Federal Market Workshop Agenda

Greg Caplan

Vice President for Federal Business Development, Ameresco

As Vice President for Federal Business Development, Greg Caplan is responsible for supporting the growth of the Federal Solutions business unit at Ameresco, a leading independent provider of energy efficiency, power generation, energy storage, and resiliency solutions. Since he joined Ameresco Federal Solutions in 2014, the organization’s annual revenue and total backlog of projects in development and construction have quadrupled. Prior to joining Ameresco, Mr. Caplan spent 10 years in federal business development at Lockheed Martin, where he stood up the energy services practice in both the federal and commercial sectors.

Mr. Caplan has a Ph.D. and Master of Arts from Georgetown University, and he received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia.

Sharon Conger

National Program Manager for ESPCs, GSA Public Building Service

Sharon Conger has worked for GSAs Public Building Service since 1989. Sharon began in the Public Buildings Service as a Realty Contracting Officer.  Sharon has spent 7 years as a Business Center Manager providing oversight of daily operations the state of Colorado. Sharon’s GSA experience encompasses a wide range of GSA activities including: property management, acquisition/contracting, asset management, real estate acquisition, project management, and financial management.  In 2012 Sharon moved into her current role as the National Program Manager for ESPCs in GSA’s Central Office Facilities Management Division and has overseen over $750M of ESPC contracts since that time, largely through the National Deep Energy Retrofit Program.  Sharon graduated from Colorado State University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Psychology.

Doug Culbreth

Federal Project Executive for DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Doug Culbreth is a Federal Project Executive at Oakridge National Laboratory where he supports the Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program. Mr. Culbreth coordinates federal performance contracting activities in the southeast and Europe including Utility Energy Saving Contracts (UESC), Energy Sales Agreements (ESA), ESPC Enable and the Department of Energy’s Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC).  Mr. Culbreth has over 35 years of experience in the development and evaluation of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the local, state and federal government sectors. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Doug was Director of the North Carolina Energy Division.

Mary Fox

Vertical Market Director of Housing, Performance Infrastructure, Johnson Controls Building Solutions

With more than 34 years’ experience in the energy industry and 24 years with public facility clients, Mary Fox continues to break barriers through innovation, technology, culture and infrastructure improvements that are enabled by a variety of technical solutions and funding mechanisms. Her deep understanding of healthy living environments for staff, residents and visitors is unparalleled in the industry. Mary’s leadership and collaborative relationship with the HUD Policy Department has helped Johnson Controls to become an industry leader as it relates to the development of new incentives, policy formulation, engage, educate and employ within communities, and assistance regarding the development of performance contracting tools.

Thomas Hattery

Federal Project Executive for DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Oak Ridge National Laboratory

From 2002 until today, Tom has been a Federal Project Executive for DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).  In this role Tom assists Federal agencies with alternatively financed energy improvements through vehicles like Energy Savings Performance Contracting and Utility Energy Savings Contracting.  In this role he covers the mid-Atlantic and northeast in the U.S. and all State Department facilities world-wide.

From 1997 to 2002 Hattery was an Assistant Director of the Maryland Energy Administration where he managed several programs including Maryland’s Energy Performance Contracting, Million Solar Roofs, Home Energy Rating System, Biomass fuel.

Tom Hattery is a former president of the Energy Services Coalition, a national organization promoting energy savings performance contracting.

Kinga Porst Hydras

Sustainability Program Design Expert, Office of Federal High Performance Buildings, General Services Administration

Kinga Porst Hydras, is a Sustainability Program Design Expert in the GSA Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, with particular focus on energy efficiency programs, decarbonization, building grid integration, renewable energy, and indoor environmental quality. She has been working on improving the usage of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) in the federal government, forming public-private partnerships to achieve deep energy retrofits in existing buildings. Kinga’s work helped GSA award close to $800M in ESPCs since 2012 and double the archived energy savings.
Kinga has an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a Masters in Engineering Degree from the Technical University of Budapest. Kinga is a CEM and a LEED-AP.

Dinesh Indala

Senior Executive Vice President for Operations, Philadelphia Housing Authority

Dinesh Indala is most recently the Senior Executive Vice President for Operations at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the nation’s fourth-largest housing authority. In that role, he heads up PHA’s largest department, responsible for 14, 000 housing units and a team of 800 employees, administering a $150 million annual budget. Among his achievements at PHA are overseeing energy performance contract implementation worth over $40 million and achieving over $1 million in energy-saving installations through partnership with PECO around two programs, the Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program (LEEP), for customers with electric heat, and the Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP), for low-income customers with high usage.
Additional projects that Dinesh will speak on include:
• working with Aqua Mizer on adding their low-flow flush valves to toilets at one of our sites as a pilot project. This has already paid for itself in the year since it was done;
• working with Greenprint Partners using Philadelphia Water Department grant funds to implement a green stormwater management infrastructure at one of our largest sites, which will lessen the risk of flooding as well as keeping the area cooler; and
• how PHA is working to meet our 10-year goal of a 20% carbon emission reduction by 2023 as part of the Better Building Challenge.
Dinesh came to his latest role following stints at PHA as Executive Vice President for Housing Operations, Executive General Manager for Maintenance, and Director of Quality Assurance. He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dayalbagh Educational institute, India. He is also Lean Six Sigma Certified.

Catherine Johnson

Project Specialist, Performance Contracting Team, Department of Veterans Affairs

Catherine Johnson has over 30 years of experience with government environmental, fleet, and energy programs.  She currently works on the Performance Contracting Team for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) overseeing development and implementation of VA’s alternatively financed energy projects.  She is the primary liaison for performance contracting in Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) 7, 8, 9, 12, and 16.  Catherine earned a BS in chemical engineering and a MS in engineering management from the University of Maryland.

Vlada Kenniff

Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, Capital Projects Division, New York City Housing Authority

Vlada Kenniff was named Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, Capital Projects Division, at the New York City Housing Authority in March 2020. In this role, she is responsible for leading NYCHA’s comprehensive  Sustainability Agenda for the nation’s largest public housing authority toward a decarbonized future, healthier homes, while leveraging ongoing and future capital work of over $1 billion to afford training and hiring opportunities for NYCHA residents. Prior to joining NYCHA, Vlada spent over a decade working at NYC’s Water Utility on a range of water conservation, demand management, green infrastructure and climate resiliency projects. Vlada earned a M.S. in city and regional planning from Pratt Institute and a B.A. in environmental studies from Pace University. She is a Ph.D. candidate in information studies at LIU Post.

Sandy Kline

Director for Installation Resilience, United States Navy

Ms. Sandy Kline is the Department of Navy’s first Director for Installation Resilience and currently serving Ms. Berger the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment. Her responsibilities include policy development and program oversight for installation resilience to include energy, water, control system cybersecurity and climate resilience. Her extensive Navy background as an integrator and innovator uniquely qualify her for the challenges of the position. She previously served as the Deputy Director for the Department of Navy’s $3.6 billion dollar Military Construction Program and Chief Information Officer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. She was the Director for e-Business and Acquisition Systems at Naval Sea Systems Command and a Logistician and Program Manager for S-3 and F-14 aircraft programs at the Naval Supply Systems Command.

Charles Marshall

Energy Director of the Energy Branch of the Financial Management Division, Office of Public and Indian Housing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Charles is Energy Director of the Energy Branch of the Financial Management Division in the Office of Public and Indian Housing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development serving over 3,000 housing authorities in the United States and its territories.  With more than 30 years of change, utilities and facilities management experience, Charles, successfully with the Energy Branch’s team, launched the new Small Rural Frozen Rolling Base (SRFRB) energy incentive for small and rural housing authorities to implement energy, water, and renewable energy projects. He led (ATL) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s most efficient and busiest airport, to be the first U.S. airport to have its energy management system certified to the ISO 50001 standard which has won the airport the Environmental Leaders 2016 Top Project Award, the Association of Energy Engineers Institutional Energy Management Award for Region 2 in 2016, and the International Facility Manager Association (IFMA) Facility Achievement Award in 2016.  He has worked with the United States Department of Defense as a Resource Efficiency Manager helping Fort Benning, the U.S. Army’s largest training installation, move toward federally mandated energy goal to which he has received numerous accolades for its energy program.  Charles led the energy management team of the Atlanta Housing Authority, at that time, the fourth largest housing authority in the U.S., to implement a robust energy management program including the first energy savings performance contract for a public housing authority.  Completing Harvard University’s Executive Program in Climate Protection and Energy: Policymaking for the Long Term and Leadership in the 21st Century, Charles holds several graduate degrees and certifications, including doctorate, masters, and baccalaureate degrees.

Andrew Mayock

Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, Council on Environmental Quality

As the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, Andrew Mayock leads President Biden's efforts to improve the sustainability of the Federal government, including by helping Federal agencies prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change on their operations and services.

Andrew brings over 25 years of public and private sector experience to the Biden Administration, including service in the Obama and Clinton Administrations. In the Obama Administration, Andrew served as Deputy Director for Management and Associate Director for General Government Programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At OMB, he led OMB's management offices and the President's Management Council with a focus on digital services, cybersecurity, acquisitions, financial management, personnel and performance management. As Associate Director for General Government Programs, he oversaw policy and budget for six cabinet agencies comprising $225 billion of the President's budget and covering over one million federal employees.

Prior to his OMB roles, Andrew served as the Deputy Vice President for Compact Operations for East and Southern Africa at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He served as Executive Secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department from 2009-2010.

In the Clinton Administration from 1995-2000, Andrew worked at the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department. Andrew was a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton from 2003-2009 and McKinsey & Company from 2017-2020, where he focused on public sector programs.

During 2019–2020, Andrew served on the steering committee of the Climate 21 Project, which delivered advice for a coordinated, rapid-start, whole-of-government climate response.

Andrew received a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, law degree from The George Washington University Law School, and a master in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He and his wife have two children and reside in Washington, D.C.

Michael McGhee

Executive Director for Climate Resilience, US Department of Defense

Michael F. McGhee is the Executive Director for Climate Resilience in the Office of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience, and a member of the Senior Executive Service. His responsibilities include overseeing policies and programs to ensure climate, installation, and energy resilience and sustainable operations for DoD installations. He holds a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Mr. McGhee has worked in an executive leadership capacity in the U.S. Department of Defense for 8 years with experience in energy and environmental strategy and policy, resilient and renewable energy project development, congressional affairs, and construction management, and most recently served in the Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President. He is a former Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives and a licensed Professional Engineer.

Steve Morgan

President, Clean Energy Solutions LLC

Steve Morgan is President of CESI. He has worked closely with state energy offices, utilities, foundations, local communities and overseas to plan and launch comprehensive energy efficiency programs.  He and his colleagues address program design, determine marketing plans, qualify and oversee technical contractors, and assist in arranging financing for their clients.  He speaks and writes regularly on these topics, as well as on compatible utility program incentives and energy performance contracting.  He and his colleagues have completed strategic planning consultancies and owner’s agent assistance to nonprofit and public clients for more than 10 years.
Prior to joining CESI in the 2007, Mr. Morgan was Vice-President of Ameresco, where he led the nation's largest energy services company division solely dedicated to serving multifamily buildings. His work at Ameresco led to over $175 million in energy efficiency investments over ten years.  He led that company’s efforts to integrate asthma mitigation interventions with energy measures at three housing authorities in New England and has worked with NYSERDA incentives for housing authorities in Syracuse, Albany, and New Rochelle.  He also led Ameresco’s team with portfolio-wide energy audit and five-development energy performance contract in New York City.
Mr. Morgan has served as Board Treasurer of the National Association of Energy Services Companies (NAESCO) and is currently serving on the Board of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Mr. Morgan also enjoys a national reputation in electric and gas utility energy efficiency program design and early implementation assistance. He has testified before Congressional Subcommittees on renewable energy issues and has provided energy efficiency consulting services to Fannie Mae, the Ford Foundation, the JPB Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the government of Dubai, and both public and investor-owned utilities. 
He has recently co-authored foundation-funded white papers on EE opportunities at the intersection of the Rental Assistance Demonstration in public housing and energy performance contracting; and on overcoming the barriers to affordable housing for energy efficiency investments.  With Mr. Dayton, he has provided business plans for three energy efficiency start-up organizations over the past five years.
He taught nonprofit marketing at Brandeis University for three years. Mr. Morgan holds a BA and a Masters in Education degrees from Harvard University as well as a Ph.D in Policy, Planning and Administration from Brandeis University.

Tracy Niro

Utility Program Manager, Federal Energy Management Program, US Department of Energy

Tracy Niro is the Utility Program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Tracy is a recognized expert in energy policy, federal utility service contracting, and Utility Energy Service Contract performance contracts. She also oversees electric and natural gas utility acquisitions for Department of Energy Sites nationwide and serves as the Chair of the Federal Utility Partnership Working Group. Tracy was a 2009 Presidential Management Fellow, has completed detail assignments to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the International Energy Agency, and was awarded a Fulbright Professional Scholarship to conduct energy research in Australia. Tracy began her career as a staff accountant for an investor-owned utility and has 18 years of experience in the energy industry including past experience leading the DOE FEMP Power Purchase Agreement Program and serving as coordinator for floating offshore wind regulation in Hawaii at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Michael Perna

Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses

Michael Perna is responsible for managing the growth strategy and business expansion initiatives for the Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, which include Con Edison Solutions, Con Edison Energy, and Con Edison Development. His responsibilities include corporate and market strategy acquisitions, new initiatives, and innovation in support of the energy services and renewables businesses.

Prior to joining Con Edison, Mr. Perna was a principal at Energized Strategies II, LLC, a management consulting firm providing market strategy, product/service launch, and project management consulting for clients. Earlier in his career, Mr. Perna spent nearly 15 years at Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a Fortune 250 energy company. There, he held positions of increasing responsibility in a variety of functional areas including engineering and construction, sales, marketing, and customer operations.

In 1993, Mr. Perna was awarded an Industrial Program Fellowship in Customer Systems at the Electric Power Research Institute in Washington, DC. Other professional recognition includes the PSEG Corporate Excellence Award, which he received in 1994 and 1997. Mr. Perna holds a Master of Business Administration from the Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Engineering with Honors from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Christine Ploschke

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability, United States Army

Ms. Christine Ploschke is currently the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability (ADASA(E&S)), guiding the program development and oversight of installation energy and water security, resilience, and conservation; sustainability; and operational energy. When not the Acting DASA, she serves within the DASA(E&S) Office as the Water Resilience Program Manager. She also facilitates the oversight of Army Energy and Water resource planning, and programming, and budget.

From 2016 through July 2020, Ms. Ploschke was the Sustainability Branch Chief for the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, managing the Reserve’s Installation Energy, Water, Sustainability, and Environmental Programs. While there, she championed the creation of the Army Reserve Asset Management Policy and Process Integration Manual, providing a detailed, procedures-based roadmap for reliably incorporating sustainability planning and environmental compliance requirements into installation and facility master planning, military construction, and real estate processes. Her efforts improved the environmental compliance of the more than 70 real estate acquisitions, disposals, ingrants, and outgrants in execution by the Army Reserve during her tenure. On the energy front, she led the implementation of the USAR’s Enterprise Building Control System and initiated a utility meter sustainment program which significantly improved meter access and reliability.

Ms. Ploschke began her federal career as the Environmental Branch Chief of the Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command in 2010. Her team of headquarters and regionally deployed environmental protection specialists provided compliance assurance services at approximately 200 Army Reserve facilities in thirteen states. In 2012, Ms. Ploschke accepted an additional duty as the 99th RSC Energy Manager. Under her leadership, the 99th had one of the most aggressive energy programs in the Army Reserve, completing a 90-site, $57 Million, Energy Savings Performance Contract across ten states, a six-site Energy Conservation Investment Program project, and dozens of energy-reducing Utilities Modernization projects. This dynamic approach resulted in a 29% reduction in the 99th’s energy use intensity from fiscal year 2013 to 2016 and the creation of 1 Net Zero Energy and 2 Net Zero Electricity Army Reserve Centers. These efforts were recognized by both the Army and the Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program: she and her team won small group performance effectiveness awards from both organizations in 2015, and Ms. Ploschke was personally recognized for contracting excellence in 2016. Ms. Ploschke’s career with the 99th culminated in serving as the Acting Chief of their Environmental Division from January 2015 through July 2016, while maintaining her Environmental Compliance Branch and Energy Manager duties.

A native of Queens, New York, Ms. Ploschke graduated magna cum laude from St. John’s University in 2006, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science (Ecology). She became a Certified Energy Manager through the Association of Energy Engineers in 2015.

Teresa Pohlman

Executive Director, Sustainability and Environmental Programs at Headquarters, Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Teresa R. Pohlman has over 25 years of extensive leadership experience managing all aspects of public and private sector environmental and infrastructure program and product development. Her background includes management positions with responsibility for $300 million to over $1 billion annual budgets for environmental, infrastructure, and facility maintenance programs.

At Headquarters Air Force, she was the Environmental Division Chief, and managed the Air Force’s $1 Billion environmental program, including cleanup, compliance, conservation, and pollution prevention, for all bases in the United States and overseas, including international bilateral agreements with Russia, Norway, Argentina, and Italy. She also served as an Air Force Regional Program Manager with the Air Force Base Conversion Agency, for a $300 million program concerned with base closure and disposal issues, closing five Air Force bases. While working for the Navy, she served at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters as the Navy single point of contact for environmental base closure issues, She also worked at the Naval Coastal Systems Center in Panama City, Florida as the Project Manager for the Chemical Warfare Protective Dive Suit.

As the Tenant Activities Group Leader at the Pentagon Renovation Office (PRO), she was responsible for the strategic master planning for the entire Pentagon Renovation, other facilities on the Pentagon Reservation, and other geographically dispersed sites for alternate operations. She ensured that the strategic design and requirements for these projects were consistent across the Department of Defense, among the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the other Defense agencies. These requirements integrated operations and maintenance considerations during construction, via the Design Process, where multiple stakeholders participated to ensure renovation and construction are accomplished without sacrificing mission continuity. In addition, she managed the safety and occupational health program for all projects in the Pentagon Renovation Office’s $3 billion program, including both renovation and new construction. She was also responsible for coordinating the overall implementation strategy to incorporate appropriate force protection projects, added to the Pentagon Renovation Program as a result of the September attacks, into the $1billion Pentagon renovation efforts. For their outstanding efforts in sustainable construction, her Team won the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management, one of five awarded in the federal government. In addition, she spearheaded the efforts for LEED certification of three Pentagon Renovation projects, the Metro Entrance Facility, the Pentagon Athletic Center, and the Remote Delivery Facility.

Prior to the Department of Defense, she worked for several defense contractors, and wrote Program Management Plans, Operational Specifications, and Quality Assurance Plans for research and development projects. She also performed and directed power spectral density, 2 moment of inertia, and stress analysis of a large Navy ship cargo transfer crane, and analyzed an inertial navigation system for shock and vibration effects. While working at Rockwell International and NASA, she managed and executed the installation and test of Orbiter Experiments on the Space Shuttle, for the first three flights of the Columbia.

Currently, Dr. Pohlman is the Executive Director, Sustainability and Environmental Programs at Headquarters, Department of Homeland Security.

Schuyler Schell

Supervisor, Procurement Services: Performance Contracting and Energy Generation, FEMP, US Department of Energy

Schuyler Schell supervises Procurement Services and Distributed Generation Services at the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), within the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Department of the Department of Energy, in Washington, D.C.  FEMP assists Federal Agencies in their efforts to achieve high levels of energy and cost efficiency, resiliency and decarbonization in their facilities.  FEMP supports agencies through a variety of means, including: performance contracting mechanisms; design and technical assistance; technical information, tools, and training; outreach; quality assurance; and interagency working groups, among other activities and resources.  Most of FEMP’s tools and training are web-based and available to, and used by, a wide range of public (federal, state and local) and private market participants.  Mr. Schell leads FEMP programs relating to DOE’s Energy Savings Performance Contracts, Utility Energy Services Contracts, DOE Utility Contract Oversight, Renewable/Distributed Generation and Storage, Energy Efficient Product Procurement, AFFECT and other initiatives.

Before coming to the DOE in 2001, Mr. Schell served in a variety of capacities at a leading Government Sponsored Enterprise relating to housing finance in McLean VA, including as a programmatic Director of Sales and Integration, Director of Structured Transactions, and Director of Marketing Strategy and Planning.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Schell was Vice President for Secondary Marketing and Product Development for a Dallas based Mortgage Company and was the Director of Government Agency Relations for a trade association in Washington.  He has an undergraduate degree in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Master of Planning Degree from the School of Architecture at University of Virginia.

Natasha Shah

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Federal, NORESCO

Natasha Shah is a Senior Vice President and General Manager at NORESCO, responsible for implementation of NORESCO’s federal business. One of the largest energy services companies in the U.S., NORESCO uses design-build, performance-based contracting vehicles and asset monetization solutions to deliver energy and maintenance cost savings and infrastructure upgrades to existing facilities.

Ms. Shah has 22 years of experience in the development and execution of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. She has led the implementation of strategic business plans, directed recovery and development initiatives for underachieving businesses, and is active in several industry trade organizations, including serving as the Board Chair of NAESCO.  Ms. Shah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University.

John Shonder

Manager, UESC Program Development, NORESCO

John Shonder manages UESC Program Development at NORESCO. He has been involved with federal performance contracting since the early 1990s, providing assistance to a wide variety of military and civilian agencies in the development and analysis of financed energy projects.  Through his support for DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program, he developed formal training and guidance, and performed economic analysis of all aspects of federal performance contracting.

A member of ASHRAE, he has chaired numerous technical committees, including the Society’s Research Administration Committee. He is a co-author of ASHRAE’s Guideline 14-2014, Measurement of Energy, Water and Demand Savings. Mr. Shonder holds BS and MS degrees in Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steven Smith

Vice President of Federal Business Unit, Energy Systems Group

Steve has over 20 years of experience in the energy performance contracting industry and has background expertise in industrial building science, energy management, and project financing. As a Vice President for ESG’s Federal Business Unit (FBU), Steve oversees all business activity for the group. Steve administers over a team of engineering managers, development engineers, performance engineers, business development professionals, administrative staff, and other personnel. He also administers over all of the FBU’s ongoing projects and works with his managers in the development of energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) and utility energy service contracts (UESCs) to support the federal government. Steve received his MBA from Baldwin Wallace University and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton.

Mary Sotos

Director of the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), US Department of Energy

Mary Sotos is the Director of the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the Department of Energy (DOE). FEMP empowers all federal agencies to achieve sustainable facilities and fleets by assisting with federal-wide data collection and aggregation, developing reporting tools and technical assistance, and offering training and project funding.

Previously, Mary served as a senior policy advisor with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Protection, where she most recently launched a revamped Lead By Example program creating new strategies to track and manage greenhouse gas emissions, waste and water use across all state agencies. Before that, she served as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner for Energy, directing the state’s energy policies and programs. She also served in several roles at the international think tank World Resources Institute, including in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Program where she developed new global carbon accounting standards and tools used by thousands of organizations worldwide. She also partnered with corporate leaders to develop and advance new renewable energy strategies to decarbonize the grid.

Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College and completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Brussels, Belgium.

Douglas Tucker

Director of Installation Energy Policy and Programs, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, United States Air Force

Douglas K. Tucker is the director, installation energy policy and programs assigned to the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Environmental, Safety, & Infrastructure. His responsibilities include assisting and advising DASecAF in the development and oversight of installation energy policies addressing mission assurance through energy assurance.  He is a graduate of the University of Kansas’ College of Engineering (BSME), the Air Force Institute of Technology’s School of Systems and Logistics (MSEngMgt), and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (MBA).  He served for 30 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force.  Mr. Tucker’s service included command tours at the squadron, group and air base wing level; a joint staff officer tour with U.S. Forces Japan; a political-military affairs tour with the U.S. Department of State; and a National Security Fellowship with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.  He has experience in facilities energy management, district heat network and heat plant modernization program development, alternative fuels, capital improvement project business case development, facilities and infrastructure investment strategy development, legislative affairs, program and project management, and installation operations and maintenance activities.