Our Team
Leadership Team
Pier LaFarge
Co-Founder & CEO
Pier is an entrepreneur, hunter and fly-fisherman based in Washington, DC. He loves to build and scale human systems and believes fiercely in the power of business model innovation to bring customer-first disruption where it is needed most. At ICF International, he co-founded a new consulting offering that helped corporate & municipal customers procure their building energy systems. Realizing that customers needed something better than their existing options, he quit his job and co-founded Sparkfund in 2013, working alongside major energy providers to change forever how building systems are delivered and managed.
Pier LaFarge
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dan Leff
Dan Leff, a senior advisor at Broadscale, has extensive operating experience building, leading and restructuring global energy services, industrial manufacturing, and technology and software companies. Previously, Dan worked as CEO of Hara Software, COO of Invensys Energy Management, CEO of Enron Energy Services, CEO of FMES and CEO of Pilot Energy. Dan serves as a board member of ServiceChannel, the Trudeau Institute, Point Positive, and on the advisory board of Carter Morse & Mathias. He was previously on the boards of Viridity Energy, Hara Software, Credit Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: CACC), the YMCA Camping Services Council of Greater New York and the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, NY. Dan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York and has four children with his wife Pam of thirty-four years.
Dan Leff
Executive Chairman
Jonathan Plowe
President & Chief Financial Officer
Jonathan is an industry-leading innovator with over two decades of private sector experience spanning capital markets, structured finance, tax equity, renewable energy project finance, and corporate taxation. Most recently, Jonathan co-founded Tax Equity Advisors, LLC, a tax equity investment management firm that raised and deployed $400 million of tax equity into solar energy projects across the United States. Previously, he was Managing Director of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s renewable energy solutions business, where he led the development of the bank’s world-class renewable energy project finance initiative and spearheaded award-winning rooftop solar transactions. Before joining Merrill Lynch, Jonathan was a corporate tax attorney with Skadden, focused on financial products, M&A, and structured finance. Jonathan holds a philosophy degree from Cornell University and a law degree from The George Washington University Law School. He lives in New York State with his wife and three daughters.
Jonathan Plowe
President & Chief Financial Officer
Steve Myers
Chief Product Officer
Although Steve recently joined Sparkfund to lead product strategy, he has been blending technology with innovative product models to scale the delivery of clean energy resources for 25 years. Steve was the President of EnerPath -- the first company to apply cloud-based mobility to scaling energy efficiency. EnerPath was acquired by Lime Energy where Steve continued as SVP of Sales making a small business more energy efficient every six minutes via a cloud-based mobile platform. Prior to EnerPath, Steve conducted research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been an executive at three publicly-traded energy companies, managed a $250 million portfolio of energy-efficiency projects, worked in Deutsche Bank’s Energy Trading Group, advised cleantech investments, and founded a consulting firm serving start-ups, multi-nationals, and government entities. He holds an MBA in Energy Finance from the University of Texas at Austin, a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a BS in Physics from Haverford College. Steve lives with his wife and three children in Austin, Texas.
Steve Meyers
Chief Product Officer
Andrew Hardy
Chief Commercial Officer
Andrew brings over thirty years of energy services business and market development, operations, engineering and construction management experience to Sparkfund. Prior to joining in 2018, Andrew managed Operations for Trifecta Energy, a small energy services company that specialized in developing and structuring distributed energy generation systems for both commercial and US Federal government customers, as well as guided its merger and integration with another firm. Prior to that, Andrew: guided WGL Energy, an affiliate of Washington Gas Light, through the negotiation of the first-ever commercial mixed-use microgrid concession in Washington, DC for the original US Army Walter Reed Medical Center campus; served as Vice President, Market Development at Quality Conservation Services, a national energy services provider based in Oak Ridge, NJ; operated as an independent consultant, advising energy services companies, general and trade contractors, and end users on energy related construction projects in the US and the Caribbean; and during the 1990s held various positions within Pepco, including Director of Project Development and Director of Commercial Services for their energy services affiliates. Andrew attended the University of Maryland at College Park, where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, receiving distinction through their Cooperative Education Program. Andrew is also a regular Little League (ULLL) baseball and rec league (WLBL) basketball coach in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Andrew Hardy
Chief Commercial Officer
Sparkfund™ Team
Will Alexander
Sr. Director, Project Management & Delivery
Will is a seasoned construction and real estate industry professional who now leads Sparkfund’s Project Management and Delivery group. His experience spans multiple facets of the general contracting realm, having excelled in the roles of project management, superintending, engineering, estimating, and procurement. Will has also worked as an owner’s representative providing consultation to developers, commercial brokerages, as well as various commercial, non-profit, and institutional building ownership entities in the course of his career. In these capacities, he has leveraged his knowledge and insights into construction means and methods to deliver a variety of building product types including new construction and major existing building renovations. Will is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Construction Manager (CCM), and LEED AP. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA with a concentration in Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and a Master’s Certificate in Energy Engineering and Management all from the George Washington University.
Will Alexander
Sr. Director, Project Management & Delivery
Peyman Allahvirdizadeh
VP, Talent & Culture
Peyman is an experienced recruiter with a passion for everything People Operations, diversity, equity, and inclusion. He believes economic growth and environmental sustainability are mutually exclusive. Prior to joining Sparkfund, he worked at wikiHow as a Talent Acquisition Manager, as well as helping wikiHow grow their international websites. Peyman graduated from San Francisco State University in 2014 where he studied International Business. When not at work he spends his time riding his bike, cooking, buying fresh cut flowers, writing poetry, or designing performing art pieces.
Peyman Allahvirdizadeh
VP, Talent & Culture
Maddie Allen-Sandoz
Sr. Project Development Engineer
Madeline is a pragmatic environmentalist who believes building energy efficiency is a critical tool in lowering global energy consumption. She is interested in how innovative business solutions can be used to unlock the potential of energy efficiency.
Madeline holds a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus in Sustainability Buildings from the University of Pittsburgh. She has over 8 years of experience in the renewable and energy efficiency field. At Sparkfund, Madeline supports mechanical engineering and building operations efforts. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Madeline was a lead development engineer at Johnson Controls.In addition to her work in energy efficiency, Madeline is passionate about home remodeling and building preservation. She recently renovated her home in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and looks forward to her next project.
Maddie Allen-Sandoz
Sr. Project Development Engineer
Evelynne Bayar
Director, Project Management & Delivery
Evelynne is an experienced project management professional serving as a Senior Manager of Project Management and Delivery within the Sparkfund's Operations Team. She has a diverse background spanning multiple industries, including construction, HVAC, oil & gas, foundry, and IoT. She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and a BA in Chemistry from Virginia Tech, and an MBA with a specialization in Project Management from Louisiana State University. At Sparkfund, she strives to provide excellent construction and delivery experience to customers who are utilizing Sparkfund's Technology Subscription and to drive operational excellence.
Evelynne Bayar
Director, Project Management & Delivery
Payton Beach
Intern, Engineering
Payton Beach is working this summer as an Intern for the engineering team. She is currently studying for a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech with an expected graduation for 2021. Prior to an internship with Sparkfund, Payton worked and has experience in manufacturing engineering and HVAC with Baltimore Aircoil Company. She is very interested and passionate about engineering and the role it can play in energy efficiency and helping the environment by means of technology.
Payton Beach
Project Development & Engineering Associate
Matt Bosch
VP, Partnerships
Matt is responsible for strategy, execution, and growth for the Utility vertical of Sparkfund's business. His background is hyper-focused on energy software, spanning the Wholesale Energy Market to the Utility-Customer relationship. Prior to Sparkfund, Matt led a segment of Client Success Managers at Opower covering $20M+ in annual recurring revenue. With a primary focus on building enduring client partnerships, Matt was responsible for strategic account management and technical delivery of SaaS products at 30+ US Utilities. Additionally, Matt spent nearly 5 years in Accenture's Utility Management Consulting practice. During that time he worked with Regulated Utilities, Regional Transmission Organizations, and Energy Traders on the business implications of a rapidly advancing software landscape. Matt holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering (Energy Focus) from the University of Michigan.
Matt Bosch
VP, Partnerships
Phil Croker
Director, Deal Structuring
Phil is a driven problem solver on the Operations Team. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Phil managed the operational activities for the bilateral utility demand response programs at EnerNOC. His past experience also includes researching energy efficiency solutions at Boss Controls, an energy management start up, and working with the Energy Innovation Center of Pittsburgh, a non-profit that fosters green workforce development. Phil graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Environmental Economics.
Phil Croker
Director, Deal Structuring
Mike Derzko
Sr. Director, Business Development
Mike is a member of Sparkfund's Direct to Customer business development team and is responsible for developing new business opportunities, engaging with key customers, and building relationships with organizations that would like the benefits of energy efficient technologies without a major expenditure of time and money. Mike was previously a Vice President at Northwater Capital, where he developed the firm's energy and environmental investment strategy and was responsible for managing approximately $1 billion in hedge fund investments. He most recently served as a policy advisor in the United States Senate, advising on economic, energy, and environmental issues. Mike holds a BS in Economics and Physics from the University of Toronto and an MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Mike Derzko
Sr. Director, Business Development
Alex Dickson
VP, Deal Structuring
Alex leads the Deal Solutions team within Sparkfund’s Finance division. The team serves as cross-functional project management group for Sparkfund’s deals with customers, providers, vendors, and capital partners that are complex and/or require new structures. Alex joined Sparkfund from Deloitte Consulting, where he specialized in growth and product line strategies for companies in the chemicals, manufacturing, and medical device industries. Alex is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science with a degree in Applied Science in Biomedical Science.
Alex Dickson
VP, Deal Structuring
Lauren Harris
Sr. Director, Business Development
Lauren is responsible for strategy, execution, and growth for our broad network of channel partners, including contractors, developers, agents, distributors and manufacturers. Lauren leads a strong team of dedicated Account Managers, developing and growing the team, while working cross-functionally across the sales org to improve process and increase growth in other go-to-market verticals. Lauren has a deep background in solar energy with focus on project origination, development, and finance. At Sol Systems as Director of Customer Energy Services, Lauren was instrumental in implementing and managing a direct to customer model including a channel partnership strategy which was responsible for over 40% of lead generation. Prior to that at SolarCity, she was a Senior Manager for Commercial Channel Accounts where she cultivated external business relationships that were responsible for the origination of over 100MW of solar projects. In addition, she successfully initiated, developed, executed and financed on a wide variety of project types across the United States. Lauren’s strengths lie in long-term relationship building with partners and clients, and driving productive development cycles by implementing strategic lead generation practices and streamlining the customer acquisition and negotiation process. Lauren graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga with a BS in environmental science.
Lauren Efird
AVP, Business Development
Kathy Gicobbi
Sr. Manager, Proposals
As Senior Proposal Manager for Sparkfund, Kathy is responsible for managing the successful development of compliant and competitive proposals through effective collaboration across teams that include internal staff, corporate partners, and utility programs. By applying her experience and establishing best practices in proposal management she develops, leads and delivers high quality proposal submissions that are technically and financially sound, responsive, and compliant. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Kathy was Proposal Manager/Technical Write for Honeywell International Inc.’s Energy Services Group providing Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) proposal development with a focus on state, municipal, local government agencies, school districts and universities. Kathy has 29 years of proposal management experience and is Foundation Certified by Association of Proposal Management Professionals.
Kathy Gicobbi
Sr. Manager, Proposals
Ben Hill
Sr. Manager, Project Engineering and Delivery
Ben is an engineer and scientist by training, with a background in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and materials science research. At Sparkfund, Ben supports building technology engineering and fund management operations. His past experience at ICF includes supporting EPA, DOE and Natural Resources Canada in the development, analysis, and implementation of energy efficiency programs. Prior to his time as a consultant, Ben worked as a metal materials engineer at Apple, developed Solarize programs throughout Virginia with the Local Energy Alliance Program, and researched semiconductors at the DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and at the University of Virginia. He graduated from UVa's School of Engineering and Applied Science with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering and a minor in Physics.
Ben Hill
Sr. Manager, Project Engineering & Delivery
Minyoung Ihonde
Director, Program Management
Min is responsible for managing and growing the commercial programs with strategic partners at Sparkfund. She brings more than a decade of experience from a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company in the energy industry, working with International Oil Companies (IOCs), National Oil Companies (NOCs), and developers on global energy infrastructure projects, with values of up to $10 billion. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Min worked at KBR where she sold, developed and executed complex energy projects. Her experience covers diverse market sectors such as LNG, refining, petrochemicals, power and energy transition, including hydrogen, biofuels and carbon capture & sequestration. Most recently, she was the Business Development Manager responsible for growth and strategy for the project delivery group at KBR. She also has hands-on experience, having spent time on construction sites, supporting field engineering and managing site subcontractors. Min holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Houston. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.
Minyoung Ihonde
Director, Program Management
Aakansha Lam
Proposal, Manager
Aakansha Lam serves as the Project Manager for Sparkfund and develops electrical engineering projects. She has previously served as the Proposal Manager at Sparkfund. She has prior experience in engineering and project management for various technologies for commercial and industrial clients, utility programs, and public sector projects. By integrating her business case, design, and engineering skills, she supports project engineering and development across a variety of technologies including lighting, HVAC, solar, EV chargers, back up generation, and more. Prior to working at Sparkfund, Aakansha worked as a Senior project Analyst at Citelum, an EDF Group’s Subsidiary for smart city lighting solutions.
While working at Recurrent Innovative Solutions as a Project Engineer, Aakansha gathered broad experience in developing turnkey solutions combining various financing methods for C&I clients, across a range of innovative technologies and tools such as, solar energy, distributed resource management, energy storage, and microgrid controllers. She has experience in writing grants to US DOE and has successfully obtained over $500k in energy efficiency grants from Maryland Energy Administration. She also has two years of research experience in microelectromechanical systems and is a published author in IEEE. Aakansha has a background in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and she holds a M.S. degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, specializing in Energy Infrastructure Systems. She has previously served on the Board of the National Capital Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers. Aakansha has also served on the Finance Committee of the Clean Energy Technical Workgroup of Montgomery County.
Aakansha Lam
Project Manager
Quan-Chi Le
Sr. Manager, Credit
Quan-Chi is a finance professional with a background in portfolio management, capital markets, and fixed income analysis. She is Credit Manager at Sparkfund, and is responsible for ensuring a diversified portfolio with strong credit capacity. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Quan-Chi worked at Freddie Mac as a portfolio manager to the Liquidity and Contingency book. She is a CFA charter holder and a graduate of the University of Virginia with a BA in Economics - Finance Concentration and a BA in East Asian Studies. In her spare time, Quan-Chi enjoys rock climbing, yoga, and reading.
Quan-Chi Le
Sr. Manager, Credit
John Lee
Sr. Designer
John is a visual designer for Sparkfund. He is responsible for maintaining and growing the visual strategy and brand for Sparkfund. John's passions lie in art and design. He aims for a world where creativity and innovation are used as means for achieving any solution. John graduated from the University of Maryland where he found the power of Social Design, designing for change. After graduating, John pursued a career in Social Design by joining a software company called Opower, a company that drives utility customers to save energy by utilizing behavioral science. A few years later and many lessons learned, John joined the Sparkfund team and brings a wealth of design knowledge from the utility and energy industry.
John Lee
Sr. Designer
Ryan Macdonald
Associate, Deal Structuring
Ryan Macdonald
Associate, Deal Structuring
Nick Matthews
Director, Project Development & Engineering
Nick is a materials engineer by education, a systems engineer by experience, a mechanical engineer by licensure, and an environmental engineer by passion. He came to Sparkfund from the engineering consultant Brown and Caldwell where he was a mechanical engineer focused on HVAC and process systems. Nick's excitement for building mechanical systems and desire to positively impact the environment intersected beautifully to find the perfect home at Sparkfund where he can exercise his passion for finding innovative solutions to technical challenges.
When he's not at work, Nick enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games, and exploring whatever corner of the world he finds himself in. He is a big fan of kookaburras, okapis, all things foxes, and the color blue. No! yellOOOOOOOW...
Nick Matthews
Director, Project Development & Engineering
Michael McLenahan
Sr. Director, Asset Management
Michael is a seasoned specialty finance professional with expertise in portfolio analysis, credit operations and asset management. At Sparkfund, he works to deliver maximum shareholder value through risk management and portfolio optimization. In addition to managing the daily collateral reporting, he coordinates with the Underwriting and Operations teams to transition partners and projects into Portfolio Management. He comes to Sparkfund after working in Government Contract Finance at Federal National Commercial Credit and in Healthcare Finance at CapitalSource. Michael is a graduate of Miami University with a BA in Management Information Systems and a BS in Philosophy. He enjoys travel, sports and spending time with his family.
Michael McLenahan
VP, Finance & Operations
Adam Meyer
Business Development Associate
Adam is responsible for researching new business opportunities, reporting partnership growth, and supporting sales team training. He brings extensive experience in customer, competitor, and partner research in the energy efficiency as a service industry. Before Sparkfund, Adam gained valuable business skills through marketing, sales, and business development internships at metal manufacturing, water testing, and energy-efficiency-focused companies. Adam holds a BS in Economics and Environmental Studies from Tufts University.
Adam Meyer
Associate, Business Development
Kwame Mukasa
Manager, Business Development
Kwame is a member of the Legal and Operations team at Sparkfund where he is assisting with document review, lien filings, and document organization. His previous experience includes the Investment Banking Analyst Program at Citibank, and research on environment and economic development in China with Middlebury College. Kwame enjoys using Geographic Information Systems and data to better understand the relationship between the human and natural world. He graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Environmental Economics. Kwame is excited about the future of energy infrastructure technology and the impact it will have on emerging markets.
Kwame Mukasa
Manager, Business Development
Rishi Nangia
VP, Legal
Rishi is Sparkfund’s lead legal advisor, managing, among other things, the commercial contracting function. He has almost two decades of legal experience providing legal counsel to senior leadership and various functions within organizations. Positioned at the crossroads of technology and the law, Rishi has particular expertise in technology transactions, intellectual property (e.g., patents related to software and electronics) and compliance (e.g., data security and privacy). Rishi also has significant business experience, having founded and operated two, funded tech start ups (one featured at SxSW). Prior to Sparkfund, he served as General Counsel for three businesses in the Safety and Productivity Solutions division at Honeywell, as in-house legal at the Advisory Board Company and Oracle, as well as in private practice at two international law firms. Rishi holds a JD from Northwestern University, an MPH (Epidemiology) from Emory University, and a BS (Biology) and a BA (Psychology) from the George Washington University. Rishi holds three patents, participates in CrossFit, coaches youth sports, dabbles in stand up comedy, and spends time with his wife and three kids.
Rishi Nangia
VP, Legal
Brendan Reed
Sr. Director, Business Development
Brendan is responsible for growing business as a part of Sparkfund's Direct to Customer and Utility sales verticals. He brings extensive experience communicating the benefits of new energy technologies and "as-a-service" models to the company. Brendan's background is in accelerating growth and market access to clean energy products like solar, battery storage and electric vehicles. Previous to Sparkfund he worked for the policy arms of Tesla and SolarCity, engaging lawmakers to increase consumer access to electric vehicles, promote grid benefits of solar generation and streamline local regulations on solar and battery system construction. He also worked with utilities to develop incentive programs and customer education campaigns aimed at promoting clean energy technologies. Prior to working in policy Brendan sold residential and commercial solar at a time when third-party owned financial products were just getting off the ground. Brendan has a degree in communications from the University of Delaware, home of the Fighting Blue Hens.
Brendan Reed
AVP, Electrification
Ryan Reynolds
Sr. Software Engineer
Ryan brings over a decade of backend systems development experience to Sparkfund, with a particular focus on leveraging Elixir and the Erlang Open Telecom Platform for dependable, scalable, highly-available applications. A hometown graduate of the University of Tulsa, Ryan paired programming studies with a focus on formal logic and philosophy. They've worked on complex, high performance applications for companies in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas accounting systems, high-volume email service providers, and GPS-based, soft-real-time delivery logistics and inventory tracking systems. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys video, board, and card games, philosophy and political theory, and electronic music production.
Ryan Reynolds
Sr. Software Engineer
Paul Roberts
Sr. Director, Treasury
Paul is a seasoned financial professional with expertise in accounting, tax and financial reporting. At Sparkfund Paul is responsible for all aspects of the company's financial management, including corporate accounting, fund accounting, transaction management and financial reporting. Paul brings over 20 years of experience in the lease industry to Sparkfund from Saab Aircraft Leasing, where he led the accounting and reporting operations for the portfolio of over 175 aircraft. Paul is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a BS in Accounting. When he is not at Sparkfund, you will find Paul travelling with his family, coaching little league, or playing in the yard with his kids.
Paul Roberts
Sr. Director, Treasury
Patch Ronald
Sr. Manager, Accounting and Finance
As the Senior Accountant at Sparkfund, Patch assists the Director of Finance with the fund accounting, financial reporting, treasury management, accounts payable, and accounting policy functions. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Patch was a Senior Associate in the Assurance practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he planned and executed financial statement and internal controls audits of various financial institutions in the Washington, DC metro area, including a Fortune 100 mortgage banking entity, a national credit union, and various real estate entities. Patch is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Patch Ronald
Sr. Accounting & Finance Manager
Brian Runk
Sr. Director, Software Engineering
Brian joined Sparkfund in late 2019, bringing 25 years of programming and leadership experience developed at such varied organizations as Etsy, America's Test Kitchen and the US Coast Guard. Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Brian began his internet career in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian Institution and The National Academy of Sciences. When not working he is often writing, paddling, walking his dog Holly or cooking with friends and family.
Brian Runk
Sr. Director, Software Engineering
Celine Ryan
Manager, Operations
Celine is an Operations Associate at Sparkfund. Prior to joining Sparkfund, Celine worked for a nuclear engineering consulting firm, where she provided direct support to the CEO and was responsible for managing internal operations, communications, and marketing. Celine holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and recently completed a Digital Marketing Certificate from Cornell University. In her free time, Celine enjoys hiking with her rescue pitbull Huxley, traveling, and cooking for friends and family.
Celine Ryan
Manager, Operations
Jayme Schnedeker
Director, Product Management
Jayme is a skilled product leader with expertise in business services, payments and analytics. At Sparkfund, Jayme is responsible for product management of the Commercial offering. He brings his passion for building new products and exciting customer experiences to the company. Prior to Sparkfund, Jayme led products at GE Capital and Element Fleet Management. Jayme holds a BS in Economics and Management from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota. For fun, he spends time with his family, riding his bike and watching soccer.
Jayme Schnedeker
Director, Product Management
Rich Selfridge
Sr. Software Engineer
Rich is an experienced full-stack software engineer who brings a strong mix of web, platform and mobile application development to the team. He couples his software development experience with a background in energy efficiency and renewable energy, previously working with the US Department of Energy, and as a home energy auditor. He has an MS in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology that built on his undergraduate training in Mathematics and Economics at Lafayette College.
Rich Selfridge
Sr. Software Engineer
Tanner Smith
Sr. Director, Business Development
Tanner is a passionate energy tactician responsible for Sparkfund's strategic partners, fulfillment network, and National Account customers. Tanner comes to Sparkfund with an array of expertise on large scale implementations in the commercial lighting market. As V.P. of National Accounts at Maxlite, he leveraged product expertise and specialized in growth within ESCOs and National Account Distributors. Prior to Maxlite, Tanner designed and executed hundreds of lighting projects for various Fortune customers at Pinnacle Solutions. Tanner is a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Sustainability and Urban Planning.
Tanner Smith
VP, Strategy
Brooke Smallwood
AVP, Program Management
Brooke Smallwood joins Sparkfund as the Associate Vice President, Program Management after being tapped to lead the national growth strategy for Utility Programs at AECOM. At AECOM, Brooke helped to start up and implement several utility electric vehicle programs across the eastern US and led efforts to capture large energy, resiliency, and renewable projects. Prior to AECOM, Brooke was a Senior Business Development Manager for WGL’s (Washington Gas) unregulated energy company identifying and managing distributed generation assets for the company’s internal portfolio. In the decade leading up to her work at WGL, Brooke became one of the original architects of the energy efficiency programs in the late 2000’s. She helped to start up the Commercial & Industrial Energy Savings Programs in Washington, DC and Maryland for Pepco and Delmarva Power. As a pioneer in the field, Brooke created new and unique programs which are still in use today. She went on to manage those programs as an Implementer with Lockheed Martin Energy and with the utility as a Senior Program Manager with Exelon. Her efforts in program management and implementation helped to earn accolades and awards for Pepco and Delmarva Power including several Energy Star Partner of the Year (PIY) and PIY Sustained Excellence Awards. Brooke is a nationally recognized speaker on subjects related to energy efficiency, program management and resiliency and has chaired and/or spoken at various conferences like: the ACEEE National Symposium, AEE National Conference, Globalcon, World Energy Engineering Congress National (WEEC) Conference, National Facilities and Management Technologies (NFMT) Conference, and the National Building Commissioning Conference to name a few, and has been honorary member of both AEE and the National Building Commissioning Association. Her degrees are a B.S in Communications and a Master of Science in Management and Technology. In January 2021, she became an Advisory Board Member of the Maryland Clean Energy Center, where she sits on several committees. Though her passion for energy fuels her career, her biggest role in life is as wife and mother of two.
Brooke Smallwood
AVP, Program Management
Hanna Teklit
Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Hanna Teklit is Sr. Director of Product Marketing who, in partnership with Sales and Product, delivers product solutions that address customers’ core needs.
After spending nearly a decade working in Product Marketing and Innovation for multimillion-dollar brands, Hanna has a track record of uncovering customer needs and weaving those needs into product development. She has identified opportunities andlaunched successful products in health care, manufacturing, and professional services. In addition to her extensive marketing experience, Hanna sits on boards of multiple not-for-profit organizations.
Hanna Teklit
Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Dany Uquillas
Sr. Controls Engineer
Dany leads the Controls engineering and operations efforts at Sparkfund. He is a multifaceted Building Controls leader by experience and an Electronics and Computers Hardware Technician by certification. He holds several Controls certifications and is Factory trained in HVAC/Lighting/Security Controls Systems and Electrical Power Monitoring Systems for mission critical facilities. At Sparkfund he is focused on deploying the best Controls solutions for building owners, facility managers and all end users. Controls deployments at Sparkfund is being done with the building operations experience in mind and analysis of the data from the building systems monitoring and controls for the buildings efficiency and optimization opportunities.
Dany began his Controls career as a Specialist with Siemens working with the company’s largest Service division in the nation based in Manhattan, NYC. He worked at client sites managing Service accounts by working with Facility Managers at large corporate buildings, federal agencies and critical facilities such as The NY Times, FBI/CIA offices at The Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building at 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square, Mt. Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side, and Deutsche Bank on Wall St. Dany has led large Controls initiatives for Samsung delivering Controls support to a large Smart Buildings technology team based in 3 different US regions and 2 others at HQ in South Korea for Smart Building Controls deployments in an East Coast pilot program. In his last role he led Controls deployments in Northern Virginia for the largest cloud computing global provider, AWS, supported system infrastructure audit efforts in colocation sites in Frankfurt, Germany and developed legacy site Controls upgrade strategies & deployed Controls at data centers. Dany enjoys working on technology solutions and figuring out the solutions for technical problems. He enjoys mountain sceneries having grown up around it and the feeling of the crisp fresh air in the morning around the mountains. The combination of the love for nature, a curiosity for everything technology and a joy for providing customized solutions for end users connects him with the Building Controls integration to the Mechanical and Electrical infrastructure to help building systems become smarter, more efficient and use cleaner energy.
Dany Uquillas
Sr. Controls Engineer
Michael Wurzbacher
Sr. Director, Product Management
Michael is a driven Project Manager who focuses on removing impediments to achieve customer success. At Sparkfund, Michael is responsible for working with channel partners to implement the Sparkfund Technology Subscription™ and build programmatic rollouts with core customers. Michael joins Sparkfund from Grant Thornton where, as a Senior Associate, he used Agile management practices to facilitate the development of a federal agency financial application that processed $3 billion of annual transactions. He also created a customer support center and managed releases using DevOps practices. Prior to Grant Thornton, he had a two year fellowship with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation where he supported efforts for local business retention, expansion, and relocation. Michael has a MPA from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky.
Michael Wurzbacher
Sr. Director, Product Management
Virginia Wilcox
Software Engineer
Virginia Wilcox
Software Engineer
Board of Directors
Dan Leff
Dan Leff has extensive operating experience building, leading and restructuring global energy services, industrial manufacturing, and technology and software companies. Previously, Dan worked as CEO of Hara Software, COO of Invensys Energy Management, CEO of Enron Energy Services, CEO of FMES and CEO of Pilot Energy. Dan serves as a board member of ServiceChannel, the Trudeau Institute, Point Positive, and on the advisory board of Carter Morse & Mathias. He was previously on the boards of Viridity Energy, Hara Software, Credit Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: CACC), the YMCA Camping Services Council of Greater New York and the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, NY. Dan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York and has four children with his wife Pam of thirty-four years.
Dan Leff
Executive Chairman
Reuben Munger
Reuben Munger founded Vision Ridge Partners in 2008 in order to bring decades of value investing experience to bear on what he saw as the financial opportunities presented by sustainable solutions. A former Managing Director with The Baupost Group, LLC, a leading investment firm with over $25 billion in assets, Reuben has also been a consultant to Texas Pacific Group and an Investment Banker with James D. Wolfensohn, Inc. His passion and expertise in electrified mobility, renewable electricity generation, the built environment and other assets make him a leader in sustainable investing. Reuben is a board member of Securing America’s Future Energy, a founding member of the Executive Committee of the Electrification Coalition, and a member of the League of Conservation Voters board of directors and serves on the boards of numerous private companies. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington and Lee University with a B.A. in Politics and Economics and a B.S. in Business Administration.
Reuben Munger
Managing Partner & Founder, Vision Ridge Partners
Scott Dupcak
Scott Dupcak is the head of Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV), the venture capital investing arm of Exelon Corp. In this role, Scott oversees the CTV investing strategy, the management of the CTV portfolio and the commercialization of new energy technologies within the Exelon commercial platform. Prior to CTV, Scott was part of the Strategic Systems and Business Operations group where he led a team responsible for market data management, IT governance and supporting business process improvement projects, new business/growth initiatives and integration projects. He held several other roles within the Constellation wholesale commercial organization prior to that. Scott earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Scott Dupcak
Managing Director, Constellation Technology Ventures, Exelon Corporation
Lindsay Luger
Lindsay Luger has more than a decade of successful experience as an investor in energy technology companies. As a Vice President of Digital Power Capital and Wexford Capital, Ms. Luger worked on dozens of venture capital and growth equity transactions and has expertise in all key areas necessary for successful technology investing, ranging from deal sourcing, analyzing, due diligence and transaction structuring to portfolio oversight and exits. In addition, Ms. Luger gained operating experience by serving as Vice President of Finance at two portfolio companies. She holds a BA in Psychology from Columbia University (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa).
Lindsay Luger
Partner, Energy Impact Partners
Brandon Hurlbut
Brandon Hurlbut is a co-founder and partner of Boundary Stone Partners. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary Steven Chu at the U.S. DOE, where he managed the Department's principal initiatives and oversaw day-to-day operations of a federal agency with a $29 billion budget and a 115,000-person workforce. Brandon provided leadership and counsel to the White House and Cabinet Secretaries during high-profile challenges including the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, the Gulf oil spill, and Hurricane Sandy. He served on the board for DOE's $38 billion investment fund in clean energy, which is the largest of its kind in the world. He began working in the Obama Administration by serving in the White House as the Deputy Director of Cabinet Affairs, serving as the President's liaison to the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Interior, Energy, and the Environment Protection Agency. He previously served in senior positions on Barack Obama's first presidential campaign and practiced law at Baker & Daniels.
Brandon Hurlbut
Co-Founder, Boundary Stone Partners
Pier LeFarge
Pier LaFarge is an entrepreneur, hunter and fly-fisherman based in Washington, DC. He loves to build and scale human systems and believes fiercely in the power of business model innovation to bring customer-first disruption where it is needed most. At ICF International, he co-founded a new consulting offering that helped corporate & municipal customers procure their building energy systems. Realizing that customers needed something better than their existing options, he quit his job and co-founded Sparkfund in 2013, working alongside major energy providers to change forever how building systems are delivered and managed.
Pier LaFarge
CEO, Sparkfund
Advisors
Sparkfund's Advisory Board includes:
- Tom Amis, Chairman of Amis, Patel & Brewer, Principal & Strategy Lead: Controlled Environment Foods, Equilibrium Capital.
- Kate Brandt, Sustainability Lead at Google
- Richard Graves, Chief Impact Officer & Co-Founder at CleanChoice Energy
- Dan Reicher, Executive Director at Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy
- Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus at Venrock
- Ron Smith, President at Curtis H. Stout