Vik Bakshi

Houston, Texas | US Army Veteran

Vik Bakshi is the Director, Strategic Operations for Quanta Services where he is building the renewables EPC group for the Canadian market. Vik graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) after which he served as a U.S. Army - Infantry Officer and is a combat veteran deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Iraq Vik served as a Scout Platoon Leader and later as an Executive Officer for a Stryker unit.

Following his military service Vik went to work with Nucor Steel as an engineer. He would go on to lead a search fund for a lower middle market business to acquire. Following that he joined Quanta Services in their energy transition group. Vik led the development of Quanta’s go-to-market strategy for hydrogen and carbon capture, transitioning from strategy to early-stage business development with existing and new customers moving into these markets. Following this Vik was personally selected by management to launch a new company, Quanta Canada Renewables (QCR), which provides EPC solutions for utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects.

Vik studied business at Harvard University after the military, earning his MBA there. He currently resides in Houston, Texas where he serves on the board of a local veteran non-profit Impact a Hero.

Denver Barrows

San Francisco, California | US Air Force Veteran

Denver Barrows is a Senior Product Manager at Amazon scaling electric vehicle infrastructure in last mile operations. He is passionate about developing a transportation and mobility network built for a green economy and supplied by a revitalized American industrial base.

Previously, Denver worked at Amazon Air where he led business-wide readiness efforts and new product/policy due diligence. Prior to Amazon, he served in active duty and reserve roles in the United States Air Force with assignments/deployments in Germany, Syria, Puerto Rico, Texas, and California. He continues to serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a KC-10 Pilot and an Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer.

Denver has been recognized as a Center for New American Security Next Generation National Security Fellow, Out in National Security’s Out Leadership List, and is an alum of Globally’s Emerging as a Global Leader Experience (EaGLE). He was an AFROTC Distinguished Graduate at The University of Chicago where he earned a BA in Public Policy. Denver earned his MsC in Logistics from the Air Force Institute of Technology where his research focused on how FEMA could implement improved methodologies for selecting transportation service providers during disaster relief events.

Michael Callender

Groton, Massachusetts | US Army Veteran

Michael Callender is the Director of Fleet Solutions with Highland Electric Fleets. Highland is focused on the electrification of the US school bus fleet. They are solely interested in resolving the yellow bus opportunity our country faces.

Michael grew up in New Orleans and experienced the ravages of Climate Change firsthand through various extreme weather events that led him to join the Army. During this time he experienced the significance of energy security and national security with work in Ukraine to protect the country from future aggression on the part of their Russian neighbor.

U.S. Army, The Old Guard (Caisson Platoon Leader) at Arlington National Cemetary. He is a graduate of Tulane University and has an MBA from Cornell University.

Eric Davids

Boulder, Colorado | US Marine Veteran

Eric Davids is the Senior Director of Commercial Strategy at Uplight. The company is the technology partner for energy providers and the clean energy ecosystem. Uplight’s software solutions connect energy customers to the decarbonization goals of power providers while helping customers save energy and lower costs, creating a more sustainable future for all.

Eric is a graduate of the US Naval Academy where he studied Ocean Engineering before joining the Marine Corps. He spent 6 years as a ground intelligence officer before he left the Corps to join Uplight as the Chief of Staff. He has a Master of Science and an MBA from Durham University and Duke University, respectively.

Jade Doss

Austin, Texas | US Air Force Veteran

Jade Doss is the Director of Programs for the Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. The organization is a non-profit clean energy education and advocacy organization. Our purpose is to promote energy innovation and clean energy policies grounded in the conservative principle of common sense, market-based solutions that allow fair competition and provide greater access to clean, affordable and reliable energy. She has worked on a variety of clean energy advancements ranging from the siting of utility-scale renewable energy projects to the advancement of the geothermal industry in Texas.

Jade enlisted in the US Air Force and served a distinguished career for nearly 7 years before joining the office of a Texas state legislator as a District Coordinator. In that role Jade performed admirably working with a broad range of constituents through case management and forging institutional relationships with state and local agencies.

Cody Earle

Amarillo, Texas | US Army Veteran

Cody Earle is the Senior Manager at Deutsche Windtechnik where he coordinates field services for wind industry clients. Cody is responsible for a group of service technicians operationally, as well as, customer engagement, proposal/budget generation, and project management.

His first role after the military was as a wind technician working for various manufacturers and service providers. He worked his way up from the field and into management roles.

Cody served in the US Army as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) technician where he deployed twice to theaters of combat to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a Bachelors of Science from Texas A&M - Central Texas.

William Friedl

Monument, Colorado | US Air Force Veteran

Will Friedl is the founder and CEO of Prometheus Wind. The company is the leading independent service provider for the wind industry in the Colorado region. Founded in 2020 immediately upon exiting the Air Force, Will and his two brothers, who had been wind technicians in the industry for years. The company has grown from simple torque and tension campaigns into contacted construction & site management, seasonal blade repair campaigns, and end-of-warranty inspections.

Will has multiple deployments to Asia and the Middle East conducting search and rescue operations with the Air Force. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2012 and continues to lead rescue training as a part of the US Air Force Reserves.

Megan Glancey

Boulder, Colorado | US Navy Veteran

Megan Glancey is a Renewable Development Manager with Invenergy. Invenergy is a privately-held independent power producer (IPP) that develops, builds, owns, and operates power generation and energy storage projects. They specialize in wind, solar, and natural gas power generation and energy storage facilities. Megan is currently developing the largest renewable energy project in the entire US at over 4GW in size and capacity.

As the co-chair of the Invenergy Veterans Network (IVN) recruiting committee, Megan has begun building new strategies with the corporate recruiting and DEI teams to help the company reach its veteran hiring goals.

Megan graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2014. She went on to become a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) in the Navy and later with the National Security Agency (NSA). She served as a Military Social Aide to the President in the White House as one of only 10 Naval Officers selected annually. She has a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University with her research focused on energy security.

Joshua Hotvet

Hanover, New Hampshire | US Marine Veteran

Joshua Hotvet is the Vice President of Development at Agilitas Energy. The company is a renewable energy and energy storage company that develops, builds, owns, and operates distributed energy storage and solar PV systems. They are the largest developer, builder, owner, and operator of these systems in the northeastern U.S.

Joshua is currently serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps Reserve as the Commercial Engagement Branch Head of the Marine Innovation Unit (MIU). MIU accelerates the adoption of advanced capabilities within the Naval Services to pair rapidly evolving operational and strategic needs with mission-critical resources.

Joshua enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves and was deployed to Iraq with his Infantry unit in 2003 during his senior year of college. He later received his commission and most recently graduated from the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 2022. He received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Katherine Hutton

Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom | US Army Spouse

Katherine Hutton is a Product Manager for OT Cybersecurity with Fluence Energy. The company is an energy storage integrator technology company that provides products, services, and digital applications for renewables and storage. Their products include batteries that store and increase the efficient use of electricity. She owned Fluence’s cybersecurity product multi-generational product plan and roadmap and was responsible for communicating the strategy, roadmap, and value propositions to external and internal stakeholders.

Previously she worked in the office of the Director at the Secret Service. She has also worked as a research scientist with the Army Cyber Institute. There she conducted research with a senior military officer to develop an innovation framework for guiding cyber defense solutions; resulting in two publications she authored.

Katherine married into the military through her husband, an Army officer. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s from Duke University and a second master’s from George Washington University.

Jacob Jablonski

Chicago, Illinois | US Air Force Veteran

Jacob Jablonski is an Asset Manager for Renewables Asset Management at Invenergy. Invenergy is a privately-held independent power producer (IPP) that develops, builds, owns, and operates power generation and energy storage projects. They specialize in wind, solar, and natural gas power generation and energy storage facilities. He was recruited to join in 2022 to manage the international expansion of Invenergy Services to new markets in Brazil and across Latin America.

Jake joined the Invenergy Veterans Network as a co-chair of the recruiting subcommittee to help the company identify and recruit the best and brightest candidates from the military service. He has been proactive in exploring different options with the Invenergy recruitment team to meet the company's DEI goals.

Jacob is a 6 year veteran of the US Air Force as a Nuclear Operations Manager. He currently serves in the Michigan Air National Guard as a Missile and Munitions Maintenance Officer.

Rolando Mattar

Fort Lauderdale, Florida | US Army Veteran

Rolando Mattar is the Renewables Segment Manager for Dynapower. The company is a Vermont-based company that designs and manufactures power electronics. They specialize in energy storage and power conversion solutions for project developers.

As the Renewable Energy Segment Manager, Rolando is tasked with growing one of the most important business segments within the company.

Rolando is an 8 year veteran of the Army in the 1990’s where he was first exposed to the power generation industry as a Power Generation Equipment Repairer. He was awarded the Spanish language linguist identifier while in the Army. He holds an associate’s degree from Jefferson Community College and a bachelor’s from the University of Phoenix.

James Prussing

Washington, D.C. | US Marines Veteran

James Prussing is a Vice President with Boundary Stone Partners. The company is a government affairs firm that focuses on climate change. Their mission is to help their clients, such as energy and climate tech companies, NGOs, investors, and industry coalitions, engage with the federal government to reach net zero emissions. He co-leads the firm’s Industrial Decarbonization & Carbon Management practice group, doubling the number of clients represented across the cement, chemicals, hydrogen, carbon capture, industrial heat, and related sectors.

Previously he served as the Senior Advisor to the Office of Climate, Environment, & Sustainable Infrastructure. James advised the Secretary and other senior government officials on energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable finance market trends and policy developments across key international and domestic markets. He negotiated and oversaw the implementation of several high-profile international clean energy agreements, including the U.S. International Energy Engagement Policy, Treasury’s Fossil Fuel Policy for Multilateral Development Banks, and the COP26 Statement on Support for the Clean Energy Transition.

James served in the Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Maryland and advanced degrees from Georgetown University, Duke University, and the Johns Hopkins University.

Samantha Sawmiller

Columbus, Ohio | US Marine Veteran

Samantha Sawmiller is the Director of Development for Open Road Renewables. The company is a utility scale solar and battery energy storage developer based in Austin, TX with projects throughout PJM. In her role, she works with landowners, local government bodies, and state agencies to take projects from origination to fully permitted projects in Ohio. Open Road is responsible for the development of 6.6 GW of solar and storage since 2016. In her previous role, she served as the State Veteran and Military Affairs Liaison for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.

Samantha served in the United State Marine Corps on active duty from 2006-2010. During her service she deployed to Iraq. She received her Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University and a Master from the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University.

Eric Shangle

Asheville, North Carolina | US Navy Veteran

Eric Shangle serves as the Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Pinegate Renewables. The company is a renewable energy company that develops and finances utility-scale solar and storage sites across the United States. They work with energy buyers, corporations, utilities, local communities, and capital partners to provide clean energy to the grid.

Eric’s extensive experience in workforce development, human resources, and AI from his time in startups brings a critical and insightful perspective to the massive growth facing the renewable energy industry.

Eric holds a bachelor’s in Ocean Engineering from the US Naval Academy. He also has a masters from the University of Oklahoma and the Naval Postgraduate School. He serves on the board of the US Naval Academy Alumni Association and USNA Out.