Director of Workforce Development

ARKANSAS ADVANCED ENERGY FOUNDATION

April is an Arkansas native with over 20 years of experience in the sustainability and advanced energy industry. April designed her own major at Hendrix College in Environmental Education, founded Arkansas Earth Day Foundation among other non-profit leadership, provided over 500 educational presentations to local and national groups, and grew Entegrity, a Little Rock based energy and sustainability consulting and development firm, from two to 130 employees with 9 offices.

PETIT JEAN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David is the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at the Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, leading state and federal policy initiatives and overseeing the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement advocacy program. Since joining in 2018, he has expanded advocacy efforts and played a key role in re-establishing the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Advisory Council in 2021.
He serves on multiple state councils focused on dementia and chronic disease policy. David and his wife, Amanda, live in Shirley, Arkansas, where he serves as a city councilman. A 2002 Harding University graduate, he is currently pursuing a Master of Public Service at The Clinton School of Public Service.

Senior Manager

BUSINESS LEADERS UNITED, NATIONAL SKILLS COALITION

Jeran Culina is the Senior Manager of Business Leaders United (BLU). Jeran manages the implementation of engaging and expanding the BLU network and focuses largely on supporting the BLU network in state policy and advocacy. Before joining National Skills Coalition, Jeran worked nationally at Advance CTE and before that in her home state of Michigan working as a liaison between business and education to create policy agendas in everything from cradle to career. Jeran has a Master of Educational Leadership Michigan State University and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary of Social Sciences from SUNY Buffalo.

Director of Renewable Development

INVENERGY

National Apprenticeship Director

APPRENTICELY

Attorney

PULASKI COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Vice President of Energy, Air and IT, Senior Research Scientist

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOUTHCENTRAL ONSITE ENERGY TAP, HOUSTON ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER

·      Dr. Carlos Gamarra also serves as the Director of the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Southcentral Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) where he leads a team promoting the deployment of onsite clean energy technologies in five states across the US. Dr. Gamarra began his career designing, constructing, and commissioning industrial plants, power lines, and renewable power plants. His experience as an Assistant Professor at the University of Burgos increased his interest in research. Before switching to the research field, he worked as an energy engineer in optimizing industrial and commercial facilities. He joined HARC in 2017, and his research explores the intersection of energy efficiency, distributed generation, community and industrial microgrids, district energy systems, artificial intelligence, energy planning processes and tools, and clean software development. Since 2019, he has served as the principal investigator on three separate DOE-funded projects.

Mayor

CITY OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Chief of Staff

ARKANSAS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Director

OFFICE OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Director of Community Impact and Allied Partnerships

BUILDING PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATION

Executive Director

SOUTHERN RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION (SREA)

Simon Mahan is the Executive Director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association, a nonprofit trade association focused on promoting clean energy in the south. He has run the organization for over ten years, and mostly focuses on integrated resource planning processes, and transmission planning. For over twenty years, Simon has worked in the not-for-profit space on local, state, regional and federal advocacy efforts. He and his family reside in Little Rock, Ark.

Executive Director

ARKANSAS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Mr. Michael Marchand has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of finance.  For thirteen years prior to joining Staff, he worked in the investment banking industry, predominantly as an institutional trader and equity analyst, where he was registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and held Series 7, 55, and 63 securities licenses.  Mr. Marchand joined the Commission’s General Staff in February 2011 as a Financial Analyst in the Financial Analysis section.  In July 2014 he was promoted to the position of Senior Analyst in the Commission’s Research and Policy Section.  While in that position he was appointed to the National Association of Regulatory and Utility Commissioners (“NARUC”) Subcommittee on Electricity and elected as a Segment 9 voting member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.  He currently serves on the NARUC Subcommittee on Executive Management.

Owner

SUNCROP SOLAR AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Program Officer

CONNECTED GRID INITIATIVE, A PROJECT OF MULTIPLIER

State Director

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY - ARKANSAS

For the past 8 years, Ryan Norris is the State Director of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) – Arkansas, a non-partisan, non-profit policy organization committed to breaking down barriers that hinder individuals from achieving their American Dream. He currently serves on the AFP Energy Policy Steering Committee, helping to shape policy that emphasizes reliable and affordable energy to be advocated by AFP. He has also completed “THE BASICS” Practical Regulatory Training for the Electric Industry through the Center for Public Utilities at New Mexico State University – College of Business, a program that provides foundational training in utility regulation and policy.

Lead for Energy Market Development & Policy, U.S. Southeast

GOOGLE

Katie Ottenweller is responsible for the development of cutting-edge partnerships, market reform and policy frameworks designed to accelerate the decarbonization of electricity systems to support Google's community investment and operations in the Southeast United States. Her work has helped make Google’s data centers the cleanest and most efficient industrial fleet in the world and develop the company’s initiatives to lower barriers to an equitable clean energy transition. Prior to Google, Katie focused on equitable decarbonization as the Southeast Policy Director at the Energy Foundation, where she supported grantees across a 13-state region. She has also held positions at Vote Solar and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Director of Utility Partnerships

WALMART

As part of Walmart’s utilities team, Perry is actively involved in helping Walmart meet its energy goals by testifying before state regulatory utility commissions on initiatives that prioritize affordability, reliability, and clean energy, ultimately benefiting the communities Walmart serves. She received from the University of Florida her law degree in 1999 and a L.L.M. in Taxation in 2000. She also completed a B.A. in Criminology and a B.A. in Psychology at the University of South Florida. Prior to joining Walmart, Perry represented Walmart as outside counsel in general rate cases and renewable energy dockets before utility Commissions in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Vice President of Specials Projects and Marketing

SEAL SOLAR

Professor of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Dr. Michael Popp has research interests in the areas of farm and agribusiness management with an emphasis on alternative production practices and related implications for returns, risk and environment. He has published numerous research publications on best management practices for both row-crop and livestock production, developed web-based producer decision aids and conducted analyses regarding feasibility of alternative fuels.

Sustainability Program Manager

SOUTHERN BANCORP

Wesley Prewett is a Sustainability Program Manager at Southern Bancorp, one of the county’s oldest and largest Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). In this role, he specializes in connecting rural and underserved communities with capital for clean energy projects that lower utility costs for business owners and create jobs. Wesley attended the University of Arkansas and has a Masters degree from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

Officer and Senior Vice President for External Affairs

SOUTHWEST POWER POOL

o   Mike Ross serves as an officer and Senior Vice President for External Affairs at Southwest Power Pool (SPP).  As a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission designated regional transmission organization, SPP manages the electric grid for all or part of 14 states, and ensures reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices.
His responsibilities include leading SPP’s government affairs at the federal level and the 14-state region it serves; and has responsibility for external affairs for the company. Before joining SPP, Mike served six terms (2001-2013) in the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District, including as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Additionally, Mike previously spent 10 years (1991-2001) in the Arkansas State Senate, owned a pharmacy and home medical equipment business and was a licensed independent insurance agent. 

President

BRENT STEVENSON ASSOCIATES

CEO

THE STITT GROUP

o   David Stitt is President & Chief Executive Officer for The Stitt Group & Stitt Solar in Rogers, Arkansas. The Stitt Group is a collaborative design / build firm specializing in the production of high-performance homes with projects in 18 states. Stitt Solar provides turnkey solar solutions to residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout the Midwest.  David has worked in the energy & construction industry for over 30 years, which included 7 years as a softwood lumber trader. Stitt has a BA in Economics from Iowa State University, has earned the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation by the National Association of Home Builders, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ozark Natural Science Center (ONSC) and Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA), a trade group dedicated to growing Arkansas's economy through expanded utilization of advanced energy technologies, and serves as secretary for the Larson Foundation.

Executive Director

ARKANSAS WORKFORCE CONNECTIONS

Senior Policy Manager

Arkansas Department of Energy