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.

Liz Coyle

Vice Chair of the Board

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.

John D. McDonald, P.E.

Treasurer

Smart Grid Business Development Leader, GE Grid Solutions
John D. McDonald, P.E., is the Smart Grid Business Development Leader for GE Grid Solutions. John has 46 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, and was awarded the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering Award in 2002, the IEEE PES Substations Committee Distinguished Service Award in 2003, and the IEEE PES Meritorious Service Award in 2015. 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 is the SECC Finance Committee Chair and on the SECC Board. John was the IEEE Division VII Director and on the IEEE Board of Directors. John was on the Board of Governors of the IEEE-SA (Standards Association), focusing on long term IEEE Smart Grid standards strategy. John was elected to Chair the NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) Governing Board, coordinating Smart Grid standards development for the United States. John is a member of the Advisory Committee for the annual DistribuTECH Conference, Past Vice Chair of the Texas A&M University Smart Grid Center Advisory Board, formerly on the NIST Smart Grid Advisory Committee and Chair of its Technical Subcommittee, a Past Member of the Purdue University Strategic Research Advisory Council, and received the 2009 Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award from Purdue University. John is on the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors and on the IEEE-HKN Strategic Planning Committee. John teaches a Smart Grid course at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Smart Grid course for GE, and substation automation, distribution SCADA and communications courses for various IEEE PES local chapters as an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer. John has published over one hundred fifty papers and articles in the areas of SCADA, SCADA/EMS, SCADA/DMS and communications, has co-authored five books and has one US Patent (9,853,448) on Systems and Methods for Coordinating Electrical Network Optimization (December 26, 2017).

Mike H. Shanlever

Secretary

Partner, Alston & Bird
With more than a decade of experience focused on the construction of energy, manufacturing and commercial projects, Mike has the experience to guide owners and contractors through complex transactions and disputes. He is known for his work on power projects inside and outside the U.S. Mike Shanlever advises owners, general contractors, and subcontractors as issues arise throughout the project life cyle. Mike routinely appears in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as alternative dispute resolution processes, including mediations, arbitration proceedings, and settlement negotiations. Mike is ranked as a Georgia construction lawyer in Chambers USA 2018-2019.

Jonathan Bach

Manager, Strategic Partnerships & Ventures, Xcel Energy
Jonathan has a wide spectrum within the power generation / clean technology space working for an Independent Power Producer, EnerNOC the onetime world’s largest demand response aggregator before being acquired by Enel and most recently with an investor owned utility at Xcel Energy in Denver, CO. Over the last 5 years, Jonathan has been leading Xcel Energy’s Market Intelligence initiatives focused on external trends in grid modernization, green tariffs, battery storage, electric vehicles, connected home and C&I energy procurement topics. In June of 2019, Jonathan joined Xcel’s newly formulated Strategic Partnerships and Ventures team, focused on managing the lifecycle of strategic partnerships that align with Xcel Energy’s key customer initiatives.

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.

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.

Michel Losier

Executive Director, Customer Energy Solutions, New Brunswick Power
Michel is the Executive Director, Customer Energy Solutions for New Brunswick Power. He currently leads the portfolio and the delivery of Energy Efficiency programs for the Province of New Brunswick within New Brunswick Power. Michel has a broad level of exposure to the utility industry and is focused on the utility sector transformation with a keen focus on the evolving energy consumer values and experience. He has been actively engaged and is a frequent public speaker at energy conferences across North America focused on a customer centric approach to transformation. He’s presented at Grid Edge as NB Power received an award as a GTM Top 20 Disruptor in the utility industry in 2015. He has extensive experience in customer service, community relations, public speaking and media relations. Recently, Michel was the Program Director of the award winning “PowerShift Atlantic” project; focused on collaborative and innovative solutions, engaging customers and leveraging new smart grid – energy storage technologies to better integrate renewables such as intermittent wind in the Maritime Provinces. This was a new experience for customers as they played an active role in renewable integration. NB Power and the project received a number of awards including the Smart Grid Canada “2015 Innovation Award” for Canadian Utilities. New Brunswick Power is focused on a comprehensive utility transformation strategy working with Siemens on modernizing the grid and offering “value added” solutions for customers. Michel is a graduate from the University of New Brunswick in Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick. Michel is married and has two young adults completing university. He is an avid runner and loves the outdoors.

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 graduated from the University of Chicago in 2000 with a degree in anthropology and immediately started work in CUB’s consumer advocacy department. She returned to University of Chicago in 2004 to earn her Master’s in Social Service Administration, and now manages CUB's consumer education and organizing efforts. These efforts have included the development and management 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.

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

Director of Product Management, Powerley
Paul has helped Powerley successfully bridge the smart grid to the smart by defining and executing the company’s product vision. Since joining Powerley as the first employee, Paul has driven the overall product roadmap – leveraging market intelligence and customer insight to create an entirely new product category in the market. Paul has over a decade of experience in the digital realm, with work spanning research, strategy, analytics and development, including nearly five years in the energy industry. Prior to joining Powerley, Paul led market intelligence for Organic, Inc., a digital experience consultancy. There, he drove the positioning and performance of Organic’s work for its clients across the hospitality, CPG and automotive verticals. Paul holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.