Board

Lincoln Wood

Chair of the Board

Electrification Policy Manager, Southern Company
Based in Atlanta, Lincoln Wood is Southern Company’s Manager of Electric Transportation Policy. Since 2006, Lincoln has worked in complimentary areas of marketing including marketing research and statistical analysis, product development, policy development, and innovation. Some of his accomplishments include the planning, development, and rollout of an energy data usage presentment tool to over 3.5 million customers in Southern Company’s territory, and playing a leadership role in DOE’s national energy usage data privacy project, DataGuard. Currently, Lincoln works to further electric transportation technology and infrastructure penetration, both nationally and across the Southern Company footprint. Lincoln holds Bachelors’ Degrees in Economics and Sociology from the University of Georgia, is a Certified Energy Manager, and a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society. Lincoln also serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

Jonathan Bach

Vice Chair of the Board

Manager, Strategic Partnerships & Ventures, Xcel Energy
Jonathan R. Bach is Manager, Strategic Partnerships at Xcel Energy and is in Denver, Colorado. Bach oversees key company partnership areas that extend beyond a traditional vendor relationship that deliver new capabilities and co-create novel customer solutions that allow Xcel Energy to better share risks and rewards. A few of the partnership areas of focus include Big Tech relationships, EV adoption and C&I growth products and services. Stronger together than apart, the vision is to match innovative technology with easy experiences and to support evolving policy and customer expectations. Strategic Partnerships plays a strategic role for Xcel Energy as a leader in energy innovation with a bold direction of helping enable 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2030 and being the first utility to announce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Bach previously held leadership roles with EnerNOC, Energy Operations Group (IPP), American Express and Newell Rubbermaid, with various roles in business development, marketing, operations, technology and shared services. Bach holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder along with a Master of Science in Global Energy Management from the University of Colorado at Denver.

John D. McDonald, P.E.

Treasurer

Smart Grid Business Development Leader, GE Grid Solutions
John D. McDonald, P.E., is Smart Grid Business Development Leader for GE’s Grid Solutions business. John has 47 years of experience in the electric utility transmission and distribution industry. John received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. (Power Engineering) degrees from Purdue University, and an M.B.A. (Finance) degree from the University of California-Berkeley. John is a Life Fellow of IEEE (member for 50 years), and was awarded the IEEE Millennium Medal, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering Award, the IEEE PES Substations Committee Distinguished Service Award, the IEEE PES Meritorious Service Award, the 2016 CIGRE Distinguished Member Award, the 2016 CIGRE USNC Attwood Associate Award, and the 2021 CIGRE Honorary Member Award. John is Past President of the IEEE PES, the VP for Technical Activities for the US National Committee (USNC) of CIGRE, the Past Chair of the IEEE PES Substations Committee, and the IEEE Division VII Past Director. John was on the Board of Governors of the IEEE-SA (Standards Association), is an IEEE Foundation Director, and is a Founding Board Member and Treasurer of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC). John received the 2009 Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award from Purdue University. John teaches a Smart Grid course at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Smart Grid course for GE, and Smart Grid courses for various IEEE PES local chapters as an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer (since 1999). John has published one hundred fifty papers and articles, has co-authored five books and has one US patent.

Mike H. Shanlever

Secretary

Partner, Alston & Bird
With more than a decade of experience focused on the construction of energy projects, Mike has the experience to guide stakeholders through complex transactions and disputes. He is known for his work on power projects inside and outside the U.S., advising as issues arise throughout the project lifecycle. Mike routinely appears in state and federal courts, and arbitrations around the world. Mike is ranked as a Georgia construction lawyer in Chambers USA 2020-2021.

Jeff Adams

Senior Vice President, ICF International
Jeff has focused on the business of the environment within the energy sector since his time at Yale. Today’s utility customers expect personalized choice and control. Utilities are transforming and must find new ways to engage with and reward customers for the energy choices they make. As the Senior Vice President in charge of ICF’s Commercial Energy Customer Engagement practice, Jeff oversees the delivery of holistic but customer-centric solutions for large and complex residential, commercial, and industrial programs for electric and gas utilities. Jeff and his team of energy experts, data scientists, technologists, marketing strategists, and customer care experts—know how to get the right message, to the right customer, at the right time and place. For decades he has helped clients harness the power of data to gain insights about the customer journey, a critical first step for utilities seeking to deepen their relevance and cultivate durable relationships. The data driven customer engagement and the applied use of technology and digital marketing engages utility customers across their energy journey - - yielding educated, satisfied customers with reduced energy consumption that is also persistent and beneficial to the environment.

Justin Brown

Director, Planning & Regulatory Support, Duke Energy
Justin Brown is Director, of planning and regulatory support within the Customer Delivery organization for Duke Energy. His responsibilities include managing the development and execution of regulatory strategies and policies that affect the distribution grid and their alignment with the Company’s strategic roadmap in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Prior to his current role, Justin worked in regulatory and legislative strategy for North Carolina. He was responsible for collaborating with internal company departments to help advance state regulatory and legislative initiatives while also leading cross-functional team initiatives within North Carolina. He also served in the Company’s Corporate Audit Services group where he led internal technology audits. Before joining the Duke Energy in 2008, Justin worked in technology for over 10 years in the healthcare, energy and consulting industries. The Taylorsville, NC, native earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in international business, from the University of South Carolina. Justin and his wife, Beth, have two daughters and live in Charlotte, NC.

Victoria (Busch) Bussey

Marketing Manager, Ameren Illinois
Victoria (Busch) Bussey is a strategic marketing communications professional with more than 20 years of experience. She led a team that developed and implemented the smart meter customer communications and outreach plan that helped educate more than 1 million electric and 800,000 natural gas customers on the value of using smart meters and smart technology to better manage and control energy usage and costs. The five-year smart meter project transformed the way Ameren Illinois does business today. In January 2020, Victoria joined the Customer Experience business segment at Ameren Illinois and now serves at the Marketing Manager. She leads the marketing and co-worker communications strategy to facilitate electric vehicle adoption and charging capacity. Nominated for a few awards, she was honored for her leadership in Diversity and communications earning both the 2015 Diversity Award and the 2016 President’s Award. She was nominated in 2019 for the President's Award. Victoria is the manager of several consultants and third-party vendors that help administer two energy management programs at Ameren Illinois. As a marketing communications professional, she is strong in branding, media relations, customer engagement and education. Her diverse background exemplifies professional versatility. She believes in using research to guide marketing decisions. Her background consists of sales, public relations, media relations, customer engagement, marketing communications and educations, and project management. She has served as a key spokesperson for Ameren Illinois to protect the company's image on smart technology and its controversy as well as storm restoration work. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO with a focus in Marketing.

Rob Caiello

VP, Marketing and Customer Experience, Allconnect
Rob leads the teams responsible for Allconnect’s business-to-business marketing and communication strategies, email marketing and customer experience and quality oversight. He also oversees customer satisfaction research and measurement, including benchmarking Allconnect’s customer experience with national brands using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Prior to Allconnect, Rob focused on direct-to-consumer marketing through senior-level marketing roles with DIRECTV and Home Shopping Network. He began his career in the utility industry with Niagara Mohawk Power Company (now National Grid), where he worked for eight years in demand side planning, energy efficiency programs and at a deregulated spin-off. He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology, followed by a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Quantitative Methods from Syracuse University.

Jonathan Coons

Director of Marketing + eCommerce, EFI
Jonathan brings over 15 years of eCommerce, digital, traditional and demand response marketing experience to EFI. His leadership, innovative thinking, and customer-focused mindset are already driving success across EFI client marketplaces, client marketing outreach and tactics as well as EFI branding, and product expansion. Jonathan's experiences span a wide variety of digital outlets including, running eCommerce account teams, managing and implementing an eCommerce instance for an industry-leading medical supply firm, and leading sales and marketing for a digital start-up. While owning the strategic and innovative vision for EFI's digital tools and programs, Jonathan also leads and manages EFI's growing marketing team. He lives in Needham, with his wife Meagan and 2 young boys Owen and Declan.

Laura Cornish

Product Manager, Uplight
Laura is a Group Product Manager based in Vancouver, CA, in Uplight’s Activate Product Line. She is an outstanding strategic thinker, having demonstrated success in the tactical execution of product management and customer success. She previously worked at Enernoc, as Director Product Management. Laura has a broad set of interests, and is dedicated to industry transformation for a more consumer-centric energy system. She holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary from The University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & International Development Studies from McGill University.

Laurence Christopher Daniels, Esq.

Assistant People's Counsel, Office of the People's Counsel – DC
Attorney Laurence Daniels is currently the Director of Litigation for the Office of the People’s Counsel. He has an extensive background in the electric and telecommunications industry. Since January 2000, he has worked for the Office as a regulatory attorney advocating on behalf of telecommunications, electric and natural gas consumers. During his tenure with the Office, he represented the consumers’ interest in a number of electric rate cases and the smart grid pilot program, PowerCentsDC. Through the pilot program experience, he learned how digital technology is transforming the electric industry, that consumer education is essential to empower consumers’ ability to benefit from this new technology and that there is a need for new policies to be created to protect consumers. Prior to joining the Office, he obtained a solid understanding of cable television and telephony infrastructures while serving as a product manager of cable television and fiber optic enclosures while working for Reliance Comm/Tec. In 1997, Mr. Daniels received his law degree from Howard University School of Law. He and his wife Gilda, a voting rights attorney, reside in Mitchellville, Maryland with their two children Lauren and William.

Branndon Kelley

Senior Vice President of Technology & Chief Information Officer, American Municipal Power
Branndon Kelley, chief information officer, has more than 20 years of experience providing vision, leadership, governance and execution for technology programs, projects and departments. His role includes responsibilities for information technology, operation technology (SCADA and plant systems), advanced metering infrastructure, smart city and enterprise cyber security. Kelley joined AMP in 2009 and has led AMP through a complete IT transformation. Recognized as a leader in his field, Kelley serves as president of the Board of Directors for the DeVry Scholarship Fund and is often invited to speak at national and regional technology and utility conferences and events. In 2018 and 2019, Kelley received the comSpark Central Ohio Tech Power Player Award. He is a member of 2017 class of Smart Business’s Central Ohio Smart 50, was named the 2012 Intelligent Utility’s CIO of the Year, the Top 20 Most Innovative CIOs in 2014, and was awarded the 2015 Frost and Sullivan CIO Impact Award. In 2012, Kelley served as chair of the TechTomorrow conference and in 2013, as chair of the American Public Power Association IT Committee. Prior to AMP, Kelley held senior management and executive roles at Quick Solutions Inc. (now Fusion Alliance), HP, EDS, Saber Corp and has spent over nine years as an adjunct professor at local colleges. Kelley holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from DeVry University and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame earning a Pinnacle Award. He also holds an MBA in finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management, where he was recognized as one of the top 40 graduates in school history with the 40 for 40th award.

Seth Little

Practice Director, Residential, CLEAResult
Seth brings years of cross sector energy efficiency program experience and a passion for accelerating the energy transition. In addition to leading standardization and innovation for CLEAResult’s residential portfolio, Seth serves as a subject matter expert for virtual operations, home energy assessments, energy advising, and digital engagement. He regularly consults on nature, scope, and prioritization of future product features, reviewing product specifications, industry and program trends and client needs.

Kelsey Lawhead

Manager of Educational Programs, ElectriCities of North Carolina
Kelsey Lawhead joined ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc. in 2016 as Product Development Specialist. In her time at ElectriCities she has served as Manager, Educational Programs and is currently Manager, Program & Product Development. In her tenure she led the launch of NC Public Power’s retail customer survey, an annual research project to benchmark customer preferences, satisfaction and growing program interest and served as project lead for the association’s new member management system. Kelsey has served as a member of Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative’s Education and Outreach committee since 2017 and has served as chair since January, 2020. Prior to joining ElectriCities, Kelsey served in marketing roles for Apple Gold Group and Kaplan Test Prep. Kelsey has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Truman State University and a Master of Business Administration from Illinois State University.

Sarah Moskowitz

Deputy Director, Citizens Utility Board (CUB)
Sarah is Deputy Director at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a Chicago-based nonprofit consumer advocacy group that represents the interests of residential and small business utility customers through outreach, education, litigation, and policy advocacy. She started at CUB in the summer of 2000 and has served in a variety of roles there, from providing direct consumer services to managing the organization's statewide education and advocacy efforts. These efforts have included the design and implementation of programs like the Illinois Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program, the CUB Energy Saver online behavior change tool, and the CUB Energy Responder program, an opt-in demand response initiative in which consumers used plugin load control devices to curb their peak usage. Sarah now oversees the development of CUB's clean energy outreach strategy in a way that uses policy research and community outreach to identify equitable and consumer friendly climate solutions. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Chicago.

April Pinkston

Director of Strategic Administration and Transformation, Oncor

April Pinkston is the Director of Strategic Administration and Transformation. She has been employed by Oncor Electric Delivery for over 20 years and is responsible for leading the development and execution of the transformation and sustainability initiatives in Technology Measurement and Customer Engagement (TMC) and throughout the company. The Transformation Office provides centralized support and guidance in identifying needs, designing solutions, and driving impact aligned with the company’s strategic plan. During her tenure at Oncor, April has worked in various key roles and has been a part of several professional organizations including IEEE and SWE. In addition, she has actively participated in various Oncor specific and community programs and committees including the Oncor Political Action Committee, Women’s Leadership Institute, Corporate Diversity Council, serving on the board of the Oncor Cares Foundation and participating in the inaugural class of Oncor’s Leadership Development Program, APEX, developed for Oncor’s emerging talent. April obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas. April lives in Dallas and outside of work she enjoys a good workout, volunteering in the community, and spending time with her teenage daughter.

Dave Reim

President, Questline Digital
Dave is seasoned veteran in the energy utility industry with over 30 years of experience. As the current President and co-owner of Questline Digital, his focus, and knowledge resides primarily on the wants and needs of energy utilities. Dave’s extensive background in the industry has enabled Questline to be a trusted resource and valuable partner. As a witness to the various industry changes through the decades, he has been able to guide Questline to proactively provide relevant solutions that matter to energy utilities. From this leadership, Questline became the first dedicated digital communications company for energy utilities. This driving force sets Questline at the forefront of innovation in the industry. As the visionary of Questline, his goal is to continue providing content-rich communications and solutions that drive customer engagement, grow customer satisfaction, and deliver measurable energy utility program results. Dave received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University and a Master of Science in Planning and Development from Cleveland State University.

Gomathi Sadhasivan

Director – Customer Decision Sciences, DNV
Gomathi Sadhasivan is Director – Customer Decision Sciences at DNV where she works at the intersection of customer behavior, market research, and analytics. Her recent work includes studies focused on customer adoption of smart grid-enabled technologies and services, building and transportation electrification, and energy efficiency program evaluations. She brings to bear a sophisticated toolkit honed at her previous position as Assistant Director, Decision Sciences, Opinion Research Corporation, on projects focused on market segmentation, brand equity, and customer engagement in an increasingly competitive energy industry. Gomathi served as Research Committee Chair for the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative from 2015 – 2019 and has served on SECC’s Board of Directors since October 2018. She received an award of from the SECC in 2016 recognizing her outstanding contributions as Research Committee Chair. Gomathi has an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School and graduate degrees in Mathematics & Statistics from Michigan Technological University and the University of Mumbai.

Nathan Shannon

President & CEO, Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC)
Nathan is SECC's President & CEO and leads the organization's research, membership and policy initiatives. He came on as SECC's Deputy Director in early 2015, and in this role, he grew membership almost 40% to over 150 members. Along with his work on the Research and Policy committees, Nathan leads member recruitment and engagement and routinely presents SECC 's research at major industry conferences and policy workshops around the country. He previously served as Director of Operations and Major Gifts Officer at Athens Land Trust where he had a focus on policy and sustainability through his work with land conservation and carbon credits. He also gained extensive knowledge in the realm of non-profit development and capacity building. Nathan has a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Georgia and a background in financial management.

Vicki Trees

VP, Segment Marketing, Landis+Gyr
Vicki Trees serves as the Vice President, Segment Marketing for Landis+Gyr Americas. In this role she is responsible for bringing industry and customer perspectives into the development of Landis+Gyr market strategies. She works directly with utilities, trade associations, analysts, consultants and other industry influencers to better understand the needs of the marketplace and identify ways the products and services offered by Landis+Gyr best meet industry needs. She is an advocate for the advancement of smart utilities and cities, the digitalization and smartening of the grid, the empowerment of the energy consumer, and is continually seeking ways help the world manage resources better. An industry veteran, Ms. Trees has worked in the electric utility space for nearly twenty years. She has held leadership roles in product management and marketing, as well as roles in research, project management and business process consulting. Prior to this, Ms. Trees served as general manager for a cable television distribution company and held positions in marketing, customer service and general management within the telecommunications industry. Ms. Trees is active participant in numerous industry associations and serves on several boards and committees, including: SEPA, AEE, Clarion Women in Energy Council, Wi-SUN Alliance, DistribuTECH program committee, TechAdvantage program committee, NARUC, EEI, APPA and NRECA. Ms. Trees assists with facilitating industry dialogue at several major events including roles as both moderator and speaker. Over the past twelve months, she has offered content at the following events: Association of Large Distribution Cooperatives, TechAdvantage, SEPA Utility Conference, NARUC, EUCI Women in Energy Leadership Conference, and several Landis+Gyr sponsored events. Ms. Trees earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Minnesota. She and her husband reside in central Minnesota with their two children.

Paul Wezner

Chief Product and Customer Officer, Powerley
Paul Wezner (he/him), Chief Product and Customer Officer at Powerley, is responsible for crafting the company’s product offering to its utility customers and overseeing the deployment and success of those programs. Since joining the company as its first employee in 2015, Paul has driven the overall product roadmap – leveraging market intelligence and customer insight to create innovative and differentiated offerings in the home energy management space. Paul has over a decade of experience in the digital realm, with work spanning research, strategy, analytics, and development, including the last six years in the energy industry. In addition to his work at Powerley, Paul has been very active in the industry, serving as a member of the board of directors for the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative since 2019 and speaking at other key industry events, including PLMA, MEEA, Energy Star and the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council. Paul holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.