BIRDSEYE - Key Persons
Andrew Berrier joined Birdseye Renewable Energy in 2020. Andrew has been practicing energy law since 2021 and has assisted in the development, financing, and construction of over 4 GW of solar projects across the United States. Prior to joining Birdseye, Andrew worked for Pine Gate Renewables and O2 Energies/O2 EMC in Charlotte, North Carolina. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina and a Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University. He is a board member of the South Carolina Solar Business Alliance.
Ben Baldwin graduated from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill with a BA in Political Science and earned a Master of Arts in Geography/Urban Planning from UNC-Charlotte. Ben's professional background includes commercial real estate / site selection (CCIM) and developing customized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for land acquisition. Prior to joining Birdseye in 2016, Ben worked in the Intelligence and Analysis Division of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Raised and based in Charlotte, NC, Brian graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a BS in Business Administration and earned an MBA at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Brian's professional background is in agribusiness, real estate brokerage, development and property management. In 2009, Brian stepped back from day to day operations of his real estate business and shifted his focus to solar development.
Brooks earned a BS in Water and Soil Science from the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. After working for the U.S. Geologic Survey, he then earned dual Masters Degrees from Appalachian State University in Appropriate Technology and Building Science. He has since worked in various sectors of the solar industry, including residential installation, utility scale O&M, and as a member of Advanced Energy Corporation's PV Distribution Interconnection Commissioning team.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Development Advisor
Jef Freeman joined Birdseye Renewable Energy in 2021, bringing over 35 years of experience to the team. Before joining Birdseye, he was the director for a large combined cycle generating facility development in Virginia. Prior to that he worked at Cogentrix Energy in charlotte, North Carolina where he progressed from Chief Civil Engineer to Vice President for Public and Governmental Affairs and eventually Vice President-Development. While with Cogentrix, Jef was the lead developer on what became the largest concentrating photovoltaic generating facility in the world. Jef is currently a licensed Real Estate Broker in North Carolina and has been a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina and South Carolina. A native of North Carolina, Jef earned a Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Jenise Clancey joined the team as Business Development Manager in 2021. She brings over 8 years of varied solar and energy storage experience including development, sales, and business development. Prior to joining Birdseye, she worked in battery sales at the manufacturers Eos and Sonnen. She spent the beginning of her career working in solar in the California Bay Area. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business from CSU East Bay and has completed the Smart Grid Technology program through UC Berkeley.
Karl Richardson joined Dominion Energy supporting the Birdseye team in 2022. Karl has worked in real estate since 2004 with experience in title searching, documentation compliance, underwriting, audit, and legal support. Karl worked at multiple law firms in North Carolina, Credit Risk Management, LLC in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Investor's Title Insurance Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Karl earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the landscape architecture and design profession with over 9 years in the solar energy field. As a registered Landscape Architect and LEED AP, he brings a highly developed knowledge and design approach to master planning and site design. Kevin has worked in multi-disciplined firms as well as landscape architecture firms, gaining experience in all aspects of building projects and site coordination issues. Kevin graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Landscape Architecture.
Lance joined Birdseye Renewable Energy as a Land Origination Manager in 2022. He brings a wealth of experience working with landowners to obtain solar farm leases, conducting due diligence, and property analysis. He has over ten years of land surveying and development experience. Prior to joining Birdseye, Lance was involved in the development of nearly 4GW of solar farm projects from lease acquisition to NTP. He also has extensive experience in land surveying activities at the Cliffs Communities and Duke Energy as well as development services at Renewable Water Resources. Lance holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from North Greenville University. He has taken land surveying courses at Greenville Technical College and is a Registered Landman with the AAPL.
Landon Abernethy came to Birdseye Renewable Energy from Appalachian State University where he taught courses in renewable energy technology and managed various PV, solar thermal, and wind energy research and outreach programs. Prior to his entrance into the energy field, Landon worked in the environmental permitting and compliance field. He earned a Bachelor of science in Environmental Science from UNC-Asheville and a Master of Science in Technology from Appalachian State University.
Peden joined the company in 2012. He has worked in the national and international energy sectors for over fifteen years. Prior to joining Birdseye, he worked for Vestas Wind Systems in Denmark, Germany and Oregon. he was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia. Peden earned a BA from Rhodes College and an MBA from The Darden School at the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Engineer II - Solar Project Development
Randy joined the Birdseye Renewable Energy team in 2022. A two time graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering and Master's in Biomedical Engineering, he comes to the team with an NCDOT background and versatile experience in design, project coordination, and coding.
Regina Delgado joined Birdseye Renewable Energy in 2022. She is a seasoned administrative professional with over 20 years in the field. Regina holds an AAS degree in Computer Science and a BBA degree in Business Management from Monroe College. Prior to coming to Birdseye, she held positions at Johnson C. Smith University, Bank of America, Organon Pharmaceuticals and Duke Energy.
Stephanie graduated from Meredith College with a BS in Accounting and earned a Master in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Stephanie's professional background includes accounting services for a software company, restaurant management group, and a sports broadcasting and management company. She joined the Birdseye team in 2013.
Susan Prentice joined Birdseye Renewable Energy in 2014. She has worked on environmental and regulatory matters for alternative energy, industrial and land development clients for over 30 years. Susan was an Environmental Analyst for several multi-national law firms, most recently at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco. Prior to joining Birdseye, she spent two years in Armenia as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps. Susan earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Liberal Studies from Saint Mary's College of California.
Job Titles:
- Development Process Manager
Wendy graduated from Douglass College of Rutgers University with a BA in Math for Computer Science. Upon graduation she began her career at The Travelers in Hartford, CT where she went on to manage the maintenance and development of financial systems. There she earned a certificate in project management from Boston University. Wendy joined the Birdseye team in 2015 where she is responsible for the facilitation and automation of the development process.