Sales, Comcast

Amreh Hopkins is a Senior Sales Consultant with Comcast Cable where he’s constantly identifying processes, procedures, and systems to reduce the carbon footprint of the organization. He recently graduated from DePaul University with a Masters of Science concentration Sustainable Management in which after years of professional experience he has now located his niche in life. In addition to his education, the vast majority of his sustainable knowledge has come by way of volunteering and networking with organizations such as the Illinois Green Alliance and Net Impact. Amreh is extremely excited to provide, receive and incorporate sustainable practices that will have a direct positive effect on the crisis of Global Warming.

Smart Grid Consultant, Accenture

Beth Hieronymus is a Smart Grid Consultant for Accenture where she partners with clients to improve the resiliency, efficiency, and security of the electric grid through smart infrastructure and analytics. Beth is fascinated by the intertwining of social, environmental, and economic drivers and believes in the power of business to drive social and environmental impact. Beth loves to camp, rock climb, bake bread, paint, and generally spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Program Director, DNV GL

Brady is the Program Director for DNV GL in Illinois managing a team of 40 professionals to implement energy efficiency programs for a large Utility with an incentive budget of more than $60 million and savings goals over 600 GWH. He is responsible for engaging with utility management, process improvement, program strategy, and business development. Brady is an avid fisherman (both in the summer and on the ice), enjoys playing beach volleyball, and hiking with his wife and dog.

Senior Consultant, Guidehouse (formerly Navigant)

Bridget is a Senior Consultant in Guidehouse’s (formerly Navigant) Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure group, where she performs process and customer engagement research on electric and gas utility energy efficiency programs. She focuses primarily on income eligible and residential programs and non-energy impacts research. She previously worked in DoD renewable energy and storage development and write a municipal Sustainability Plan. She is an avid adventurer and SCUBA diver, and feeds the Caribbean reef fish at Shedd Aquarium every Friday!

Senior Consultant, Power Advisory LLC

Carson is a Senior Consultant at the electricity sector management consulting firm Power Advisory LLC where he specializes in renewable generation development, wholesale markets and energy policy. He has advised clients on matters in the major organized markets and various regulated jurisdictions across North America, with a particular focus on ISO-NE, NYISO and PJM. Outside of work you will find Carson riding one of his several bikes, cooking or listening to too many hours of podcasts.

MBA Candidate, Kellogg School of Management

Chandni is an MBA student at the Kellogg School of Management under Northwestern University. She spent over five years with Micron delivering data-driven insights to support actionable strategy and recommendations in a high-volume manufacturing environment. She chose the semiconductor industry due to its vast synergy with solar photovoltaic technology. Most recently, Chandni interned with the sell-side in equity research at Credit Suisse and initiated research in social and environmental opportunities in plastic waste management. Her travel highlights include scuba diving with manta rays in Indonesia, ziplining across the gibbon forests in Laos and rafting in glow worm caves in New Zealand.

Senior Manager, Communications - Invenergy

Tina Brown is the Senior Manager, Communications for Invenergy where she leads strategic communications campaigns and local government affairs for wind and solar development projects. Tina has a Masters in Public Policy & Administration from Northwestern and has experience working in the non-profit, philanthropic, and private sectors in Chicago. Tina is passionate about working on projects and policies that combine her interest in clean energy, water, and regenerative agriculture. Outside of the office, Tina loves spending time with her family and friends, trying new restaurants, and fly-fishing.

Senior Analyst, Acquisitions & Investments, ENGIE

Connor has held roles in project and corporate finance for GE, Exelon, and ENGIE, with his most recent focus being on distributed solar and storage projects. He recently graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA and is looking forward to using his new free time to play more golf this summer. Outside of work, he helps manage a nonprofit focused on fighting food insecurity in Chicago.

Project Controls Manager, RWE Renewables Americas, LLC

Doug is the Project Controls Manager for the North America Onshore Wind Construction group at RWE Renewables Americas. He works on reporting key performance indicators for RWE's current wind farm construction projects and develops continuous improvement efforts covering the overall construction and project execution processes. After spending the past 7 years in Kentucky working in manufacturing he is excited to be back in Chicago, kicking off his career in renewable energy!

Senior Analyst - M&A, RWE Renewables

Ed works in the M&A group at RWE Renewables, where he buys/sells wind, solar, and storage projects. Ed can read, and he does so fairly often when not working or talking to his dog like she understands full sentences.

Lead Mechanical Engineer, GE Renewable Energy

Emily Palmer is a Lead Mechanical Engineer with GE Renewable Energy where she leads proof of concept programs for new onshore wind turbine technology. She has previously worked for Vestas, another major wind turbine manufacturer, and in the oil & gas industry. She spent 8 years living in London before moving to Chicago but is a native Texan and always on the hunt for the best Tex-Mex spots. Emily enjoys running, reading, and knitting in her spare time.

Renewable Energy Investments Associate, J.P. Morgan

Emma is an Associate at J.P. Morgan in the Energy Investments group where she focuses on tax equity structuring and origination. Emma graduated from Cornell University in 2017 with a B.S. in Operations Research Engineering and a minor in Applied Economics and Management. Emma is an avid runner and enjoys traveling.

Sr. Analyst, Middle River Power LLC

Evangelos is a Sr. Analyst for Middle River Power LLC, a private-equity sponsored investment platform focused on power generation assets. Evangelos is responsible for supporting the firm's corporate finance and M&A functions, as well as the management and economic optimization of over 3,000 megawatts of energy assets in their operating portfolio. Prior to joining MRP, Evangelos spent 5 years at Invenergy LLC where he worked on the project financing and M&A activities across a portfolio of domestic and international renewable and gas-fired generating assets. Evangelos was a student-athlete at Minnesota State University, where he majored in finance while competing as a D1 hockey player.

Project Engineer, Emerson

Gavin is a project engineer for Emerson working on ordinary and hazardous location electrical equipment and is looking to transition into the renewable energy industry. He volunteers for Sierra Club on the Ready for 100 and Clean Energy Jobs Act campaigns. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and piano.

Policy Analyst, ENGIE

Hannah is a Policy Analyst at ENGIE, where she provides public policy and strategy guidance for ENGIE’s Renewables team, helps foster new customer relationships, and drives revenue development through the application of high-value and actionable market intelligence. She also advocates for clean energy legislation and regulatory changes in markets across the country.

Electrical Design Engineering Intern, Engie North America Inc.

Inali is an "Electrical Design Engineering Intern" for Engie North America Inc. where she assists the ENGIE Distributed Solar’s Solar Technician Services by helping design rooftop and ground-mounted solar systems.

Treasury Manager, Exelon

Jim is currently a manager at Exelon where he manages the cash and short-term liquidity for Exelon's Generation business. He started his career in the US Army and decided on a career in clean energy while at business school. Jim joined ComEd in 2017 where he worked on the annual budget and forecasting rate cases. Jim is an avid traveler (40+ countries), including having lived in Poland, Ukraine and Germany.

Senior Associate, Energy Foundry

Judy Li is Senior Associate at Energy Foundry, where she manages venture capital investment deal flow and drives potential investments forward from first introduction through due diligence to final investment. Prior to Energy Foundry, Judy conducted over a hundred energy efficiency assessments and sold dozens of retrofitting projects for a local startup, Verde Sustainable Solutions (now Verde: Energy Efficiency Experts). Before moving to Chicago, Judy spent a year in Beijing as a Princeton in Asia Fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council China Program working on sustainable urbanization policy. As a transplant from California, she enjoys the outdoors with friends throughout the four seasons and among her biggest dreams are to dive with manta rays and whale sharks.

Senior Program Manager, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Kara Jonas is a Senior Program Manager at the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) where she oversees residential energy efficiency programs. In this role, she also assists in the facilitation of utility-only collaborative working groups, including the Midwest Market Transformation Collaborative and the Utility Research and Development Collaborative. In her free time, Kara enjoys cooking, reading, traveling and hiking.

Associate, Javelin Capital

Keith Faria is an Associate at Javelin Capital where he focuses on clean energy deal execution, due diligence, and financial modeling. He has experience in wind farm development, power trading, and energy private equity. Keith holds an MBA from Yale and an MS in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin. He is a GARP certified Energy Risk Professional and holds Series 79 and 63 securities licenses. In his spare time, Keith enjoys outdoor activities, strums old songs on the guitar, and is an amateur paleontologist.

Associate Director, Contractor Development at Elevate Energy

Kimberly Loewen is the Associate Director of Contractor Development at Elevate Energy where she advocates for an inclusive clean energy economy through addressing barriers for diverse contractors working in the market and establishing scalable models for contractor development. Outside of her work at Elevate, Kimberly spends much of her time enjoying her love of health and fitness, whether cooking, throwing heavy weights overhead or repping out pull-ups on a playground. She is excited to be integrating her passions of equity and health as she recently began teaching fitness classes at Healthy Hood, a small studio providing classes at an affordable price in underserved communities.

Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer, City of Evanston

Kumar is the Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer for the City of Evanston, IL. In this role he focuses on centering people in Evanston's approach to preparing for the impacts of the climate crisis, including leading implementation of Evanston's carbon neutrality plan. In addition, Kumar serves in multiple leadership capacities within the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). In his free time Kumar enjoys reading and spending time by Lake Michigan.

Administrative Lead, Franklin Energy

Kyle currently works on Multi-Family energy efficiency programs for the ComEd, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, & North Shore Gas utilities. Supporting environmental sustainability & philanthropic efforts are very important to Kyle, and he is a founding board member for the Chicago chapter of 350.org. As a side project, Kyle also created the website www.DoGood4Chi.com to be a resource for people interested in getting more involved in their community and learning about climate change.

Access and Equity Program Manager, Vote Solar

Lavannya Pulluveetil Barrera is the Access and Equity Program Manager for Vote Solar where she leads the organization’s partnership efforts focusing her attention to ensuring equitable partnerships with groups representing frontline communities. She also leads the execution of community workshops meant to offer information about our current energy system and ways to get involved in creating a just energy system. In her free time, Lavannya enjoys finding new coffee shops to read in and supporting local organizing efforts.

ESG Research Analyst, Ariel Investments

Leah is an ESG Research Analyst at Ariel Investments where she supports efforts to incorporate environmental, social, and governance factors into the investment process. Prior to joining Ariel in 2019, she was a management consultant at PwC for four years. Leah graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Environmental Science and Policy and a Minor in Sustainability Studies, and received a Master of Environmental Management with a focus in ESG and climate finance from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is an avid baker and loves to spend her free time traveling.

Strategic Energy Management Coach, Resource Innovations

Marianne Lalonde completed a PhD in chemistry at Northwestern University studying materials for carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen storage. She previously served as a fellow in U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown's office covering energy and environmental policy. In 2019, she ran to be the 1st scientist on Chicago City Council, losing to an incumbent in a runoff election by only 25 of 14,000 total votes cast.

Deputy Director, Illinois Environmental Council

Matt is the deputy director for the Illinois Environmental Council where he coordinates communications, development and policy work. Since joining IEC in 2014, Matt has been involved in state-level energy policy development and advocacy. In his free time, Matt enjoys rock climbing and camping, reading science fiction, playing strategy-based games and watching soccer.

Development Associate, Hecate Energy

Michael Hochberg develops utility-scale solar and battery storage projects at Hecate Energy, a Chicago-based independent power producer. Prior to Hecate, Michael spent 5 years in the global energy & utilities practice of PA Consulting Group, where he supported clients on investment, regulatory and strategy initiatives, and helped launch and grow the firm's Mexico City office from 2 to more than 10 consultants. Michael has been a fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies at Oxford University, a Fulbright Scholar in Spain, and has worked Iberdrola, the White House and Delaware's state energy and environmental regulator.

Senior Program Manager, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Molly Graham is a Senior Program Manager with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. In this role, she focuses on commercial building programs, cannabis cultivation energy efficiency opportunities, market transformation programs, and new business development for MEEA. Aside from her interest in sustainability, Molly enjoys attending concerts, traveling to new countries, and spending time outdoors.

Staff Attorney, Environmental Law & Policy Center

Nikhil Vijaykar is a Staff Attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center, where he works in the clean energy practice area. Nikhil litigates utility cases across the Midwest, with a focus on electric utility distribution system planning and grid modernization. Nikhil is a far more productive litigator during the Chicago winter. During the summer, he is focused on biking, playing soccer, growing vegetables, and exploring the state parks of the Midwest.