Max Adams

Austin, Texas | US Army Veteran

Max Adams is the Chief Strategy Officer at Parasanti, where he works to drive strategic lines of effort across the business and works with industry partners to bring the future of data and edge computing to clients in the federal and advanced energy spaces. Previous to Parasanti, Max worked out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina as a Civil Affairs Soldier for United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) where he led cross-functional teams focused on integrating cutting edge intelligence technologies into Special Operations Forces (SOF) operations.

Max has worked in Latin America and the Caribbean both as a soldier and before working with a seed stage start-up in the wine industry. He’s passionate about international development in the LATAM region, wine, and the future of energy. He holds a BA in International Relations from the Virginia Commonwealth University, an MA in International Affairs from Webster University, and an MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin.

Allison Bennett Irion

Chicago, Illinois | US Navy Veteran

Allison Bennett Irion is a Principal Systems Engineer and Group Leader for Argonne National Laboratory’s Nuclear/Radiological Proliferation Analysis and Modeling team. She has over fifteen years of experience working on nuclear nonproliferation programs for the United States government. Chairing Argonne's Advanced Supply Chain Analytics (ASCA) Initiative, Allison brings together multi-disciplinary teams to address end-to-end supply chain solutions to assure the supply of materials critical to US strategic interests and deny the supply of proliferation-sensitive goods to adversaries. She co-leads a rare-earth supply chain team that supports DOD’s Defense Logistics Agency, as well as critical material research for lithium-ion battery supply chains.

Coalescing her interest in clean energy alongside nonproliferation, Allison recently launched US Nuclear Nexus, a new tool for the US nuclear industry to connect with the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration on the global deployment of US nuclear technology, increasing US competitiveness, while integrating nonproliferation features.

Allison serves as a Commander in the US Navy Reserve’s Strategic Sealift Program and as a licensed officer in the US Merchant Marine. She holds a BS in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation from the US Merchant Marine Academy and a master's degree in Systems Engineering, focusing on Logistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Carlton Brinda

Salt Lake City, Utah | US Navy Veteran

Carlton Brinda is a twenty-four year retiree of the US Navy. He was a Chief Electrician qualified in the operation of a nuclear power plant on submarines. He was an exceptional leader and manager of a diverse team of electrical technicians that were responsible for operating and maintaining the electrical systems. He also trained and supervised a highly qualified operations team in the safe operation of the nuclear reactor plant, steam plant, and auxiliary systems. He completed multiple submarine deployments to the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Northern Atlantic, and Western Pacific.

Following retirement, Carlton was key in the commissioning of a battery grade Lithium Carbonate processing plant at US Magnesium. He tested systems, created procedures and qualifications, trained, and qualified the operations team.

Carlton is now a Control Center Lead for AES Clean Energy in Salt Lake City. His team monitors over 3 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage facilities across the United States. The team is responsible for safe and reliable operation, dispatching of technicians, and reporting to scheduling coordinators and transmission operators. He is excited about his future in renewable energy and how he can make a difference for the future of our environment.

George Bonner

Wanchese, North Carolina | US Coast Guard Veteran

George Bonner serves as North Carolina’s Director of Renewable Ocean Energy, leading research and development of marine energy solutions across the University of North Carolina system. Following retirement from the US Coast Guard (USCG) in July 2019, he returned home to his new position at the Coastal Studies Institute on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

George’s USCG career included command assignments as Commander, USCG Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center and Commanding Officer of USCG Facilities Design and Construction Center. Throughout his career, he has led strategic efforts to enhance coastal infrastructure resiliency and sustainability while adapting to a changing climate.

George is a registered Professional Engineer and a national Fellow in the Society of American Military Engineers. In 2016, he was recognized as the American Society of Civil Engineers Norfolk Branch Government Engineer of the Year. He serves on National Hydropower Association Marine Energy Council leadership. George is a graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy. He has a Master of Science in Engineering from University of Illinois and a Graduate Certificate in Coastal Engineering from Old Dominion University.

Kevin Booher

Amsterdam, Netherlands | US Marine Corps Veteran

Kevin is a Senior Manager with Deloitte Netherlands in the Control of Responsible Enterprises (CORE) practice. He focuses on Energy, Resources, and Industrials clients. He directs projects to configure large companies and their processes with new business strategies in the low carbon economy. He previously worked for the Veterans Health Administration with a focus on improving access to care by implementing new systems and programs.

Kevin began his career in the United States Marine Corps as a combat engineer with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He continues to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves with a focus on logistics in crisis response. Kevin has been active in the veteran community to include serving as the Commander of VFW Post 8973 in New Orleans, one of the fastest growing posts in the country, and working with both government and non-profit veteran employment programs. Kevin received a BS in Physics from the US Naval Academy and an MS in Physics from Case Western Reserve University.

Jasper Camacho

Singapore | US Army Veteran

Jasper Camacho is an energy industry executive and has invested and managed over $3 billion in sector related investments throughout the world. He recently joined Bechtel’s infrastructure business unit where he leads business development throughout Asia with a focus on Renewable & Clean Energy as well as Transport (airports and rail), Water & Civil, and Digital & Future Cities infrastructure.

Prior to Bechtel, Jasper was the managing partner of Marius International, an investment and M&A advisory firm focused on energy and infrastructure opportunities where he advised a number of Fortune 100 firms on their investment and partnership strategies. He has also served in various commercial and investment management roles for companies such as AES, E.ON (now Uniper), Trafigura and TXU Energy. At Trafigura, he executed an investment which was a finalist in S&P Platts Global Energy Awards as “Strategic Deal of the Year.”

Jasper enlisted in the US Army as a private and completed his service in the US Army Reserves at the rank of Captain. He was commissioned as an officer through the US Army ROTC program as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He earned a BS in Economics from Texas A&M University and a MBA from Harvard Business School.

Timothy Crowder

Chicago, Illinois | US Navy Veteran

Timothy Crowder is the Solar Program Manager at Elevate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to designing and implementing programs that ensure everyone has access to clean and affordable heat, power, and water in their homes and communities. In his role, Timothy supports solar venders to help them participate in Illinois Solar for All, a program that makes solar more affordable and provides greater access to the clean energy economy for underserved communities.

In his previous role at Elevate, Timothy conducted construction oversite for the utility-funded, low- income weatherization program. Timothy also worked with Elevate’s Healthy Homes Initiative to improve indoor air quality for homeowners with medical issues. Prior to his work at Elevate, Timothy worked for Comprehensive Community Solutions (CCS) as the Energy Auditor and Weatherization Superior.

Timothy served in the US Navy as a Cryptologic Technician Technical for eight years from 2000 to 2008 and was discharged honorably. After completing his time in the Navy, Timothy received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Columbia College. He recently completed an Associate of Applied Science in Sustainable Energy Systems from Rock Valley College.

Kevin Doffing

Houston, Texas | US Army Veteran

Kevin serves as the Chief Commercial Officer for Everpoint Services, a field services company for renewable energy assets. He also serves in an advisory capacity for several cleantech companies with a focus on commercialization and business development. He represents Terrapin Geothermics, a Canadian based geothermal and waste heat to power project developer in the United States.

Kevin is an Executive in Residence for Rice University’s Cleantech Accelerator and co-founded Houston’s first renewable trade association, the Renewable Energy Alliance. He graduated from Texas A&M and subsequently served in the US Army as an infantry officer deployed to Iraq. Following his military service he did a turnaround on a small family business serving the oil & gas industry. At the same time he launched the Houston chapter of Bunker Labs, a veteran entrepreneur accelerator and served as a non-profit executive for the veterans group, Combined Arms. He volunteers on the board of Impact HUB Houston, the board of the Spring Branch Education Foundation, as a judge in the Rice Veteran Business Plan Competition, and a mentor in the Ion Smart & Resilient Cities Accelerator. He is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA program with Rice University

Sara Lechtenberg-Kasten

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | US Army Spouse

Sara Lechtenberg-Kasten is a Research Fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KASPARC) in Saudi Arabia. She previously served as a US Army civilian at the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Analysis Center and as a diplomat in the US Foreign Service.

Sara has worked on geo-political topics in the Middle East for the greater part of the last twenty years with positions in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. At KAPSARC, Sara brings an environmental justice perspective to the topics of energy access and risk reduction in an era of climate change. She is leading a Resilient Cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council project and, most recently, she launched a new study investigating ways to enhance circularity for plastics in the global economy.

Sara has received numerous awards in her career, dating back to her public service roles in Haiti with a Fulbright Scholarship, two US Army awards for study support, and a State Department Superior Honor Award. Sara received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas and a Master of Laws in International Protection of Human Rights from the Washington College of Law.

Jennifer Manfrè

Pasadena, California | US Army Veteran

Jennifer Manfrè manages the marketing and communications function for CALSTART, a national non-profit that is powering the zero-emission transformation of the transportation industry. Jennifer previously managed clean energy stakeholder engagement, media relations and social media, and local government relations for Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.

Her communications and public affairs experience includes communications at the Milken Institute and she has led public affairs and crisis management campaigns for Fortune 100 companies and public agencies as a consultant with various public relations agencies.

Jennifer is a Certified Climate Professional and an alumnus of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. She received a BA in history from Scripps College in Claremont, California and a masters in public administration from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She served as a Captain in the US Army with military specialties in Civil Affairs and Military Police.

Christopher Rawlings

Richmond, Virginia | US Marine Corps Veteran

Chris Rawlings is the Founder and Chief Energy Officer of VLED, an Energy Services Contractor headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. After five years active duty as a Marine Sergeant, two tours to Iraq, and ten years in aviation, Chris made the transition to entrepreneurship after attending Florida State University’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans in 2014.

Chris is the host of the Energy Sense Podcast, a Certified Energy Manager by the Association of Energy Engineers, a LEED Green Associate by the US Green Building Council, and most importantly a devoted husband and father. Chris has been named a Top 40 Under 40 by Style Magazine and featured on outlets such as Forbes, Fox News, Virginia Business Magazine, and NBC, most recently for his work surrounding indoor air quality, air purification, and the battle against COVID-19.

Kendra Ryan

Estes Park, Colorado | US Navy Veteran

Kendra Ryan is the co-owner of and principal consultant at Sustainable Water & Energy LLC, a small firm that provides expertise for the sustainable management of water and energy resources. She retired from the US Navy in 2020, after serving in numerous capacities including as a nuclear surface warfare officer, in the Maritime Partnership Program, and at the Office of Naval Research.

She has over twenty years of experience working internationally on environmental engineering, policy, and security issues. Kendra has a particular interest in the relationship between environmental issues and conflict avoidance and resolution. She brings this expertise to the renewable energy and sustainable water fields by advising clients on project selection and design, stakeholder engagement, and permitting.

Kendra has BSs in chemical and environmental engineering from Rice University, a masters of marine affairs from the University of Washington, and a PhD in marine sciences, focused on renewable energy siting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Jordan Shontz

Austin, Texas | US Army Veteran

Jordan Shontz is a Manager of Project Development at Ørsted Onshore North America where he develops utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects across multiple markets within the United States. He previously served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science and Director of Leadership Development at Georgetown University’s Army ROTC Program in Washington DC.

From 2010 until 2020, Jordan served in the US Army as an infantry officer in a variety of leadership positions from platoon leader, ranger school instructor, and company commander. He conducted combat deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq in 2012 and 2017 respectively.

Jordan is currently a Major in the US Army Reserve and serves as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Texas State University. He holds a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Louisville and a MA in International Business and Policy from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Walsh School of Foreign Service. Jordan currently lives in Texas with his wife and daughter.

Warren Sakey

Asheville, North Carolina | US Army Veteran

Warren Sakey is a Manager of Renewable Development at Invenergy. In his current role, he manages Invenergy’s business development pipeline for renewable energy projects in Virginia and the PJM regions of North Carolina and Kentucky. This includes a portfolio of 16 projects, comprised of solar, wind, and storage totaling over 1.5 GW.

Before joining Invenergy, Warren was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte where he worked as a Project Support Lead for the Resilient Energy Program Office (REPO) of the US Navy. In this capacity, Warren advised the Navy on how to enhance the energy resilience of Naval installations while lowering their energy costs and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Warren received a BS in Philosophy from American University and a Master of International Business from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He also served as a Captain in the US Army and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013-2014. Warren was awarded a Bronze Star for Exceptionally Meritorious Service following his leadership of a logistics team tasked with the closure of forward operating bases in the Paktia Valley and the surrounding region.

Alex Yachanin

San Diego, California | US Navy Veteran

Alex Yachanin is a Rotational Program Associate at EDF Renewables in San Diego, California. In his current role, he is supporting project management activities for grid-scale solar and battery storage projects. Previously, he served as a nuclear staff assistant for Naval Air Forces Pacific and as a NavalX Tech Bridge fellow supporting microgrid operations at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

Alex graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2014 with a BS in Ocean Engineering and a minor in Spanish. While in Annapolis, he rowed on the Varsity Lightweight Crew Team and spent a semester abroad at the Chilean Naval Academy. He earned an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, where he worked on 100% renewable energy roadmaps for The Solutions Project and served as a research and teaching assistant in the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

After finishing Naval Nuclear Power School, Alex reported to the destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60), where he served as the Gunnery Officer and the Legal Officer. His next sea tour was on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), where he served as a Propulsion Plant Watch Officer to supervise the operations of the ship’s nuclear reactors.