Andres Alvarez
Analyst, CEO Office — AVANGRID
Andres Alvarez is currently an Analyst at Avangrid where he is responsible for sustainability and innovation reports, industry and regulatory analysis to support the company’s CEO office. At Avangrid, he has led strategic research that supports senior management decision making; investigating topics related to electric vehicles, energy storage, renewables, retail electricity markets, and wholesale electricity markets. In July 2019, Andres will be joining the Avangrid Renewables Market Fundamentals team where he will be supporting renewable energy development through powerflow analysis, market simulation, locational marginal price (LMP) analysis, and renewable integration studies. Prior to joining Avangrid, Andres worked as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative and Argonne National Laboratory, focusing primarily on quantifying uncertainty in fluid simulations for nuclear systems. He received his Bachelors of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering and an Energy Studies Minor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017.
Elizabeth Cleveland
Director of Strategic Initiatives — Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
As the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Elizabeth Cleveland oversees the daily functions of MassCEC's communications and operations team, reporting of MassCEC's impact through metrics, the annual clean energy industry report, and strategic partnership opportunities. Additionally, Elizabeth has extensive experience designing and implementing solar programs for the state of Massachusetts, having designed and implemented the state's multi-million dollar Commonwealth Solar II rebate program and the nationally recognized Solarize Mass Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Connecticut College and Master of Business Administration from Boston University. How is your job relevant to the energy transition? - I have spent a large part of my career working in the public sector to help grow the clean energy industry in Massachusetts. I have done this through the creation of technology incentive programs to spur adoption and create clean energy jobs. In addition, I have engaged with a variety of stakeholders over the years around topics including overcoming barriers to education and implementation on the community level, working with the private sector to further support the industry, and ensuring increased training and safety of technology implementation. Please tell us not only what you do now, but also your career trajectory and how it got you where you are now. - In my current role, I work to help relay the impact of MassCEC's efforts and the clean energy transformation that is taking place. My career path has been a result of being passionate about clean energy and being willing to learn. When interesting opportunities presented themselves, I would strongly consider them even if I was unsure of where they led. Many professional roles provide tremendously valuable skills that can be replicated and drawn upon later down the road. I have learned that one of the single most important factors in a job for me personally, is being able to see a tangible impact from my work. That has helped to motivate me and guide me into roles that feel the most meaningful.
Kathryn Elmes
Investment Associate – Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
I am an Investment Associate at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, where I invest in and manage a portfolio of enterprise and consumer-facing companies in the clean energy industry. I enjoy being an active, hands-on investor, working alongside and supporting management teams as needed. In this capacity, I serve as a board member, observer, or advisor for several early-stage cleantech companies. I have worked to support clean technology startups since 2014 and actively contribute to Boston’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. I am a member of the MIT Enterprise Forum Cleantech Committee and serve as a reviewer or mentor for programs including NSF, MassChallenge, MIT delta v, Cleantech Open, and MassVentures. Relevance to energy transition: I invest only in clean energy startups. "Clean energy" for me/MassCEC can include next generation renewables, efficient mobility, grid resilience, sustainable buildings, industrial efficiency, and water-energy nexus. I focus on B2B companies with innovative hard tech (hardware or software), and those with new business models, that can help accelerate the adoption and diffusion of clean energy. Career trajectory: It’s been an unexpected road; I never thought I would wind up in venture capital. I first thought I wanted to be an impact practitioner (BA in peace and conflict studies and geography, MSc in International Development: Environment and Development). Then I thought I wanted to be an academic (PhD and MA in geography), taught for a few years, but decided I wanted my work to be more applied, and pivoted my research to focus on clean energy, which I have always cared deeply about. Through this work I researched innovation resources like incubators and accelerators, and got hooked on the entrepreneurial atmosphere. I left academia to grow and run the Worcester Cleantech Incubator (WCTI) and then became the Director of Cleantech Open Northeast, a global accelerator for early-stage clean technology startup companies. While in that role I was told that I would be great at VC – a profession that requires critical thought, analysis, and the soft skills associated with consulting and networking. I saw an open role at MassCEC and the rest is history.
Julie Ferland
General Manager — Shell TechWorks
Shell is highly engaged and committed to delivering more and cleaner energy to the world, a commitment that we get the opportunity to work on every day at Shell TechWorks. I feel privileged to lead a team that makes a real impact in the energy industry. I am fortunate to have had seemingly very diverse positions come my way throughout my career that have shaped not just my resume, but also my way of thinking and ambition to do more. I did not expect to become a Navy Diver or to work in the energy industry, but decided to take a chance on interesting opportunities when they emerged. Although some moves have seemed illogical, they have each provided tremendous challenge and learning which got me to where I am now.
Kate Fichter
Assistant Secretary — Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Kate Fichter is the Assistant Secretary for Policy Coordination at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, where she has served in various capacities since 2004. Kate is a graduate of the University of Chicago and MIT, and has professional expertise in transportation planning and policy. Prior to her current role, Kate served as the Project Manager for the extension of the MBTA Green Line to Somerville and Medford and the expansion of Boston South Station. She has also worked for the US Department of Transportation, and for the Massachusetts Legislature, where she worked on transportation-related issues. Kate is now responsible for overseeing multiple policy initiatives at MassDOT, including de-carbonization and other issues at the intersection of the transportation and climate arenas.
Martin Flusberg
CEO — Powerhouse Dynamics
My current company is helping reduce energy usage by organizations historically under-served when it comes to energy efficiency - portfolios of small commercial facilities. Energy savings are typically in the 10-20% range, with payback in as little as 1 year. My previous company provided smart grid applications for utilities and helped those utilities help their residential and small commercial customers become more energy efficient. I started my career right out of MIT in transportation and then transitioned - not so far - to energy, where I have spent the past 30 years.
Katy Hartman
VP of Research and Development — Tessolar
Katy leads research and development at Tessolar, keeping the company on the leading edge of product innovation and product integrity. Katy designs and directs experimental programs for the evaluation of PV racking technologies with a focus on significantly decreasing cost and PV module installation time while meeting or exceeding industry standards for strength, durability and reliability. Prior to her innovation work at Tessolar, Katy was a PhD candidate and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she worked on various earth-abundant replacement materials for thin film solar cells. While an undergraduate, Katy proved the concept of dislocation density reduction by high temperature annealing in multicrystalline silicon wafers. She began her experience in the solar industry as an intern at crystalline silicon ribbon innovator Evergreen Solar. Katy’s 11 years of experience in and enthusiasm for the PV industry was established at MIT where she participated in the Energy Club and earned a BSc. and Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering.
Charles Heaps
Senior Scientist — Stockholm Environment Institute
Dr. Heaps is the designer of LEAP, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System, a scenario-based modelling system for integrated energy planning, air quality and climate change mitigation assessment. LEAP has thousands of users in over 190 countries worldwide including government agencies, national laboratories, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. He is also the founder and manager of an online initiative designed to foster a community among developing country energy analysts working on energy for sustainable development, which currently has over 40,000 members worldwide. LEAP has been used by more than 40 countries as their main framework for planning their commitments to the UNFCCC’s climate process, and it’s also used by the State of MA as its main analytical tool for planning how to achieve MA’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. Dr. Heaps studied energy engineering in the UK before doing a Ph.D. in environmental technology at Imperial College in London. He has been with SEI throughout his career since 1990, starting as a researcher and including stints as the founding director of SEI’s US research center hosted by Tufts University. Dr. Heaps has worked in more than fifty countries around the world. He has consulted widely with numerous national and international agencies including US-EPA, US-AID, US-DOE, UNEP, UNFCCC, UNIDO, UNDP, and the World Bank. In 2015, Dr. Heaps was the first recipient of the LEDS-Global Partnership Award for “Leading LEDS Design”.
Julie McNamara
Senior Energy Analyst — Union of Concerned Scientists
Julie McNamara is a senior energy analyst with the Climate & Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her role, she analyzes state, regional, and national policies relating to clean energy development and deployment. Her research includes electricity system resilience, state and federal power sector transition policies, and the implications of variations in carbon pricing policy design. Previously, she worked to develop proactive and adaptive risk management frameworks at MIT’s Program on Emerging Technologies, and served as an environmental scientist supporting federal and state agencies at ERG, an environmental and public policy consulting firm. Ms. McNamara holds an M.S. in technology and policy from MIT, and a B.A. in biology and political economy from Williams College. Energy transition: As an analyst within a science-based advocacy group, my work centers on informing the policies that shape the energy transition at hand. This includes conducting technical analyses to understand the implications of various policy choices, as well as communicating those findings in ways that are actionable to decision-makers and the broader public alike. Career trajectory: I have long had an interest in policy and economics alongside science and analysis, but opportunities to concurrently undertake both can be rare. In doing technical work for federal agencies, I learned enormous amounts about how to conduct such analyses, but did not have the ability to shape the questions being asked. Following graduate school, where I studied the intersection of science, technology, and policy, I joined the Union of Concerned Scientists, which has afforded me the chance to conduct technical work in service of shaping and informing broader policy goals.
Francis O'Sullivan
Senior Vice President, Strategy — Lincoln Clean Energy
Dr. Francis O’Sullivan is Senior Vice President, Strategy at Lincoln Clean Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orsted. In this role Frank is responsible for long-term market analysis and modelling to support Orstead’s onshore investment program in wind, solar and storage globally. Prior to joining Orsted, Frank was Director of Research and Analysis for the MIT Energy Initiative, and a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was Co-Director of the MIT Electric Power System Center. Dr. O’Sullivan’s academic, public and private sector work has focused energy markets analysis and design, with a particular focus on the economic and technical issues associated with large-scale integration of intermittent renewables in marginal cost-based electricity markets. Dr. O’Sullivan has written and spoken widely on these topics, and has made presentations to the U.S. President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the EIA, the EPA, the IEA, the Brookings Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the National Governors’ Association, the National Association of Regulated Utility Commissioners, at CERAWeek, the American Physical Society, the American Geophysical Union and to numerous other academic, policy and industry forums. He was a lead author of the 2011 MIT Future of Natural Gas study, the 2015 MIT Future of Solar Energy study, and is a member of the upcoming MIT Future of Storage study working group. Dr. O’Sullivan is a member of the U.S. National Academies’ Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, he is a Senior Associate with the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and he is a Distinguished Associate with the Energy Futures Initiative. He has also served as a member of the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s working group on methane emissions, and as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy for the 2016 Quadrennial Energy Review. Prior to Orsted and MIT, Dr. O’Sullivan was a senior consultant with McKinsey & Company. Frank received his Ph.D., E.E., and S.M. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his B.E. degree from the National University of Ireland, all in electrical engineering.