Interconnection. In this capacity, Mr. Glazer coordinates all of PJM’s regulatory and legislative policies before Congress, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions, the United States Department of Energy and other federal agencies. Mr. Glazer also serves on the Board of PJM Settlement which undertakes all of the settlement functions of the PJM marketplace.

Prior to joining PJM, Mr. Glazer served as Commissioner and Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Mr. Glazer oversaw Ohio’s move toward deregulation of its telephone, natural gas, transportation and electric industries. He also chaired the state’s Siting Board and served as a member of the Governor’s Cabinet.

Mr. Glazer remains extremely active on national electricity issues. He frequently testified before Congress and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on development of Regional Transmission Organizations and the needs of the marketplace. Mr. Glazer served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Chairman of its International Relations Committee and a member of its Electricity and Energy Resources Committees. He also chaired the National Council on Competition in the Electric Industry, an interagency collaborative which brought together FERC, the state PUCs, the US Department of Energy, the US EPA and the National Council of State Legislatures.

He also has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Midwest Institute, a bipartisan research arm of the Northeast and Midwest region’s Congressional delegations. and as a member of the Advisory Councils of the Electric Power Research Institute and the Gas Research Institute.

Mr. Glazer is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Vanderbilt University School of Law.

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 61 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region’s transmission grid, which includes 62,556 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. Visit PJM at [url=http://www.pjm.com]http://www.pjm.com[/url].

Michael Wheeler is a Principal Strategist at Equinor (formerly Statoil) in Houston, Texas. With over a decade of industry experience, he has held both technical and commercial positions linked to assets in oil, gas, and renewables. Michael holds a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin as well as an MBA from Rice University. In his current role as a member of Equinor’s Corporate Strategy & Innovation organization, Michael manages strategic initiatives across various value chains, further positioning Equinor during the ongoing energy transition.

Mahesh Sudhakaran is the Chief Digital Officer for IBM’s Energy, Environment and Utilities Industry. In this role, he leads strategy, product development and services for IBM's Energy Business. He leads 3 global teams - Enterprise Operations, Customer Experience and Asset Management. He works with the world's top city governments and utilities to solve their biggest challenges with AI, IoT and Blockchain. He enjoys transforming industries with data and over the past 3 years, he has led 6 industry offerings from concept to launch, that have helped asset heavy industries accelerate time to value in a safe, affordable and reliable manner.

Mahesh has over 17 years of international experience with IBM and Schneider Electric.  He is a recognized thought leader in 3 Industries - Energy and Utilities, Industrial and Public Sector. In addition, he is member of the Forbes Technology Council for 2019. 

Mahesh has a BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, First Class with Distinction, from the National Institute of Technology, India and an MBA, Director's List, from the University of Cambridge. He is a global shaper and has lived in 7 countries and loves the milieu of technology, culture and business.

Philip L. Bartlett II, J.D., was appointed to the Maine Public Utilities Commission in June 2019 by Governor Janet Mills. Prior to his appointment, he practiced law with Scaccia, Bartlett & Chabot. He also served in the Maine Senate from 2004 to 2012 and was elected by his peers to serve as Senate Majority Leader from 2008 to 2010. Bartlett chaired the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee as well as the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Energy Future and he served on the Government Oversight Committee, Natural Resources Committee and Labor Committee. He taught micro and macroeconomics at the collegiate level. Chairman Bartlett holds a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School. He completed his undergraduate work at Tufts University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude majoring in Economics and Political Science. His term expires in March 2025.Philip L. Bartlett II, J.D., was appointed to the Maine Public Utilities Commission in June 2019 by Governor Janet Mills. Prior to his appointment, he practiced law with Scaccia, Bartlett & Chabot. He also served in the Maine Senate from 2004 to 2012 and was elected by his peers to serve as Senate Majority Leader from 2008 to 2010. Bartlett chaired the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee as well as the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Energy Future and he served on the Government Oversight Committee, Natural Resources Committee and Labor Committee. He taught micro and macroeconomics at the collegiate level. Chairman Bartlett holds a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School. He completed his undergraduate work at Tufts University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude majoring in Economics and Political Science. His term expires in March 2025.

Karl Popham is the Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies Manager at the 3rd largest city-owned utility in the country and leads one of most comprehensive utility EV programs in the nation. Karl has been the Principal Investigator on over 10 grants to include U.S. Department of Energy funded initiatives advancing transportation electrification and grid modernization. Karl is co-author of "Smart Cities” a book published by Springer. He was a core team member of the Mayor’s Smart City Challenge Team and is the electrification lead for Austin’s Smart Mobility Roadmap that enables shared, electric, and autonomous transportation in the city. Previously he served as Austin Energy’s interim Chief Information Officer and Division Manager, a Managing Director at Hewlett-Packard Services, Director at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and a Captain in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Nick is Chief Executive Officer of Alameda County’s new community choice energy agency, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE). Nick has been instrumental in all aspects of its formation, bringing with him over a decade of energy policy and legislative experience. Service to county businesses and municipalities launched in June 2018 with residential service for 11 of its cities following in November. Nick is also very active working on CCA issues across California as a member of the Board of the California Community Choice Association. Prior to EBCE, Nick served as Chief of Staff to Michael Picker, President of the California Public Utilities Commission and as a special advisor to Governor Jerry Brown focused on distributed energy resources. He began his career working in clean energy for Q-Cells, RenewFinancial, the California Public Utilities Commission and KEMA Consulting. Nick holds a MBA from Georgetown University and a BA in international relations from Tufts University.

Tom Erb is the Partner Relations Coordinator for the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition at the World Bank. In this role, he coordinates 275+ CPLC partners in advocacy, communication, and knowledge initiatives to advance carbon pricing implementation across the globe. He is from San Diego, California.

Matt serves as the strategy and business development leader for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. His work focuses on aligning the research priorities with critical industry partners to formulate scientifically valid projects with long term commercial value. Matt has successfully developed regulatory and utility business strategies for a diversity of projects, captured large revenue streams across global operating geographies.

Most recently, as VP of Regulatory Strategy for National Grid US, Matt led the development of a long-term regulatory and business strategy for three jurisdictional companies across New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, along with corporate-wide policy on key energy issues involving security, data privacy and distributed generation.

Prior to this, as Global Policy Director for the IBM Corporation, Matt directed a corporate- wide program on energy regulation, policy and business climate for all IBM international growth energy markets in the ASEAN region, Middle East and Africa, Australia, Brazil, the EU and North America. He spearheaded approvals of regulators and final client signature for major system integration and software / services deals totaling over $150M.

Earlier in his career, Matt provided leadership for energy policy at the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office while working with the State’s electric and gas power sector. He helped negotiate and craft the clean energy policies of Governors Bill Ritter, Jr. and John W. Hickenlooper including the passage of numerous renewable energy, smart grid, and energy efficiency bills.

Matt holds a Master of Arts in Global Finance and International Trade from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Colorado State University. He lives with his family in Denver, Colorado.

Conor McKenna is a Senior Managing Director in CohnReznick Capital’s New York office. One of the earliest members of the firm, Conor focuses on M&A, corporate capital raising, and structuring, negotiating and financing tax equity and debt investments. Conor’s renewable energy expertise was honed over a decade working with strategic, infrastructure and financial service institutions. He has a strong relationship network and is adept at creating unique financing structures for energy companies, developers and power producers. Prior to joining CohnReznick Capital, Conor worked in the Renewable Energy Structured Finance Group at Evolution Markets, focusing primarily on Renewable Energy Credits and Bundled PPA’s. He was previously a member of EcoSecurities’ investment team, where he helped manage large carbon project portfolios. Conor received his MBA from Columbia Business School and his BA from Providence College. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Shane Smith is managing director of strategic development for Constellation, an Exelon company. He leads strategy development and key strategic initiatives across Exelon Generation, including portfolio optimization and business development and supports regulatory strategy for the generation fleet. Shane joined Constellation in 2006 and has held roles in corporate finance, corporate strategy and development, and treasury. Following Exelon’s acquisition of Constellation in 2012, Shane served as assistant treasurer, corporate and project finance, for Exelon Corporation. In this role, he led re-structuring of the dividend policy, all capital market activities, including corporate financing for Exelon and its operating companies (ComEd, PECO, BGE, and Exelon Generation), including equity financing for the acquisition of Pepco Holdings, and $1.6B across multiple non-recourse project financings. Shane is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Shane resides in Baltimore with his wife and three daughters.

Mr. Adam Todorski is a Senior Technical Solutions Architect at AutoGrid and has founded several technology startups, led technology teams in business software and scientific computing, as well as designed hardware control and communication systems for industrial automation. He started his career designing controls for distributed power generation and automated DR, including starting an ISO New England IBCS provider in 2006, PowerComm LLC.  He has run wholesale market operations desks in multiple US markets, developed and operated grid-scale energy storage, and put large industrials into ancillary services markets. Mr. Todorski holds a BS in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is both a PJM and ISO New England certified supply resource operator.

Jenny has more than fifteen years of experience leading the development of large capex wind and solar energy projects in New York and New England.   During this time Jenny has been leading and managing all aspects of project development across multiple projects simultaneously.  Jenny joined the Avangrid Renewables Offshore Wind team in 2018 and is responsible for managing various aspects of the US offshore wind development efforts and the implementation of the US offshore business strategy.  In addition, she is responsible for managing and creating key relationships with industry stakeholders across the US; including federal, state, regional and local governments, non-governmental organizations, industry trade groups, and market participants. Jenny holds an MBA from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.  Jenny also serves as the Chair of the Alliance for Clean Energy of New York Board of Directors and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium

Donald brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience to his role at APS, where he focuses on developing innovative energy products based on distributed energy technologies. His expertise in renewable and distributed energy technologies was developed through various roles in consulting, product marketing, and operations spanning the private, government, and utility sectors. Donald holds a BA from Duke University, an MS from the University of California – Berkeley, and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Tyler Minetto, Business Development Manager for Renewables at ThoughtTrace, has years of experience in software consulting with the Energy and Renewables sector. Tyler works alongside his customers as a champion for efficiency and value using software. Tyler earned his bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Brigham Young University.

Eleanor Fort leads Green For All’s clean transportation policy and advocacy work out of Boston, MA. She brings more than a decade of experience running campaigns to pass policies that build a sustainable and equitable future, and is an expert in clean transportation issues through an equity lens.

Previously, Eleanor was the Clean Vehicles Campaign Manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists, where she supported progress on fuel efficiency, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles, and held automakers and the oil industry accountable for spreading misinformation, blocking progress, and producing polluting products.

Before working with scientists, she mobilized the businesses community to advocate for climate, energy, and transportation policies with Ceres through Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP), a coalition of major consumer brands that believe tackling climate change is an economic opportunity. Eleanor also worked on clean water, open spaces, waste, and other environmental issues with Environment Massachusetts as a Preservation Advocate.

Her work throughout her career has sought to integrate environmental, social, and economic movements that directly serve the people who stand to benefit the most and intentionally work to reconcile disparities and privileges. She gained organizing skills as an alumna of Green Corps, a fellowship for grassroots environmental organizing, as well as working as a staff and volunteer for various city, state, and federal office political campaigns. She currently serves on the board of Alternatives for Community and Environment, a 25-year-old local environmental justice organization based in Roxbury, MA. Eleanor graduated from Vassar College where she studied political science and geography.

Ravi is the head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie, where he focuses on solar-plus-storage, solar integration on the grid and related power markets issues. Prior to his current role, he was the head of Wood Mackenzie’s energy storage research practice and covered global storage markets and value chain analysis. As an industry expert, Ravi has been quoted in various publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg, National Public Radio, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, Wired, and Verge. Ravi has over 10 years of experience in renewables as a consultant, analyst and engineer. Ravi holds a Master of International Business degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering degree from University of Washington, Seattle and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India.

Eric is a Member of the Mintz Project Development & Finance Practice, which is part of the firm’s Energy & Sustainability Practice. Mintz’s Energy & Sustainability Practice has completed more than 500 transactions across energy sectors totaling over $8.5 billion since 2006. Eric advises energy project sponsors, developers, and investors on a wide variety of transactions, including debt and equity financings, and buying and selling projects and project portfolios. In addition to his financing experience, Eric has extensive experience drafting and negotiating key project documents, including offtake agreements, REC contracts, EPC agreements, feedstock and other supply agreements, and interconnection arrangements. His project experience spans a variety of assets, including solar, wind, hydropower, biogas, and energy storage. Eric also advises cutting-edge energy generation, energy storage, and water technology clients preparing for commercial and pre-commercial deployment. Before joining Mintz, Eric held senior positions at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) as its General Counsel and Senior Director for Strategy.

Matt DaPrato is a Director for Wood Mackenzie Energy Transition and Power & Renewables practice research focused on the technologies and market impacts of the global energy transition. His past focus has been in the Americas power and renewables market having authored studies on onshore and offshore wind, transmission developments and regulations, and federal, regional and state policy.

Ben is a SME, Carbon & Emerging Technology, for Wood Mackenzie's Energy Transition Practice. Previously at Wood Mackenzie, Ben was a senior solar analyst specializing in PV systems and balance-of-systems components. Before joining Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, Ben worked in China and the U.S. in cleantech manufacturing and for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies from Skidmore College and a master’s degree in international environmental policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Mr. Whaley has 13 years of experience in North American Electricity Markets, including price forecasting and long term capacity planning.  In addition to fundamental market modeling, including energy and capacity forecasting, Mr. Whaley has done extensive research in various markets, including analysis of renewables, pricing, and asset valuation. 
Mr. Whaley has experience as an integrated resource planning analyst in utility resource and bid planning.  Mr. Whaley has engaged past clients in price forecasting and valuation for litigation support and appraisal of generating assets for M&A and financial reporting. 
Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Mr. Whaley worked as a consultant in a variety of energy related roles and with Xcel Energy.  Mr. Whaley holds an M.A. in Economics from Miami University (Ohio).  Mr. Whaley is based in Wood Mackenzie's Houston office.

Emma is a staff writer at Greentech Media. She previously covered environmental policy, politics, and climate change at Grist and the New Republic. Emma studied Environmental Analysis at Pomona College.