Bigger Than Us

Sarah Shanley Hope is the VP of Brand + Partnerships at The Solutions Project following seven years as the organization’s first Executive Director. Under Sarah’s leadership, the organization  transformed its mission and culture to center racial and gender equity, launched the field’s first and only award-winning intermediary climate and equity fund, and grew a celebratory, collaborative and inclusive movement for 100% clean energy. Sarah has held executive or leadership roles at the Alliance for Climate Education, Green For All, Cargill and Best Buy over her 15+ years of experience in brand strategy and social change. She has raised and helped deploy more than $50 million in support of a racial equity and climate solutions agenda over her tenure in the field. https://thesolutionsproject.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Stuart’s focus is on driving growth and profitability at ORPC through overseeing the commercial rollout of the company's demonstrated and proven technology in the U.S., Canada and Chile.  Prior to becoming CEO of ORPC in early 2020, Stuart was an investor in early stage companies with a primary focus on companies with products and services that either reduced carbon emissions or improved the health of the environment. Stuart comes to ORPC with nearly two decades of experience at Sankaty Advisors where he served in many different roles including the Chief Investment Officer of Opportunistic Credit and Portfolio Manager. He also was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. During his tenure, Stuart served as a director or an observer on the boards of dozens of companies in the energy, manufacturing, food, consumer product, retail and packaging industries. Stuart graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics and from the MIT Sloan School of Management with an MBA. He is also a member of Sloan’s renewable energy finance round table.  ORPC improves people’s lives, and their environment, through sustainable energy solutions. Constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation, ORPC brings marine renewable energy technology and project development solutions to its community and industrial partners, specializing in microgrid to utility-scale river and tidal energy applications, and underwater mobile power supplies for offshore energy applications. With a growth-oriented business model and an engaged workforce committed to collaboration with all stakeholders and customers, ORPC delivers practical, high performing, sustainable solutions that provide clean, affordable energy while ensuring positive economic results for all. https://orpc.co/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Peter Kelly-Detwiler has 30 years of experience in the electric energy arena. He writes for Forbes.com and other publications on topics related to disruptive innovation and its impact on the electricity infrastructure. He provides strategic advice to clients and investors, helping them to navigate this transitional period. Peter is also the author of The Energy Switch - a book about how companies and customers are transforming the electrical grid and the future of power.  Mr. Kelly-Detwiler has spent much of his career in various areas of competitive power markets. As Senior Vice President at Constellation Energy, he oversaw creation of VirtuWatt – a market leading platform to facilitate real-time awareness of electricity pricing and consumption and bidding of assets into competitive markets. He is currently writing a book on the transformation of electric power markets, to be published by Prometheus Books in the Spring of 2021. https://www.peterkellydetwiler.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Valerie Rockefeller chairs the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a private foundation advancing social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. She also co-chairs BankFWD, a network to persuade banks to phase out financing for fossil fuel and to lead on climate. Her professional background is as a middle school special education teacher for adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. She began her teaching career at Central Park East Secondary School in East Harlem, New York, and also taught in Australia. Valerie has a M.Ed. in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a MAT in secondary Social Studies from Columbia University Teachers College. She majored in International Relations at Stanford University, and worked as a confidential assistant to Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton administration. She also serves as a trustee of Achievement First, the Asian Cultural Council, Columbia University Teachers College, Greenwich Academy, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She was a trustee of Spelman College, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Valerie lives with her daughters Percy and Lucy and her son Davis in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. https://bankfwd.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Lionel is an accomplished Product Management Leader with expertise in Operations Management, Financial Management (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow), Lean Six Sigma, Supplier Development, Strategic Sourcing and Product Quality Management. His experience spans General Electric where he graduated from the highly regarded Operations Management Leadership Program (OMLP) and owned Profit & Loss Responsibility as Manufacturing Shop Operations Manager of a High Volume Production Facility and three Fast Moving Innovative Start Ups (SpaceX, Faraday Future & Romeo Power) where he has held various Roles including Director of Procurement, Vice President of Engineering and Chief Operating Officer. Lionel holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University and MPS in Supply Chain Management from The Penn State University. https://romeopower.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Listen in on another bookclub we recorded earlier this year before the pandemic hit during which our founders and a few employees engaged in a discussion about the importance of sleep, negotiation, and personal development. https://nexuspmg.com/

Sanjay Shrestha joined Plug Power as Chief Strategy Officer in 2019. Prior to joining Plug Power, Mr. Shrestha served as the CIO of a global solar IPP and President Sky Capital Americas since 2015.  Under his leadership, Sky Capital America built and acquired over 100MW of operating solar assets and secured pipeline over 100MW.  He also sourced various types of financing solutions to support this growth including project debt, construction equity and long-term equity. He brings almost two decades of experience in the broader clean tech sector to our team. Before global solar IPP, he led the renewables investment banking effort at FBR Capital markets. During 2014, and under his leadership, the firm was ranked among the top renewable energy underwriters in the U.S. Prior to joining FBR, Mr. Shrestha spent seven years as the global head of renewables research coverage at Lazard Capital Markets. During his tenure at Lazard Capital Markets, he was a member of the Institutional Investor All America Research team and was also ranked as one of the top five stock pickers on a global basis. Prior to Lazard Capital Markets, Mr. Shrestha spent seven years at First Albany Capital, where he built the firm’s renewables and industrial research practice. Starmine/Forbes Magazine ranked him the number 1 stock picker and the number 1 earnings estimator during his tenure at First Albany Capital. Mr. Shrestha serves as an independent director on the board of directors of Fusemachines, an AI company. https://www.plugpower.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Scott is the Founder of Chabina Energy Partners. Having successfully advised numerous clients across a wide range of complex circumstances, Scott is in a unique position in the renewable fuels and related decarbonization industries. He is fully qualified to partner with a wide range of clients such as management teams, investors, lenders, and others to provide strategic advisory services well ahead of any immediate transaction or capital markets opportunity. Scott’s extensive experience advising different types of capital providers and project participants gives him the ability to understand their respective concerns and build consensus in difficult situations. Previously served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Turnaround Management Association (NYC Chapter). Member of The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, Renewable Fuels Association, American Coalition for Ethanol, American Bankruptcy Institute, Association for Corporate Growth, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors, and various other relevant trade associations. https://chabinaenergy.com/about/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Maxine Bédat is the founder and director of New Standard Institute, a research and action think tank using data to drive accountability in the fashion industry. Prior to NSI, Maxine co-founded and was the CEO of Zady, a fashion brand and lifestyle destination creating a transparent and sustainable future for the apparel industry. For its work in sustainability, Zady was named one of the world’s “Most Innovative Companies” in retail by Fast Company. Bédat has been recognized by Oprah in her Super Soul 100, for leaders elevating humanity and serves as an ambassador for Rainforest Alliance. She has spoken at some of the world’s leading conferences, including the WWD Apparel/Retail CEO Summit, and has been regularly featured as an expert by Bloomberg, Forbes, Business of Fashion, CNN, and The Huffington Post. Bédat began her career in international law working at the Rwandan Criminal Tribunal and received a Juris Doctor with distinction from Columbia Law School. https://www.newstandardinstitute.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Kerry Bowie is the Managing Partner of Msaada Partners and the Majira Project. Msaada is Swahili for "service", and the strategy firm empowers social impact through consulting, coaching, and connecting. Majira is Swahili for "summer'', so in a nod to the growing season the nonprofit accelerator program and innovator support organization helps small businesses and startups grow with a mission of community development through entrepreneurship.  Kerry also launched the Browning the Green Space Initiative which is a group of cross-sector leaders striving to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in clean energy and beyond. Kerry works at the nexus of social, economic, and environmental justice and has more than 20 years of experience in private, public, and nonprofit management. In addition to holding leadership positions at his church, Kerry is a Food Solutions New England Trailblazer, mentors and teaches start-up firms as part of the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and the New England Regional Innovation Node, and serves on the Black Innovation Alliance Leadership Team, Boston Ujima Project Investment Committee, MIT Graduate Alumni Council, MIT Sloan Affinity Groups Alumni Advisory Council, SI Ventures Advisory Board, and the Board of Museum Advisors of the Museum of Science. Kerry holds bachelors and masters degrees in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Michigan, respectively, as well as an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.  Kerry lives in Somerville, MA with his wife, Sherri-Ann, and two young daughters, Alexis and Sophia. https://www.msaadapartners.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/