John Avina, President of Abraxas Energy Consulting, has worked in energy analysis and utility bill tracking since 1994. During his tenure at Thermal Energy Applications Research Center, Johnson Controls, SRC Systems, Silicon Energy and Abraxas Energy Consulting, he has managed the M&V for a large performance contractor, managed software development for energy analysis applications, created energy analysis software that is used by several hundred energy professionals, taught over 250 energy management classes, created hundreds of building models and utility bill tracking databases, modeled hundreds of utility rates, and has personally performed energy audits and retro-commissioning on over 25 million square feet of building stock. Mr. Avina chairs the Association of Energy Engineer’s Certified Energy Audit Test Committee.  Mr. Avina has a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Cara Carmichael is a Principal with Rocky Mountain Institute’s buildings practice where she focuses on net zero carbon and deep energy retrofits in the federal and commercial building sectors. She is also leading efforts on the profitable integration of buildings with the grid. Highlights of her work include leading negotiation for one of the first net zero energy commercial leases in the U.S., leading the design and construction for both of RMI’s net zero energy offices, the Innovation Center and Boulder Commons, and guiding the GSA to double their historic energy savings using performance contracting.

Randy Clark has 25 years of experience in the energy services industry and has been part of the NORESCO team for over 22 years. He is responsible for managing the Energy Services (ES) business unit for NORESCO's performance contracting business. This includes all non-federal government customers with whom NORESCO conducts business.

Mr. Clark's key responsibilities include direction of financial analysis for each customer, reviewing customer agreements, and managing the new business development functions within the ES business unit. He oversees all aspects of non-federal project service delivery, from development to engineering, construction, savings measurement and verification and operation to ensure overall project quality, integrity and customer satisfaction.

Mr. Clark began his career as a project engineer working for an energy efficiency consulting firm where he specialized in the delivery of energy audits as part of the Department of Energy's Technical Assistance Program.

Mr. Clark earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University and holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph Katz School of Business.

Jeffrey R. Diehl is the Executive Director and CEO of Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. Mr. Diehl has over 35 years of experience in public finance and prior to this role was the Managing Partner of Strategic Sovereign Advisors LLC, a consulting firm advising governments and financial institutions. Previously, he held various senior positions at HSBC, a global financial institution, including Vice Chairman–U.S. Public Sector and Global Head of Public Sector Banking. He holds BA and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan.

As General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for the Connecticut Green Bank, Mr. Farnen directs all legal, legislative and regulatory affairs for the nation’s first green bank established in July 2011, a global leader in renewable and energy efficiency financing and winner of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government Ash Award for innovation in 2017.    Mr. Farnen’s counsel is helping the Green Bank realize its mission of leveraging public and private funds to scale-up renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency projects. In fact, the Green Bank has mobilized over $1 billion of total clean energy investment since 2012.

Directly prior to the Green Bank, Mr. Farnen was a Senior Attorney with United Technologies’ Sikorsky Aircraft business unit, providing legal counsel for strategic international campaigns, as well as all of Sikorsky’s global environmental, energy, health and safety legal matters. Mr. Farnen also has worked as an attorney for MassMutual Financial Group and Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.

Mr. Farnen was awarded by the Connecticut Law Tribune as the “Best In-House Counsel” of the Year in 2018 and previously named a “New Leader in the Law” in 2013. He is passionate about the renewable energy space, teaches business law and finance as an adjunct professor, is a board member of the Council of Development Finance Agencies and the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association, and is a former member of the CT Judicial Review Counsel.

Mr. Farnen obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Master of Business Administration (Finance) and Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut.

David Foster served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz from 2014-2017 on energy, environmental, climate, economic development, workforce development and labor relations issues. During that period he designed and implemented the creation of the Department of Energy’s Jobs Strategy Council, an initiative that linked the department’s technical and financial resources to a wide group of external stakeholders including state and local governments, private sector energy and manufacturing businesses, non-profits, academic institutions, and labor unions. 

Mr. Foster also designed and oversaw the annual production of the U.S. Energy and Employment Report, a survey driven study of labor markets in four key energy-related sectors of the U.S. economy. In addition, he led the interagency effort to create the Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Initiative, which formally linked the Department of Energy with the Departments of Labor, Education, Commerce, Defense, and the National Science Foundation on workforce development issues. Mr. Foster also spurred the formation of the Utility Industry Workforce Initiative that joined six utility trade associations with four  overnment agencies and two national labor unions to promote veterans hiring in the utility industry.
 
Prior to working at the Department of Energy, Mr. Foster served as the founding Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance (BGA), a strategic partnership of 14 of America’s most important unions and environmental organizations with a combined membership of 14.5 million. The BlueGreen Alliance is the country’s foremost labor/environmental advocacy group on climate change policy solutions with a special emphasis on energy intensive industries, job creation, and the interchange between global warming and trade policy. He also formed BGA’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Center which provided technical support and analysis on manufacturing growth opportunities through grants from the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and the private sector.

Mr. Foster has spoken extensively on the subjects of climate change, economic development and the transition to a low carbon economy to audiences of business, labor, environmental and government policy makers around the world, including the United Nations Environment Program Ministerial in Nairobi, Kenya, multiple UNFCCC events, and the German Green Party National Convention. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament on the linkage between jobs and climate change solutions. 

From 1990-2006, Mr. Foster was the Director of United Steelworkers (USW), District #11, a 13 state region based in Minneapolis, MN. His responsibilities included serving on the union’s International Executive Board and negotiating labor agreements with many of the country’s largest steel, iron ore and aluminum companies. He has spoken on trade issues to labor and management audiences in the U.S., Canada, and Japan and cochaired the USW’s initiative to establish a global network of unions in the aluminum industry in 2003. He also chaired the USW’s International Executive Board Task Force on the Environment and authored its 2006 policy statement.

In 2004, Mr. Foster was awarded the Jane Lehman Bagley Award from the Tides Foundation for his work building labor/environmental coalitions in the United States and in 2009 in he received the first Peter A. Berle Award for Environmental Integrity along with Dr. James Hansen of the Goddard Space Institute. In 2010, Mr. Foster was recognized by the Aspen Institute with its 2010 Energy and Environment Award for Non-Governmental Organizations. Since 2009 Foster has served on the Board of Directors of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation and, since 2006 the Board of Directors of Oregon Steel Mills and its successor, Evraz, North America. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of Physicians Health Plan, one of the first Preferred Provider Organizations in the country. He has also served on numerous non-profit boards and government advisory commissions. 

From 2003-2010, Mr. Foster taught graduate classes on globalization, sustainability, and labor relations at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities and at the University of Minnesota at Duluth in the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership. Mr. Foster has a B.A. from Reed College in Portland, OR.

Donald Gilligan is the President of NAESCO. He is responsible for coordinating NAESCO's state advocacy activities as well as its relationships with other national and regional energy efficiency organizations. Mr. Gilligan has worked in the energy efficiency industry since 1975, as a consultant, entrepreneur, and state government official. He is the author and co-author of a number of reports on energy efficiency and the growth of the ESCO industry, which have been published by NAESCO and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Prior to joining NAESCO, Mr. Gilligan was a founder and officer of two energy service companies, Coneco Corporation and DMC Energy (now part of Honeywell). As a consultant, he has provided services to numerous utilities, government agencies, corporations, and trade associations.

Mr. Gilligan began his career as a Program Associate to Governor Hugh Carey of New York, responsible for liaison between the Governor and the state energy agencies. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Robert Johnson is Senior Vice President and Group Head, Federal and National Accounts at Hannon Armstrong with responsibility for growing financing solutions in the federal sector and with national account customers. Mr. Johnson has been at the leading edge of the energy efficiency industry where he has built businesses across a broad range of systems in the energy services business.

Prior to joining Hannon Armstrong, Mr. Johnson held executive leadership positions at early stage start-up organizations in the energy efficiency market. Prior to these assignments, he held senior leadership positions in multinational organizations such as Cooper Industries and Ingersoll Rand (Trane) where he led institutional sales for North America. Prior to this assignment, he held the global sales leadership role for Johnson Controls’ Federal Systems Division. Mr. Johnson began his career at Honeywell, where he held leadership positions in various divisions of Honeywell during his 15 year tenure there.

Mr. Johnson has been published in Military Engineer magazine and holds a Bachelor,s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Charles McGinnis is Vice President, Performance Infrastructure and Solutions Sales, North America for Johnson Controls Building Technology and Solutions.

Mr. McGinnis’ responsibilities are to advance and execute a growth strategy to achieve short- and long-term plan commitments to profitably grow the Performance Infrastructure-Energy Solutions business for Johnson Controls-North America. Key initiatives are to reinforce existing practices and establish new standards for strategic projects, sales management practices, recruiting/hiring, forecasting, sales training, marketing, and innovation. He manages the Vertical Market Teams, Proposal Development Team, Solutions Program/Product Managers and Government Facing Business Consultants
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Joining Johnson Controls in 2000, Mr. McGinnis has held positions of increasing responsibility in branch management, regional management, and national director roles, most recently serving as Director of Higher Education and State Government Markets for the Energy Solutions business. He has been a two-time Masters Award winner and Chairman’s Team Award recipient for Global Growth.

Prior to Johnson Controls, Mr. McGinnis worked for Honeywell Inc., Erie Controls, North American Mechanical Inc. and Siemens Building Technologies in sales management, product management, operations, and general management roles. He previously taught courses in Automatic Controls at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Engineering and Professional Development.

Michael Perna is responsible for managing the growth strategy and business expansion initiatives for the Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, which include Con Edison Solutions, Con Edison Energy, and Con Edison Development. His responsibilities include acquisitions, new initiatives, and new product development in support of the energy services and renewables businesses. In addition, he leads the marketing and communications functions including brand management, advertising, lead generation, and media relations for the company.

Prior to joining Con Edison, Mr. Perna was a principal at Energized Strategies II, LLC, a management consulting firm providing market strategy, product/service launch, and project management consulting for clients. Earlier in his career, Mr. Perna spent nearly 15 years at Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a Fortune 250 energy company. There, he held positions of increasing responsibility in a variety of functional areas including engineering and construction, sales, marketing, and customer operations.

In 1993, Mr. Perna was awarded an Industrial Program Fellowship in Customer Systems at the Electric Power Research Institute in Washington, DC. Other professional recognition includes the PSEG Corporate Excellence Award, which he received in 1994 and 1997. Mr. Perna holds a Master of Business Administration from the Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Engineering with Honors from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Robert R. Somers, II, is the president and co-founder of 2rw Consultants, Inc., an engineering firm that emphasizes energy efficient analysis and design. Mr. Somers is the principal responsible for energy services and software development. He has worked in the energy field since 1975 for both public and private sector clients, leading project teams in the evaluation, design, and commissioning of energy efficiency projects nationwide in the built environment for both new construction and renovation.

Mr. Somers is a professional engineer registered in 14 states and the District of Columbia, a LEED AP, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a LEED accredited professional. His experience ranges from thermal energy storage research to energy audits of large complexes including the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Mr. Somers spearheaded 2rw’s technical support services for the Virginia Division of Energy for many years, during which time he conducted training sessions for technical and non-technical audiences, developed guidelines for a photovoltaic manufacturing grants program, and authored technical manuals for engineers and architects.

Mr. Somers has many years of experience in renovation design, building assessment, commissioning, construction administration, and energy auditing, as well as central HVAC plant assessment and HVAC system design. Mr. Somers has led teams of architects and engineers in the administration of evaluation, design, commissioning, and construction of comprehensive engineering projects for numerous clients throughout the United States. He has an extensive background in analysis and design of mechanical and electrical systems to reduce energy consumption and costs.

Mr. Somers holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Becca Trietch serves as an Energy Efficiency Administrator at the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), where she helps develop and oversee policies and programs that improve energy efficiency throughout the state. OER works closely with private and public stakeholders to increase the reliability and security of Rhode Island’s energy system; reduce long-term energy costs; and promote adoption of clean, no-to-low carbon energy solutions, while balancing ratepayer and environmental impacts. Ms. Trietch helps to oversee utility-administered energy efficiency programs and supports policy work related to building codes and building energy labeling.

Becca has a Master's in Environmental Science and Management with a concentration in Policy from the University of Rhode Island. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University and is working on a Doctorate in Law & Policy at Northeastern University.

David Weiss is a Partner at Bywater Partners LLC where he specializes in offering strategic and tactical guidance along with project development to companies in energy services, renewable energy, utility, and distributed energy businesses. He also provides his clients with a well-balanced perspective on issues within the alternative energy markets and leverages his full and diverse range of 25 years of experience in assessing mergers and acquisition targets.

Prior to starting his consulting practice with Bywater, Mr. Weiss was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Pepco Energy Services. Mr. Weiss had overall responsibility for all divisional functions including profit and loss, marketing, business development, operations, project management, and project financing. During his 17-year tenure with Pepco Energy Services, Mr. Weiss was instrumental in the award of the largest federal government energy savings performance contract, the largest single roof-top solar project in the U.S. and one of the largest federal co-generation projects for the National Institutes of Health. Mr. Weiss was also responsible for the development and operations of all co-generation, renewable energy, and district energy facilities.

Prior to Mr. Weiss’ tenure with Pepco Energy Services, he managed the implementation of utility demand-side management programs and a design/build group for XENERGY. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Energy to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as an expert in the energy services field and is the immediate past Chair of the Board for the National Association of Energy Services Companies.

Scott Wilton is responsible for origination, management and maintenance of assigned contractor and direct customer relationships, and the structuring of federal, municipal, and commercial energy projects. In addition, Mr. Wilton is also legal counsel for the company, and is responsible for the management of all corporate legal and documentation matters, including contract development and negotiations, collections, litigation, and compliance and has over 25 years of experience structuring and closing large commercial transactions. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Economics and History and has a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Mr. Wilton was most recently employed with Inventrust Properties Corp. (previously, The Inland Real Estate Group, Inc.) where he was responsible for the development, construction, financing, documentation, management, and administration of real estate projects throughout the U.S.