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Aaron has deep experience in renewable energy and energy efficiency having worked in municipal sustainability leadership, policy & advocacy, and project management. He develops and manages all Virginia solar co-op programs, provides technical support for residents and organizations going solar, and coordinates policy advocacy for distributed solar in Virginia.

Aaron received a Dual Master of Arts in International Affairs and Natural Resources, specializing in International Energy Policy from American University School of International Service and United Nations University for Peace. He has published numerous articles and speaks fluent Spanish. A native of San Diego California, Aaron enjoys being on the water, playing guitar and spending time with his son Gabriel.

Contact
[email protected]
804-372-5032

Alexis supports the engagement efforts for Solar United Neighbors state programs in Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. This includes bringing together solar advocates across these states to mobilize and transform their communities. Alexis has a passion for bringing people together to make sustainable change. Alexis is excited to bring her enthusiasm for engagement and tangible energy system solutions together. Alexis is an Oregon native with her current roots in Richmond, Virginia. She has a Bachelors in Social Work and a Minor in sociology with an extensive background in volunteer engagement and large scale event and program planning. Alexis loves to spend time with her husband outdoors, hike, travel, and try any dessert spot she can find.

Angela oversees Solar United Neighbors’ administrative, financial, and operational activities and field programs in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. Angela is a fourth generation Floridian. She is passionate about community outreach and believes that informed and engaged voters are key to building an accountable democratic society. Her experience includes project development, grassroots organizing, community engagement and policy advocacy focusing on capacity building. Prior to joining Solar United Neighbors, Angela served as president of the League of Women Voters Jacksonville First Coast for four years, working to increase informed voter participation through education and advocacy and still volunteers as their Environment Director. Angela also volunteers as a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Johns Country Day School in Orange Park, Florida, serving on the Executive Committee. In 2015, Angela was selected as one of Jacksonville’s Women of Influence. Angela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Jacksonville University. A certified scuba diver and proud wife and mom, Angela loves to take advantage of the Florida waterways by boating, collecting scallops in the Florida Gulf, and lobster in the Keys.

Contact
[email protected]
904-351-8570

Annette is responsible for human resources, office and finance management. Annette graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Arts in Urban Planning. She also has a Master of Arts in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Contact
[email protected]
734-210-1287

Anya has worked for decades on environmental projects and policy up and down the Western Hemisphere. This work has helped her grapple with the issue of sustainable development and how to make complex issues relevant to the community. Solar United Neighbors got its start when her son Walter asked, “Mom, can we go solar?” In her role as Executive Director, Anya has been instrumental in the passage of landmark solar legislation and regulation. In April 2014, the White House selected Anya as one of 10 White House Champions of Change for Solar Deployment for her groundbreaking work to deploy solar in the National Capital Region.

Contact
[email protected]
202-350-0870

Autumn oversees Solar United Neighbors field programs in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. She serves as State Director for the West Virginia program. Autumn works to grow support for and access to solar by providing education on the benefits of solar, advocating for solar-friendly laws and policies, and implementing solar programs and initiatives across the region. Born and raised in West Virginia, Autumn has been an entrepreneur, community organizer, advocate, writer, editor, and researcher. She holds a NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate Credential, a Master of Arts in Geography from West Virginia University, and Bachelor of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Contact
[email protected]
304-608-3539

Ben is an experienced solar communications professional. He has helped solar companies get recognition for their product and project announcements and worked with solar advocates across the county to help them educate the public about policies that allow solar energy to compete a level playing field with other energy sources. At Solar United Neighbors, Ben generates attention to the work the organization does to help people go solar, join together, and fight for their energy rights. Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the George Washington University.

Contact
[email protected]
202-888-3602

Bret works to bring solar power to more Arizonans. He has a decade of experience campaigning for clean energy in the Grand Canyon State. He previously served as the national solar campaign director for Environment America and the director of its state chapter, Environment Arizona. Bret’s work urging fellow Arizonans to speak out to regulators and utilities has helped to foster the growth of rooftop solar in Arizona. He has won campaigns committing the City of Tempe to 100 percent renewable energy and stopping new uranium mining on one million acres around Grand Canyon National Park. Bret is the co-author of a dozen reports on solar energy use in cities and states, and has appeared on Arizona PBS, Phoenix NPR (KJZZ) and in the Arizona Republic, among other publications. He holds degrees in International Studies and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bret lives in Phoenix with his wife Nikki, where he enjoys hiking, backpacking and playing the guitar.

Contact
[email protected]
480-269-2589

Bryce has a deep-rooted passion for bringing communities together to pursue a just, renewable energy economy. For more than six years he served as an advocate and program manager for the Sierra Club where he led the Colorado Ready for 100 campaign. The campaign supported more than ten community commitments for 100% renewable electricity, resulting in Xcel Energy and Colorado to respond to the growing demand. Bryce also served with the Association of Climate Change Officers. There he performed sector analysis assessing envirophysical threats for the federal government and supporting municipalities working toward climate solutions. With Colorado on track to be a renewable energy leader, he believes it’s imperative to support deploying localized renewable resources in communities most in need or most impacted by the ongoing transition. Bryce lives in Denver with his wife Katie, and their 70-pound lap dog Molly.

Contact
[email protected]
720-295-3804

Corey is an experienced IT and solar professional. He was inspired to pursue the latter path by a museum exhibit on sustainable communities. He realized that he wanted his professional life to expand renewable energy and positively affect his community. It took a few years, but by volunteering, taking online courses, working for a local solar installer, and an online solar shopping site he set himself on a path toward his current role at Solar United Neighbors. Now he develops, deploys, and scales educational materials and on-the-ground project models in rooftop solar, community solar, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging. He is a NABCEP-certified PV Technical Sales Professional and a graduate of Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore.

Contact
[email protected]
240-334-7720

Emily spearheads new initiatives to take Solar United Neighbors to the next level as an organization. She oversees the organization’s growth team, which includes volunteer engagement, information systems support, and marketing and communications activities. Emily began at Solar United Neighbors as when it was a local community group working on solar, and over time has helped grow the small project into a national nonprofit that represents the needs and interests of solar owners across the country.

Before joining Solar United Neighbors, Emily worked as a renewable energy consultant specializing in solar electric and solar water heating initiatives and incentive programs. She graduated from Grinnell College in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Political Ecology and was a member of the 2016 Neighborworks Achieving Excellence program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Contact
[email protected]
240-244-9840

Erik supports Solar United Neighbors field programs in Florida and Ohio. He is excited to help communities transition to an energy system that is both cleaner and more equitable for everyone. He comes with experience working in hazardous waste mitigation as well as backing the efforts of a sustainability-focused market. He’s excited to pursue an opportunity with distributed solar and renewable energy. In his free time, Erik enjoys listening to music, running, and writing.

Glen has served on the staff of several national and state environmental and labor organizations. He worked for the national Sierra Club from 1998-2010 in a variety of roles, including Director of the “Cool Cities” campaign, the organization’s first nationwide grassroots effort to advocate for local clean energy solutions. From 2012-2017, he served as Director of the Sierra Club’s Maine Chapter.

He has been quoted widely in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and the Los Angeles Times, and he has been a guest speaker on clean energy issues at many venues throughout the country, as well as in Denmark and Brazil. A Florida native, Glen was educated at the University of Florida and the University of Houston. He is an avid kayaker, bicyclist, and amateur jazz musician.

Contact
[email protected]
207-749-3896

Hanna Mitchell works to bring more solar energy options to Texas communities. As an organizer and campaigner with a passion for environmental justice, she started organizing after attending a summer training program with the Sierra Student Coalition over a decade ago. She has experience working on local, state, and national campaigns. For three and a half years, she worked with Greenpeace in North Carolina to improve access to cleaner and cheaper energy options and support the intersecting movement for environmental and social justice. During this time, she led grassroots outreach for Solarize Charlotte, ran a 100% renewable energy initiative for public schools, and met her husband with whom she moved to Austin, Texas in the summer of 2017. Originally from Maine, Hanna earned her B.A. in Environmental & Urban Studies from Bard College in New York, focusing on Environmental Policy. When she’s not organizing, Hanna can be found salsa dancing, cooking up food to share with friends, or running on an Austin greenbelt.

Heaven brings her passion and experience in program management, volunteer management, research, capacity-building, diversity and inclusion, and evaluation to her work. She is a native of Florida and proud to say she’s #FreshfromFlorida. She has a Master of Science in Family, Youth and Community Sciences and. Heaven loves hiking and spending time with friends and family.

Contact
[email protected]
904-701-4059

Henry’s passion is to build a movement of empowered – and solar-powered – advocates across Pennsylvania to fight for a cleaner and fairer energy system. Through earlier positions at the Institute for Sustainable Communities and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, he has spent the better part of a decade working to make American communities more sustainable, more resilient, and more equitable by supporting local leaders and elevating good ideas. Henry is a NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate™️ and holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Oberlin College. Henry lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sarah, and sons, Jesse and Robin.

Contact
[email protected]
412-440-8934

Jessica is dedicated to empowering communities to go solar. Growing up in Western Maryland’s post-coal economy fueled her passion to study environmental science through a multidisciplinary lens. Jessica is skilled in residential photovoltaic installation. She spent the Spring of 2019 with D.C. residents installing no-cost solar for the community. At Solar United Neighbors, she supports program development for Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Minnesota.

Julia is thrilled to work with Solar United Neighbors to help expand solar in the Sunshine State. Her passion for clean energy began while working in Pennsylvania’s coal regions as an AmeriCorps member. Water quality, landscape design, and community service projects grew out of her Master of Landscape Architecture Degree from RISD. She has completed Frostburg University’s Wind and Solar Energy (WISE) Education Program, Pinellas County Water Stewards Program and Florida Master Naturalist courses. Through teaching, volunteer and work experiences, she champions the power of education and local action in positive environmental change. Julia’s a native plant and butterfly fan who loves to hike, bike and travel the world with her husband.

Contact
[email protected]
727-537-6194

Julianna works to ensure funding for the organization. She is passionate about attaining a more sustainable economy. Julianna has worked in environmentally-focused outreach, research, and grant administration positions. She holds a B.A. in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Kentucky.

Lisa aims to make the world a better place through good communication. She has marketed a variety of events and programs throughout the non-profit sector. Lisa brings this experience to her role at Solar United Neighbors.

Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s. Her bachelor’s is in mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her master’s in public relations is from Webster University in St. Louis. In her spare time, she enjoys comedy and music. Lisa also volunteers on programs to advance racial justice, gender equity, and animal rights.

Roger is dedicated to empowering communities to go solar. Roger combines his passion for community development and organizing with his love of solar energy.

Before joining Solar United Neighbors, Roger owned his own ice pop business for 10 years. He also has a background in community organizing. This focused on high school and college outreach. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s in Peace, War, and Defense and in Spanish. Roger lives with his family in Washington, D.C.

Tristan has made it his life’s work to further social, economic, and environmental justice in his home state of Ohio. He has more than a decade of experience in community outreach, media, and organizing. He now brings this experience and his skills to bear to build Ohio’s community of solar supporters. Tristan spends a great deal of his free time engaged in his local community where he serves on multiple boards and as an elected member of Lakewood City Council. Tristan holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Kent State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Cleveland State University. He and his wife, Caitlin, live in the Cleveland area with their dog, Marcus.

Vincent has worked across the spectrum of solar. Before joining Solar United Neighbors, he worked with a national solar installer and then for a non-profit organization where he provided technical assistance to local governments implementing solar best practices. At Solar United Neighbors, he helps educate co-op participants so that they can make truly informed decisions when going solar. Vincent has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Kansas. He is also a NABCEP-certified Photovoltaic Associate.

Contact
[email protected]
202-888-3601

Yesenia has been focusing on community development for over ten years. She has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey and a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. It was during her time in law school that she began her journey working with low to moderate income families as a Student Attorney in the Community Development Clinic. As the DC Program Director, Yesenia implemented SUN’s Solar for All program and now works to increase access to solar energy across the country. She is excited to be a part of Solar United Neighbor, where she can combine her love of science and community development to help expand access to solar energy in the District.

Contact
[email protected]
240-523-3948

Zach is a passionate organizer and storyteller dedicated to promoting justice. He believes in the potential for collective action to build power and shape a more just and equitable future. Building an electric system that distributes control and benefits back to local communities—with rooftop solar as the cornerstone—is one step toward that future he hopes to see. Zach is a native Hoosier who earned a BA in journalism and political science from Indiana University and a MA in Communication, Culture & Technology from Georgetown University. He has more than a decade of experience as a communicator and organizer.

Contact
[email protected]
317-268-2099