PATTERN ENERGY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President of Power Operations
Andre Walker serves as Senior Vice President of Power Operations for Pattern Energy. In this role, he is responsible for the safe and reliable operations of Pattern's global fleet of renewable energy facilities and oversees the full range of operational disciplines, including health & safety teams, field operations, engineering, asset management, energy management, regulatory compliance, supply chain, and environmental.
Prior to joining Pattern, Andre also held a variety of leadership roles over 16 years with Calpine Corporation including Vice President of Asset Management, Vice President of Supply Chain, and Vice President of Investor Relations in addition to several other operational and commercial roles.
Andre has over 25 years of experience in the power and energy industries including his experiences at Air Liquide America Corporation and Praxair Inc. Andre earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is based in Houston, Texas.
Hatchet Ridge Wind is located in Burney, part of the Intermountain Region in Northern California. The facility manager at Hatchet Ridge is Ken Hammon, and he is a man that truly enjoys his life.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Facility Manager ( AFM ) at Santa Isabel Wind in Puerto Rico
Carlos Roman is the Assistant Facility Manager (AFM) at Santa Isabel Wind in Puerto Rico, an entrepreneur, and a pilot!
With a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Carlos has always had a passion for aircraft. "I love being out in the field, working on different aspects of the wind turbines," Carlos told me. "In a lot of ways, the turbines resemble aircraft, which I enjoy."
Vanessa is Carlos' wife and their daughters are Yumi and Yuki. Vanessa has two bachelor's degrees and shares Carlos' love of the outdoors. She is learning to enjoy travel and the new people and places it brings.
Carrie Kline is the Site Logistics Coordinator (SLC) for Amazon Wind-Fowler Ridge, and it is safe to say she has a great life. So great that she missed our initial appointment for this interview and told me, "We just had a baby in the family, and I forgot our appointment!"
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President of North American Development
- SVP, North America Development
Cary Kottler serves as Senior Vice President of North American Development for Pattern Energy. In this role, he is responsible for development of renewable energy and electric transmission initiatives across North America, as well as the evaluation and origination of new opportunities.
Prior to joining Pattern, Cary served as Executive Vice President of Clean Line Energy. He held a number of roles at Clean Line across the development, commercial and legal sectors, with responsibilities encompassing project development, state and federal permitting processes, FERC matters, corporate compliance, financing arrangements, and commercial agreements.
Previously, Cary was a corporate attorney for Vinson & Elkins, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, project development and private equity investments in the energy and power sector, both domestically and internationally.
Chris Carr had his sights set on the renewable energy industry long before becoming the Assistant Facility Manager at Belle River Wind.
Job Titles:
- Meet Coach Jennifer Crago
Jennifer Crago has a busy, full life, and she loves it. Along with teaching kindergarten at Columbus...
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Dan Elkort has been with Pattern Energy since 2013, first as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and now in his role of Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. He also acts as the company's Chief Compliance Officer and previously served as Director of Legal Services and Co-Head of Finance of Pattern.
Dan holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from Harvard University. He is based in San Francisco.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President of Human Resources
- SVP, Human Resources and Workplace Operations & Experience
Deborah McAdam is Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Workplace Operations & Experience for Pattern Energy. In her role, which she has held since 2017, Deborah focuses on building consensus around processes and procedures, with the goal of providing cost-effective enhancements of organizational culture. Her career has spanned renewable energy and consulting industries, where she has led growing, cutting-edge organizations to new phases of their life cycle.
A native San Franciscan, Deborah holds a bachelor's degree and a master's in business administration from the University of San Francisco. In addition to earning the "Woman of the Year 2010/2011" award from the National Association of Professional Women, Deborah holds certifications in project management and employee relations.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Esben Pedersen has been with Pattern Energy since 2013, first as Chief Investment Officer and now as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for executing capital strategy, corporate development, financial reporting, administration, and treasury activities.
Esben has conducted investment oversight and management across the energy sector for more than 20 years. He received his bachelor's degree in Business from Stetson University and holds a master's degree in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a certified Chartered Financial Analyst and is based in San Francisco.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Canada Country Head
- Country Head and Senior Legal Counsel for Pattern Canada
Frank Davis is Country Head and Senior Legal Counsel for Pattern Canada. He acts as the senior representative for Pattern Energy in Canada, with responsibility for market development, government relations, community engagement, joint venture partnerships and relationships with customers. Frank also acts in a senior capacity for the legal activities of Pattern Canada, including the organization and execution of the company's financial and commercial legal transactions.
Prior to joining Pattern Canada in 2011, carried on a commercial legal practice with one of Canada's largest law firms. He sits on the board of the Canadian Renewables Association (CanREA) and, originally from Newfoundland & Labrador, currently resides in Toronto where he manages the Toronto office of Pattern Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President of Business Development
- VP, Business Development
George Hardie is the Vice President of Business Development for North America. With more than 20 years of experience in the wind industry, he has been responsible for the development or acquisition of more than a dozen projects in the United States, United Kingdom, and Central America, totaling more than 2,000 MW.
At Pattern, George has been the lead developer or originator of many of the company's largest projects including Hatchet Ridge and Spring Valley. He has also led the acquisition of several projects including two in Canada's Ontario Province (Armow and K2) totaling 450 MW, as well as the 300 MW Finavera Portfolio of wind projects in British Columbia and, most recently, the acquisition of the 200 MW Logan's Gap Project in Texas and the 150 MW Fowler Ridge IV project in Indiana.
George founded his first wind company, International Wind Companies, in 1991. He and his investors sold the company to the Zilkha family in 1998, which was subsequently renamed Zilkha Renewable Energy. George stayed on as President and CEO for almost four years, establishing the team that made Zilkha one of the fastest-growing renewable energy companies in the world and paving the way for Goldman Sachs to acquire the company two years later. In 2003, George left Zilkha to start a new company, G3 Energy, which was subsequently acquired by Babcock & Brown in late 2005. G3 Energy projects that were successfully financed, constructed and operated include the 38 MW Buena Vista Repowering Project in California's Altamont Pass and the 150 MW Spring Valley in Nevada, which was awarded the 2012 Powergen Magazine U.S. Wind Project of the Year.
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Hunter Armistead serves as the Chief Development Officer of Pattern Energy. In his role, he has the continuing responsibility for all development and origination activities and has the broad responsibility for running the Business Development day-to-day business.
Hunter also leads all global business development, including construction, engineering, and major equipment procurement. He values the opportunities his position affords him to create new renewable energy projects that become part of the long-term energy infrastructure. Hunter holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Rice University. He is based in Houston.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Director of Development
Jenn Ritchey is Senior Director of Development for Pattern Energy and leads the company's U.S. solar business, where she has successfully developed more than 1 GW of innovative renewable opportunities.
Jenn has 10 years of experience developing utility-scale renewables, including five years at Recurrent Energy developing utility-scale solar. In her prior role, she led more than 400 MW of projects through development and financial close that are now operating in California and led the expansion of strategy on the East Coast.
Jenn earned her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her Master of Science and MBA from the University of Michigan. She is based in Oakland, Calif.
Jennifer Crago has a busy, full life, and she loves it. Along with teaching kindergarten at Columbus...
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President of Fundamentals
- VP, Fundamentals and New Markets
Justin Sabrsula is Vice President of Fundamentals and New Markets for Pattern Energy. He provides independent analysis and advice on the key fundamental drivers impacting Pattern Energy's markets and identifies growth opportunities. He is also responsible for corporate strategy planning.
Prior to joining Pattern Energy, Justin served as Head of Strategy for GE Renewable Energy's Onshore Wind division where he led global business and product strategy for equipment and services. He has also held a variety of strategy, product management and marketing leadership roles across GE's wind, energy storage and solar divisions. He values creating opportunities and driving strategy using rigorous research and analysis, to help elevate company performance.
Justin holds a bachelor's degree in Public Policy from Duke University and two master's degrees, in Urban Planning and Business Administration, from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Job Titles:
- Site Logistics Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- SVP, Japan Country Head
Mark Anderson has served as Japan Country Head since starting the Japan business for Pattern Energy in 2014. Prior to joining Pattern, Mark worked for more than 11 years with Eurus Energy America Corporation, acting as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and ultimately Chief Executive Officer. There he oversaw the development, ownership, and operation of wind and solar power generation assets in North and South America. He has advised on energy and infrastructure-related project finance, privatization, and M&A transactions throughout Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Mark has spent more than 15 years living in Japan and speaks and reads Japanese fluently.
Job Titles:
- General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
When I met Pattern there was a sense of belonging. That's the kind of business you know wants to be a part of your community.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Mike Garland serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Pattern Energy, a position he has held since he co-founded Pattern Energy in 2009. He oversees all aspects of Pattern, with special focus on industry strategy, capital formation, market and project selection, and company culture.
For more than 30 years, Mike has focused on developing, constructing, managing, and investing in energy and infrastructure projects in the United States and around the world. He closed his first wind project financing in 1989, and has since successfully managed or oversaw the development, investment and operations of nearly 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects worldwide and nearly $50 billion in infrastructure assets.
Together with his wife Gigi, Mike co-founded The Bay School, a high school in San Francisco that focuses on technology and ethics. Mike and Gigi also support the University of California, Berkeley's Physics Department and the University of Washington's Medical School. Mike sits as an active Trustee of the University of California, Berkeley Foundation and currently serves on the board of directors of SteelRiver Infrastructure Fund North America, GP. He is based in San Francisco.
Monica McDaniel has been keeping an eye on the weather since she was a child. Now the senior manager for...
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Estancia Valley Economic Development Association
We chose Solect in the end because they were the most responsive. They were the most innovative. They were the ones that were able to make this project a reality.
Job Titles:
- Facility Manager
- Facility Manager, Santa Isabel Wind
Oscar Velazquez is the Facility Manager for Santa Isabel Wind, in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.
A mechanical engineer by trade with a Master's Degree in Engineering Management, Oscar looks like he was sent from central casting for his current role.
"I was in oil and gas for thirteen years before renewables," Oscar told me when we spoke about his career recently. "I was a maintenance manager delivering gas and diesel at the Terminal, and was looking for new challenges and opportunities."
His search brought him to an open Facility Manager position with Pattern Energy, and as a result, Santa Isabel Wind has operated under his management since 2018.
Working with Oscar to run Santa Isabel Wind is Assistant Facility Manager Carlos Roman, and they are joined on-site with five wind technicians.
Job Titles:
- Facility Manager at Armow Wind in Kincardine, Ontario
Rob Boak is the Facility Manager at Armow Wind in Kincardine, Ontario, and if you ask him, his family's life is pretty great, thanks.
Santa Isabel Wind or, in Spanish, Finca de Viento Santa Isabel, has eight people on site day-to-day to maintain and operate the site. Oscar Velazquez is the Facility Manager, Carlos is AFM, and there are an additional six technicians from Siemens rounding out the local team.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- SVP, External Affairs & Market Development
Sarah Webster is Senior Vice President of External Affairs & Market Development for Pattern Energy. She oversees Pattern's Government Relations, Corporate Communications, Stakeholder Management and Sustainability efforts.
Sarah has been with Pattern Energy since 2013 and enjoys building relationships with company stakeholders and serving with her team as the "diplomatic core" for the company. She has worked in the energy sector for over 20 years at companies such as InterGen, Shell and Wind Capital Group and has also worked as a music critic for the Houston Press.