DISTRICT ENERGY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Ever - Green Energy
Andrew Kasid is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Ever-Green Energy. He has been with District Energy St. Paul and its affiliate companies since 1990. He is responsible for financial management, project finance, financial strategic planning, financial analysis of business opportunities, forecasting and budgeting, financial risk management, energy rate setting and analysis, energy futures contracts, analysis of energy purchases, and investment analysis and management. He has a MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, a BA in Financial Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College, and he has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director Emerita
Barbara Lukermann was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul and its affiliate Ever-Green Energy in March 2009. The declaration recognized Lukermann's 27 years of outstanding dedication and service on the boards of both organizations, including six years as board chairperson of District Energy. Her leadership, commitment and strong belief in our mission helped us achieve many successes that benefited our customers, Saint Paul and the environment, and encouraged us to strive for even higher standards. Barbara passed away March 2009.
Job Titles:
- Director Emeritus
- Member of the Board of Directors
Bernard St. Peter was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul in September 2005. The declaration recognized St. Peter's 19 years of leadership, guidance and dedication to the advancement of district energy services in and outside of St. Paul. It also recognized his lasting contributions as a board member, representing District Energy's medium-size customers since 1986, and his service as board chair. Bernie passed away in December 2011.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman of the Board of YWCA St Paul
- Chairman of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Beverly Jones Heydinger retired from her position as Chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in 2017, a position to which she was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton in 2012. During her tenure, she oversaw a wide range of proceedings, including rate cases, integrated resources plans, pipeline, transmission line, wind farm, and solar siting, and development and implementation of Minnesota's solar programs.
She served as a state Administrative Law Judge from 1999-2012, following twenty years as an Assistant and Deputy Attorney General for Attorneys General Warren Spannaus and Hubert H. Humphrey III. Since November, 2018, she has assisted Attorney General Keith Ellison with his transition.
Beverly currently serves as chair of the board of YWCA St Paul, and is dedicated to its mission of Eliminating Racism; Empowering Women. She is a member of the Citizens Utility Board - Minnesota, and volunteers at Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary School. Beverly graduated from Carleton College and the University of Michigan Law School, grew up in New Hampshire, and has lived in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family since 1978.
Job Titles:
- Director Emeritus
- Member of the Board of Directors
Bill Buth was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul in December 2022. Bill served on the original District Energy board of directors from 1978 until 1982. He then returned to serve a second term, representing small customers on the board from 2007 until 2012. As the longest serving President of Greater Saint Paul BOMA, Bill was a vital link to the business community in the public private partnership that was fundamental in developing the energy system.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President of the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association
David Ybarra is President of the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association, an umbrella organization representing approximately 7,500 men and women throughout Minnesota, where he serves as an advocate for the affiliated unions. Previous to his current position, Ybarra was a Business Manager of the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council, which allowed him the opportunity to work on many successful construction projects including TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field. He was recently appointed to serve as the Labor Representative for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizen Board by Governor Mark Dayton. In his leisure time Ybarra is active with the Brooklyn Park Fast Pitch Association and the Edinburgh Men's Golf Association. Ybarra joined the District Energy Board of Directors in 2013 as an appointee of the City of Saint Paul.
Job Titles:
- Director of Facilities
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager
Eric Krause is the Director of Facilities for multiple metro area Allina Health hospitals. His primary responsibility includes daily operation of Facilities on the campuses, regulatory and accreditation compliance, and construction oversite for these hospitals. He is an active member on Allina's Sustainability and Energy committee.
Eric started his healthcare journey as a master plumber in Montana, established a business to teach students proper boiler operation, and also holds a Minnesota 1-B boiler operator license.
Eric is a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager (CHFM), Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC), served as the President of the Minnesota Healthcare Engineers Association and sits on multiple American Society of Healthcare Engineering task force committees currently.
Job Titles:
- Director Emeritus
- Member of the Board of Directors
George Fremder was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul and its affiliate Ever-Green Energy in December 2017. The declaration recognized his 18 years of outstanding dedication and service on the boards of both organizations, including 8 years as board chairperson for District Energy. Fremder brought to the board many years of experience in property management and executive administration as well as a strong interest in green energy solutions to benefit the environment.
Job Titles:
- Director Emeritus
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founder and First Chairman of District Energy St
George Latimer, a founder and first Chairman of District Energy St. Paul, was the Mayor of Saint Paul when District Energy St. Paul was launched as an important and innovative public-private partnership. Latimer was known for his innovative redevelopment of St. Paul's downtown core. Latimer attended Saint Michael's College and Columbia Law School and practiced law in Saint Paul from 1963 until he was elected mayor. Subsequently, Dean of a Law School, a HUD official and college teacher.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Heide has more than 20 years of experience managing commercial real estate and has been with Unilev since 2010. At Unilev, she focuses on day-to-day operations, managing construction for tenant and capital improvements, and optimizing the financial performance of Wells Fargo Place. Interwoven into her work is an overarching pursuit to create sustainable communities by implementing systems and procedures that will stand the test of time.
Heide holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from National Louis University, a Minnesota Real Estate License, and Certified Property Manager (CPM®) and Real Property Administrator (RPA®) designations. She currently serves as the Board Chair for the Greater Saint Paul Building Owners and Managers Association.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Position of Chief Financial Officer at the University of Wisconsin - Madison 's School of Medicine
Heidi Conrad holds the position of Chief Financial Officer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health. Conrad has been in her current position since October 2022 and brought over 19 years of senior financial experience in health systems and hospitals. Her prior experience includes her role as Vice President and Chief Financial Partner at Regions Hospital and Vice President, Finance, Planning and Improvement at HealthPartners Medical Group. Along with this, she gained experience at PWC, Children's Minnesota and Thomson Reuters. Conrad has a BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Hamline University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Public Relations
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Public Relations & Media Requests
Jenae Batt has oversight for the development and implementation of company marketing, communications, media relations, community outreach, and customer engagement for Ever-Green Energy. In her time at the company, she has led the development of a customer care model that serves as a practical and aspirational guide for team members to deliver exceptional service to utility customers. Jenae supports energy planning by working with clients to develop strategic communications and engagement plans to meet their campus and community goals.
Prior to joining Ever-Green Energy, Jenae worked in communications and donor relations at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She holds a BA in English literature from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a master's degree in English literature from Boston College.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR EMERITUS
- Member of the Board of Directors
John Taylor was born and raised in Saint Paul and educated at the Cathedral Grade School, Cretin High School, and Saint John's University. He spent most of his professional career in the downtown Saint Paul area as chief executive of the Hill Family and First Bank System foundations. A veteran of service to more than 100 boards, commissions, foundations, colleges, and cultural organizations, he brings with him a passion for public service, strong organizational planning, creativity, and innovation. Today he is an Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement at his alma mater, Saint John's University. In 1982, he was invited to join the District Energy board by its Chair, former Mayor George Latimer. He served on the District Energy and District Cooling boards for 18 years, including several years as board chair. John joined the Ever-Green Energy board in 2000 and was elected board chair in 2006.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Enterprise Procurement Director at Securian Financial
Kelly Lange is the Enterprise Procurement Director at Securian Financial. In her role, Kelly leads category managers, procurement operations, and accounts payable professionals. She and her team are responsible for mitigating enterprise risk with third parties, managing the procure-to-pay process, and driving DEI and CSR initiatives with suppliers. She is engaged in the DEI Council, Operational Risk Committee, and Climate Risk Task Force. Kelly started her career in procurement at Remington Products, part of Spectrum Brands in Madison, WI. She expanded her sourcing responsibilities there before moving to Minnesota, and Valspar/Sherwin Williams, leading specialty chemicals and indirect sourcing teams. She joined Securian Financial in 2018.
Kelly holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor's degree in business administration, international business and marketing, from UW-Madison. She is an active supporter of and participant in the local community and regularly volunteers with several non-profit organizations.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- VICE - CHAIRPERSON of the Board of Directors
Ken Peterson is an attorney in St. Paul. He joined the District Energy Board in 2015 as a City of Saint Paul appointee and previously served a term representing District Energy's large customers. From 2011-2019 and 1988-91, he served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. While Commissioner he led efforts to increase on the job training opportunities; improve workplace safety; and reduced workers compensation costs while increasing injured workers benefits. Among his other government leadership roles have been stints as director of Saint Paul's Planning and Economic Development Department, chief of staff for the mayor and Deputy Minnesota Attorney General. In addition to government service and practicing law, he's been a college teacher and journalist. Ken serves on the boards of the History Theater and the Workers Compensation Reinsurance Association. He previously was President of the National Association of Government Labor Officials, President of the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, chaired the Anishinabe Legal Services Board and was a member of the Ramsey County Charter Commission. Ken is a graduate of Hamline University, George Washington University Law School, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President
- Ex Officio
Ken Smith, PE, MBA, is the President and CEO of District Energy St. Paul and has served in his role since 2010. Recognized globally for his leadership in community and campus scale energy systems, Ken is actively engaged in industry, policy, and academic forums addressing the transformation of our energy system and is a frequent speaker nationally and internationally.
Ken worked globally in the engineering and construction industry for over 20 years, planning, designing and implementing highly reliable energy projects, including central plants, microgrids, datacenters, and other mission critical facilities for advanced tech industry, campuses, international airports, and US Department of Defense. Ken has served as board chair for the International District Energy Association (IDEA), the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (M-RETS), and the electric vehicle startup company, Zeus Electric Chassis. He also served on the board of directors for the Corporate Council for Metropolitan State University. He currently serves on the board of directors for St. Paul Downtown Alliance and on the board of trustees of the Science Museum of Minnesota as vice chair. He has also been a fellow of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment since 2016. Since 2012, Ken has participated in the energy policy exchange between Germany and the State of Minnesota and is cofounder of the highly successful Climate Smart Municipalities exchange with Germany. In 2022, Ken was awarded the Norman R. Taylor Award by IDEA for his leadership and lifelong commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable energy solutions.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer for Ever - Green Energy
Michael Auger is the Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer for Ever-Green Energy and its affiliate companies. Michael has a broad range of legal experience in the energy sector, working with public and private entities on commodity, contract, and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Ever-Green in 2015, Michael served as legal counsel for energy service companies dealing with issues related to the sale, use and transportation of natural gas, electricity, and liquid fuels. Michael also spent time in private practice focusing on corporate, transactional, and bankruptcy law. Michael earned his JD from Rutgers School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota receiving a BS in Political Science.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Operations
Mike Burns has worked for District Energy and its affiliated companies since 1998. He is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the energy generation facilities and distribution systems for District Energy. Mike has been instrumental in the implementation of a 33 MW, biomass-fired combined heat and power facility, development of the renewable fuel market for the CHP plant, and integration of this facility into the local energy delivery system. Under his leadership, District Energy operations has achieved best-in-class reliability while experiencing rapid rates of growth. He has more than 18 years of engineering and managerial experience in all aspects of energy facility operations and project implementation, from large electric utility generating units to renewable energy and CHP installations. Mike has a MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Accounting
An accomplished CPA with strong controllership, finance and accounting experience in both large and small companies focused in manufacturing and communication, including Hubbard Broadcasting, Pam is recognized for her hands-on management style. Pam's strengths in the development and implementation of accounting policies, processes and controls are an asset to our growing organization. Experience with financial forecasting, budgeting and planning, software implementation, auditing and human resources experience allow Pam to bring great depth and breadth to the company's financial team. She has effectively collaborated with all levels of management in preparation of annual budgets and identification of cost savings opportunities. Pam fills an essential role by overseeing all accounting activities related to Ever-Green's ventures. She earned both BA and MBA degrees from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
District cooling customers elected Patricia Wolf to the District Cooling board in September 2005. Wolf has been actively involved in the commercial real estate industry in downtown St. Paul for 27 years, leasing and managing more than a dozen buildings during this time. She formed Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. in 1990 to help primarily local owners lease and manage their properties. Wolf is a past chair of Greater St. Paul BOMA and currently serves as the chair of BOMA Minnesota. She was on the St. Paul BOMA committee that reviewed and negotiated the service agreement for district cooling customers that is used today. Wolf is an active member of many real estate organizations and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Director Emeritus
- Member of the Board of Directors
Robert Lowe was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul and its affiliate, Ever-Green Energy in February 2014. The declaration recognizes Lowe's important contributions as a founding member of the Developing Committee that established District Energy St.Paul in 1978 and his long-standing service to both companies. A Saint Paul native, he served on the District Energy Board for 19 years and served as Ever-Green Energy's Vice-Chair before his passing in 2014. He brought to the board many years of experience in the areas of labor relations, affirmative action, plant and distribution system construction and maintenance, and District Energy St Paul history. Lowe passed away on February 3, 2014.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- Member of the Leadership Team
Steve Rambeck serves as the Director of Business Development for utilities managed by Ever-Green Energy, leading efforts to develop growth opportunities and enhance customer care for District Energy St. Paul, Duluth Energy Systems, CoolCo, and Energy Park Utility Company. Steve has a passion for enhancing the value proposition for customers in an efficient and effective manner while promoting the mission, vision and core values of Ever-Green Energy.
Prior to joining Ever-Green Energy in 2018, Steve worked at an energy service company focused on helping customers optimize natural gas and electricity procurement. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from North Dakota State University and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Hamline University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director Emerita
Susan Sands was declared Director Emeritus of District Energy St. Paul and its affiliate Ever-Green Energy in January 2007. The declaration recognized Sands' 13 years of dedicated service, leadership and outstanding contributions on the boards of both companies, including five years as District Energy's chairperson.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Information Systems
Tom Thomalla, Jr., CISSP, GICSP, is the Vice President of Information Systems for Ever-Green Energy. He has over 20 years of experience in IT, building automation, industrial automation, and information security. Tom's leadership has helped Ever-Green and its affiliate companies develop reliable IT infrastructure, bridge the gap between IT and operational technology, and prioritize cyber security. He holds a Bachelors of Applied Science in Information Technology Infrastructure from the University of Minnesota.