HOUSTON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President & Partner / Lockton
Allen Gelwick helps lead Lockton's global Energy Power, Transition and Renewable initiatives. It is a privilege to be part of the industry's growth working with industry leaders, future leaders, global market insurance executives and private equity sponsors. In addition to cofounding Lockton Texas, Allen's years of experience enable him to combine a commercial understanding of the space to address emerging risks, solve problems and optimize cost efficiencies. Allen's background includes BESS, Biomass, Hydro, Hydrogen, SAF, Solar, Underground Storage and Wind. Beyond traditional insurance Allen is a leader in bespoke insurance solutions supporting transactions, tax equity and financing.
Job Titles:
- Partner and Head of Strategy
Andrew Moy is a partner and Head of Strategy at AISPEX (Advanced Integrated Systems for Power Exchange), a battery energy storage, EV and mobility charging manufacturer based out of Houston, TX. Andrew has served in this role since September 2022. He brings 12 years of Silicon Valley experience in security, hard asset private equity, channel distribution, global manufacturing to the REAL team. Andrew is passionate about financing commercial and industrial development of next generation micgrogrids and virtual power plants to reduce peak loads and reliance on the national grid.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Locke
- Partner & Chair, Renewable Energy Section
Ben Cowan is the Chair of Locke Lord's Renewable Energy Section. He has over 18 years' experience representing renewable energy project developers on project siting, permitting and financing issues. Ben serves as national environmental counsel to several of the largest renewable energy development companies in the United States. In that role, he has helped shape federal and state permitting policy for renewable energy projects, and has developed innovative approaches to challenging siting and permitting issues that are now widely used in the industry. His contributions in this regard led to his selection by the National Law Journal as an Energy and Environmental Law Trailblazer.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Oceaneering in 2014 As Director
Mr. Laura joined Oceaneering in 2014 as Director of Subsea Services supporting integrated projects and process improvement initiatives. Mr. Laura was promoted to Vice President of Service, Technology & Rentals in 2015, responsible for Oceaneering's ROV tooling, IWOCS, and new integrated solutions businesses. Mr. Laura was promoted to Senior Vice President, Service and Rental in March 2020. In September 2020 Oceaneering realigned operating segments to reflect how Oceaneering now manages its businesses and supports its ongoing efforts to achieve greater cost efficiencies and as a result, Mr. Laura now leads our Offshore Projects Group. Prior to joining Oceaneering, Mr. Laura worked for Baker Hughes as the Vice-President and Managing Director for Baker Hughes do Brasil.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Officer / Stewart Title
Brian is the Business Development Officer for Stewart Title's Energy Services group in Houston. Stewart is a leading underwriter on energy projects across the United States. Brian started his career in renewables over five years ago and actively works with developers, investors, and utilities across the country.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Renewable Services
Brian leads CAMS' Renewable Services business which provides asset management, O&M and optimization services to wind, solar and energy storage assets. Having witnessed the impacts of an unreliable energy infrastructure while serving in the US Army overseas, Brian is passionate about progressing energy equity through the increased investment in clean energy infrastructure and related technologies.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Director
- Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Renewable Energy Alliance
C. Kay McCall serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Renewable Energy Alliance - Houston. In this position, Kay provides strategic and tactical guidance to the organization. She is passionate about supporting Houston's continued leadership in energy.
A senior energy industry executive with close to two decades of experience in the renewable energy industry, Kay has worked extensively in the conventional power, oil and gas services, engineering and construction, and manufacturing industries. For eight years, Kay served as President, CEO and board member of Noble Environmental Power, LLC, a wind energy independent power producer which operated windfarms in both Texas and New York. In addition to her tenure at Noble, Kay served as an executive at GE, Enron and Technip. She began her career as a trial lawyer in Houston.
Kay currently serves as a director on both public and private boards, and advises investors in the energy industry. She also serves on advisory boards at Rice University and the University of Houston.
Kay earned both her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Houston. JP France is currently her favorite Astro.
Job Titles:
- Regional Practice Manager for Power Generation at Burns & McDonnell
- Regional Practice Manager, Power Generation
David is a regional practice manager for power generation at Burns & McDonnell. He has more than 28 years of experience developing and managing contracted and merchant utility-scale power and cogeneration natural gas combined-cycle facilities, as well as negotiating energy supply and off-take agreements with utilities and large power and steam users. David currently leads efforts to support utilities, industrial customers and private power developers and owners with a full scope of technical services, ranging from project conceptualization and permitting through engineering design, procurement and construction services for new generation and existing plant retrofit projects. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and his MBA from the University of Houston.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Denis (Archie) Fallon is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Mr. Fallon represents private equity funds and corporate clients in strategic transactions primarily in the energy, infrastructure and technology sectors. Mr. Fallon has particular experience advising on platform investments, mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, recapitalizations and project development. Many of Mr. Fallon's clients invest in infrastructure across the risk-return spectrum, including midstream, power, renewable, transportation and other core assets. Mr. Fallon regularly writes and speaks to groups regarding trends affecting private equity investments in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Mr. Fallon was named as one of Law360‘s 2019 MVPs in the area of Project Finance. He has also been recognized as a Law360 Rising Star in the area of Energy and by Super Lawyers as a Texas Rising Star. Mr. Fallon is actively involved in energy industry organizations, including serving as Chair of the Renewables Practice Committee at Institute for Energy Law (IEL). In addition to the board of REAL, Mr. Fallon also serves on the advisory boards for IEL, and the Greater Houston Partnership.
Job Titles:
- Director of Development - Western Region & Mexico
- Director of Development for the Western Region
Mr. Yamal serves as the Director of Development for the Western Region and Mexico. He leads the company's wind, solar, and storage development activities in the western US markets and leads both development and power purchase agreement origination activities in Mexico. Mr. Yamal has been with the company since 2008 and has held strategy, finance, development, business development and origination positions along the way.
Prior to joining EDPR NA, he worked for Black & Veatch's management consulting division, working on market analysis and compliance for the mid-stream natural gas sector. Mr. Yamal received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economic Analysis and Statistics from Rice University in 2006.
Job Titles:
- Partner / Sidley Austin LLP
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Latham & Watkins
Jim Cole is a partner in the Houston office of Latham & Watkins LLP. His practice focuses on transactional tax involving mergers, acquisitions, financings, restructurings, and capital markets transactions with a particular emphasis on tax incentives associated with renewable energy and other infrastructure projects. Jim regularly advises clients on some of the most notable transactions closed in the renewable and power sector, with a particular focus on energy tax incentives for wind and solar projects, and the section 45Q federal income tax credit for carbon capture projects. Jim regularly contributes to industry thought leadership in the renewables and tax equity space.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Sustainability / Sunnova Energy International Inc.
- Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Sustainability of Sunnova Energy International Inc
Kelsey Hultberg is Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Sustainability of Sunnova Energy International Inc. [NYSE: NOVA], a leading residential solar and energy storage service provider based in Houston, TX. Kelsey has served in this role since April 2022, prior to which she served as Sunnova's EVP, Chief of Staff; VP, Chief of Staff; and Director, Executive Communications and Strategy. Kelsey serves as the Chair of Sunnova's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee and is a founding committee member of Sunnova's Women Leadership Network and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Prior to Sunnova, Kelsey served as Brand Manager for the Black Sheep Agency, a caused-based marketing and banding agency. In addition to serving on the REAL-Houston Board of Directors, Kelsey is also currently a director of the Houston-based veteran transition non-profit Combined Arms Board where she has served since April 2018. She is also a member of the Greater Houston Partnership's Energy 2.0 Committee. Kelsey received her Master of Arts Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President of Affiliate Member Relations and Foundation Coordination / Consumer Energy Alliance
- Member Relations
Leslie Liedtke Griffin is Executive Vice President of Affiliate Member Relations and Foundation Coordination at Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses. In this role, Leslie leads all of CEA's member communications and events, membership recruiting and marketing, and external and charitable fundraising for CEA, as well as for its sister organization, the Consumer Energy Education Foundation (CEEF). Prior to joining the CEA team, Griffin served as Relationship Manager at Gulf Capital Bank, helping to build out the first de novo bank in Texas in more than a decade. She currently serves on the board of REAL Houston and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, and has participated in a variety of fundraising efforts at Texas Children's Hospital and Small Steps Nurturing Center.
Leslie Liedtke Griffin is Executive Vice President of Affiliate Member Relations and Foundation Coordination at Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA). Leslie leads all of CEA's member communications and events, membership recruiting and marketing, and external and charitable fundraising for CEA, as well as for its sister organization, the Consumer Energy Education Foundation (CEEF).
Locke Lord has one of the leading national practices representing developers, investors and lenders in the development, sale, purchase, financing and operation of renewable energy projects of all types across North America. Our long history in the renewables industry dates back to the early 2000s when we founded the Renewable Energy Coalition and led the effort to deregulate Texas' energy markets, opening the door for the explosive growth of wind energy development in the State. Since then, our practice has expanded to cover the full spectrum of legal issues faced by wind, solar, storage and other types of renewable energy projects across the nation. Our deep experience in development and commercial issues and our national footprint enable us to provide efficient, comprehensive and cost-effective representation on the full life-cycle of our clients' projects, including commercial, acquisition and financing transactions and construction and commercial litigation.
Luca Roccia brings 20 years of experience in the Telecommunication, Energy, Oil & Gas and Renewable markets. His career path started in 2000, single parent and working student at Milan Polytechnic, supporting the engineering and execution of almost a hundred BTS (base transceiver station) in Italy. In 2006, after his graduation in electrical engineering, he started his international journey at Maire Tecnimont, where he contributed to the design of the electrical systems related to an USD 850m petrochemical complex owned by Chevron Phillips in Qatar. In 2008, after 8 years in engineering, Mr. Roccia took a "leap of faith" moving to sales role with GE, where he led the development of the photovoltaic market and the launch of a new Medium Voltage platform. For the following 12 years Luca Roccia covered roles of growing responsibility, working for two Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Roccia negotiated multimillion contracts for the supply of electrical products and services with the largest international EPC's, leading international teams across US, Europe, Middle East and Far East.
REAL Houston's mission is to ensure Houston's standing as the Energy Transition Capital by increasing the visibility of the clean energy industry, connecting thought leaders, growing the network of clean energy industry professionals, and promoting innovation.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development
- V.P. Business Development for AmTrust Title
Rob is the V.P. Business Development for AmTrust Title's national energy group. Rob has 20+ years of renewable energy experience assisting clients in launching successful projects.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Risk Management and Sustainability Reporting for HBW Resources
Ryan Scott is Vice President for Risk Management and Sustainability Reporting for HBW Resources. Ryan specializes in working with clients to better understand and achieve their goals by identifying risks to enterprise that exist outside of a company's core operations. He has developed advocacy strategies and materials for his clients to engage with governments and conducts comprehensive assessments and analyses of non-technical, enterprise-wide risk factors as well as for specific projects. The focus of Ryan's practice is to help clients understand and mitigate non-technical risks so they can focus on their core operations and competencies.
As part of Sustainability Reporting, Ryan works with clients to develop an ESG reporting discipline that enables them to do more than simply check the box. Rather, HBW's ESG Reporting discipline focuses on risk identification, risk mitigation and a focus on key operational metrics. Investors and stakeholders want ESG implemented for many different reasons, but a focus on key performance metrics can satisfy investors seeking curb appeal and simultaneously capture operational excellence, while laying the framework for further improvements. Whether the end product is used for marketing, engagement with investors, or some other purpose, the foundational information will be chosen with care and germane to the competitive aspects of the business.
Prior to his time at HBW, Ryan worked at Deloitte's Strategy & Operations Consulting practice. While with Deloitte, he worked with clients such as Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), developing and delivering Financial Reporting & Legal training to a BMS executive team. Serving GMAC, he conducted a bank evaluation and application process to assist GMAC's conversion from a state bank into a bank-holding company (BHC), allowing the client to access crucial TARP funds during the Financial Crisis of 2008.
Scott received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California, and a JD - MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
Job Titles:
- Managing Counsel With Broad Reach Power
Shelley Eichenlaub is Managing Counsel with Broad Reach Power, focused on supporting and advising battery energy storage project development activities for ERCOT, CAISO and MISO including engineering, procurement, construction, asset management activities, software services, joint ventures and M&A activities. This role involves working across a multi-disciplinary team of internal and external parties, including battery manufacturers and other key equipment vendors in order to bring projects from concept to completion.
Shelley is highly regarded by colleagues and counterparties as a business savvy corporate counsel; having worked within both public and private companies to provide practical guidance on project development, construction, start-up and asset operation efforts, she understands what it takes to get a deal done and to keep it operational.
Since 2014, along with her husband Robert and business partners, Shelley has devoted her free time to starting Eureka Heights Brewing Company located in Houston, TX. Shelley's role in this business venture has included participation in development, financing, construction/installation, start-up, governance, distribution, and operational matters.
Shelley received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and her B.A. from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager, Energy Storage