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.

Laura Basili

Manager, Marketing & Customer Education, ComEd
Laura Basili is ComEd’s Manager of Marketing & Customer Education. In this role, Basili leads the marketing strategies and customer-engagement programs that support smart meter, smart grid and associated energy-management tools and programs for the organization’s 3.8 million residential and business customers. As ComEd nears completion of installing more than 4 million smart meters across the areas it serves, her efforts have instrumental in ensuring ComEd customers are aware of smart grid benefits. Basili also manages marketing strategies that increase education and awareness of ComEd’s newly developed solar campaign, initiatives created through Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and utility of the future marketing initiatives. Prior to joining ComEd, Basili held marketing leadership roles with LaSalle Bank and real estate investment firm Tanguay-Burke-Stratton. Basili’s strong business acumen, combined with her expertise in the development, delivery and management of integrated marketing programs, have helped organizations launch successful client solutions and increase customer satisfaction scores. Basili received a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Northwestern University and lives near Chicago.

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.

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.

Liz Coyle

Executive Director, Georgia Watch
Liz Coyle joined the team at Georgia Watch in February 2012. Founded in 2002, Georgia Watch is the State’s leading nonprofit consumer advocacy organization working to ensure that Georgians are informed and protected on matters that impact their quality of life. Georgia Watch advocates for policies that open doors to the financial mainstream, increase financial security, improve access to affordable healthcare and lower consumers’ energy burden. As Executive Director, Liz manages the organization’s operations and staff and oversees all Georgia Watch programs in the areas of Healthcare Access, Consumer Energy, Civil Justice and Financial Protection. In addition to her role with Georgia Watch, Liz recently accepted an appointment to the Consumer Advisory Board of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Liz also is vice chair of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative board of directors and is board chairman of the Historic Fourth Ward Park Conservancy and the BeltLine Network, an alliance of organizations working to support the BeltLine vision. Additionally, Liz was the citizen representative on the board of directors of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. from September 2006 to August 2009. Liz has more than 25 years of experience as a non-profit manager, communications professional and grassroots advocate. She received a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Virginia.

Tanuj Deora

Vice President, Market Innovation, Uplight
Tanuj Deora is Vice President, Market Innovation at Uplight, the product of the recent merger of Simple Energy, Tendril, FirstFuel, EnergySavvy, and eeme, and the leading solutions provider for delivering energy consumer centric innovation. In addition to leading Uplight’s regulatory affairs squad, he engages utility executives, investors, and other thought leaders to explore how to best align industry incentives and deploy cutting edge technology to deliver a cleaner, more resilient, consumer-centric energy system. Prior to joining Uplight, Tanuj served as Chief Strategy Officer of the Smart Electric Power Alliance, ran the commercial portfolio of IHS Markit’s North American Power, Gas, and Renewables business, was a wind energy project developer for EDPR, and served as an energy industry strategy consultant with McKinsey. From 2011 to 2012 he served in the cabinet of Governor John Hickenlooper as director of the Colorado Energy Office. Tanuj has held board positions with Renewable Energy New England and the Interwest Energy Alliance and helped lead the education committee for Solar Power International / Energy Storage International. He was an advisor to the Rational Middle Energy Series and NREL’s solar deployment program, and currently serves as an advisory to Hygge Power, a residential energy storage company. Tanuj served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica and holds a BSME from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard.

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.

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, 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

VP, Product and Customer Success, Powerley
Paul Wezner (he/him), VP of Product and Customer Success 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.