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STAFF DIRECTORY
Staff Directory
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Yesewlik "Leo" Ayalew, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Leo is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of CALSTART. As CFO, he is responsible for overall financial management of the company including human resources, information system technology and contracts.
As CFO, Leo revamped the organization’s financial and administrative management functions by establishing financial and operational procedures, controlling costs, automating systems and maximizing productivity resulting in a stronger financial position.
Leo has also brought an extensive knowledge and experience in government contract compliance, human resources and information system technology.
Prior joining CALSTART, Leo was one of the principals and president of Accounting & Management Consultants, Inc. in Beverly Hills and Westlake Village providing financial and operational consulting services to firms with revenue in excess of $100 million in revenue.
With more than 28 years of extensive experience in financial management, Leo has successfully assisted financially troubled firms helping them identify operational and financial problems and developing and implementing procedures and processes to control costs, negotiate and restructure debt, resulting in financial viable companies. He has also served in various capacities for numerous non-profit organizations on a voluntary basis.
Leo received Bachelor of Administrative Science (BAS) in Accounting from Guilford College, North Carolina. After one year graduate study in public affairs and finance in North Carolina, he married his college sweetheart and moved to California where he received MBA in Finance and Taxation from Golden Gate University.
Leo, who is an endurance cyclist, enjoys road cycling in his spare time. In 2005, he received the Larry Schwartz award medal from Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) in a Year-Rounder Challenge. He completed 1,539 miles in 15 rides of a hundred-miler in that challenge, supported by his lovely wife, Bea.
John Boesel, President and CEO
John Boesel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CALSTART. The public/private nature of CALSTART is reflected in John's background. Upon graduating from the University of California, Davis, in 1982, John worked in the California legislature as a legislative aide to then Assemblyman (now Congressman) Sam Farr. In that position he managed energy and environmental legislation for nearly four years.
He received his MBA from the Haas School at UC Berkeley in 1989. After graduating from business school he worked as a commercial banker in Wells Fargo's Corporate Headquarters building in San Francisco. In 1993 John joined CALSTART as the Vice President of Technology Programs. In 2001 the Board of Directors promoted him to the position of President and CEO.
John serves on the Advisory Board for the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) at Stanford University and is also a board member of the Clean Vehicle Foundation.
Tom Brotherton, Regional Director
Tom is responsible for program management of CALSTART’s US Army contract, Technical Advisory Committee, as well as business development and membership outreach. Tom currently manages technology development projects funded through the US Army's National Automotive Center and the Federal Transit Administration. Tom works from CALSTART's Denver office. Tom was Deputy Director of the Colorado Office of Energy Conservation for 10 years, and was responsible for all technical and engineering projects, analysis of energy policy, and constituency outreach. Program areas included alternative fuels, utility restructuring, demand-side management, residential and commercial building energy conservation, renewable energy, and recycling.
Tom developed the Colorado Alternative Fuels Rebate Program to build demand for advanced alternative fuel vehicles in Colorado. Tom has also taught Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Architecture-Engineering firms. Tom has a BSE in Civil Engineering from Princeton (1982), and a MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder (1986). He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado.
email:
tbrother@calstart.org
Mary Kathryn Campbell, Project Manager, Editor
As a Project Manager and Editor, MK works with the communications and marketing team to educate and conduct outreach to industry, government and other stakeholders in the clean transportation and transit sectors. Until recently, she served as editor of the daily and weekly NewsNotes publications and is responsible for contributing to the quarterly publication, Global Update. She works with the press to promote CALSTART's mission publicly. MK also oversees CALSTART web site's redesign and content.
Prior to joining the distinguished team at CALSTART, MK served as a Co-Director of the Renewable Energy Policy Project, as an Acquisitions Editor for The McGraw-Hill Companies, in Washington, DC, as a Special Projects Editor for The Times Mirror Company and as Database Editor for the Center for Energy & Environmental Management (CEEM) in Fairfax, VA.
She has written for, edited and managed the publication of articles, books, newsletters, and reports covering business management, international standardization, renewable energy and sustainable technology. She holds a Bachelors degree in Creative Writing from George Mason University. MK lives in LA, with her family.
email:
mkcampbell@calstart.org
Patrick Chen, Project Manager
Patrick Chen works on the National Fuel Cell Bus program and assists in the management of CALSTART's Technical Assistance Committee. Prior to joining CALSTART, Patrick researched various fields of alternative energy, including fuel cells, amorous ally hydrogen separation membranes for reformers, and electrochemical analysis for novel Li-ion battery chemistries.
Patrick has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
email:
pchen@calstart.org
Margaret De Guzman, Human Resources/Payroll Officer
Margaret is responsible for processing CALSTART payroll and maintenance of personnel/payroll files. In addition, Margaret is responsible for administrating company benefits such as insurance, dental, COBRA, and other special benefits offered by CALSTART.
She handles wide-ranging interactions with employees in regard to all payroll/insurance inquiries. Margaret's other duties include but are not limited to actual budget reporting, posting, and updating, as well as preparation of quarterly reports. Margaret has extensive years of work experience in administration in legal environments, finance accounting, and secretarial experience. She acquired a degree in Business Administration, H&R Management.
email:
mguzman@calstart.org
Debby DuBose, Event Manager
Debby is responsible for planning the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Conference & Expo, Hybrid Truck Users Forum National Conference, Target 2030 Conference, Blue Sky Awards Luncheon and Webinars. She has over 15 years experience coordinating special events, fundraisers and awareness efforts for non-profit organizations.
Her roles have spanned marketing, cultural affairs promotion and individual and corporate fundraising for the American Heart Association and various Convention & Visitors Bureaus in the U.S. and Canada. Debby holds an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec.
email:
ddubose@calstart.org
Jamie Hall, Policy Director
Jamie is responsible for many of CALSTART’s policy initiatives, including the California Secure Transportation Energy Partnership and other efforts at the state and national level. Jamie arrived at CALSTART in 2008 with a background in energy and environmental policy issues. Immediately prior to joining CALSTART, he was working with Environmental Entrepreneurs on the implementation of California’s landmark climate change legislation. Jamie holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a Bachelors degree in Political Economy from Princeton University.
email:
jhall@calstart.org
Michael Ippoliti, Director Clean Transportation Solutions Group
Michael Ippoliti is the Director of CALSTART’s Clean Transportation Solutions Group (CTSG), the consulting business unit of CALSTART. He leads CALSTART’s work with ports, fleets, and technology developers to improve the environmental performance of their transportation operations and advance clean transportation technology. His mandate is to help grow the clean transportation industry by delivering objective, technology neutral, cost-effective solutions.
Prior to joining CALSTART, Michael was Research Director for Telematics and Automotive at ABI Research, a noted provider of white-paper research and market forecasts in technology. He has also worked as a consultant in new product development and intellectual property research, helping technology start-ups commercialize their innovations.
Michael brings many years of automotive OEM experience, with roles in market research and product planning at Volvo Cars of North America (part of Ford Motor Company) and at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center, where he led projects investigating the future of mobility and automobiles.
He has a Bachelor of Science from Tufts University in Mechanical Engineering and Ergonomics, with advanced work in Engineering Design. After working as a Human Factors Engineer for several years, Michael obtained an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the Industrial Designers Association of America (IDSA).
email:
mippoliti@calstart.org
Deborah Islam, Staff Accountant
Deborah is responsible for budgeting, account coding, monthly/quarterly/year end closing, grant/contracts management, fiscal reporting and other accounting duties at CALSTART. Deborah’s work experience has centered mainly in the non-profit sector.
Her educational background includes a bachelor degree in business administration, an associate in accounting and small business management, computer network management certificates and experience as a computer instructor.
email:
dislam@calstart.org
David Kantor, Project Manager
David manages CALSTART’s Hydrogen Infrastructure Jumpstart Project and Clean Car Maps web site. He also supports CALSTART’s Advanced Energy Storage project and First Mile Program. David has authored reports for CALSTART’s Bus Rapid Transit program and co-organized multiple projects of its hydraulic hybrid pilot demonstrations. David obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and a Master’s of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University, where he studied environmental planning and analyzed brownfield redevelopment policy in the states of New York and New Jersey.
Before coming to CALSTART, David worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff as a planner, where he worked on environmental impact statements and initiated the Green Team project. While in New York, David also served as the co-chair for a grass-roots organization that garnered the passage of the New York City Council’s resolution supporting Fair Trade products and producers, the first of its kind in a major American city.
email:
dkantor@calstart.org
Virginia Ochoa, Office Manager
Virginia Ochoa serves as CALSTART’s office manager. She oversees administrative and facility staff and provides support to program teams as needed.
Before coming to CALSTART, Virginia worked in various administrative roles at UCLA, in the business development office, at DirectTV and HerbaLife in their respective human resources divisions, and at Bank of America in customer service.
email: vochoa@calstart.org
Richard Parish, Senior Program Manager
Richard Parish is a Senior Program Manager in the CALSTART Denver office, responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF). In this role, Richard is responsible for managing the annual HTUF National Conference, operating the HTUF working groups and providing necessary input to CALSTART consulting project activities.
Prior to joining CALSTART in 2006, Richard worked 14 years with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Center for Transportation Technologies and Systems in Golden, Colorado. At NREL, he concentrated on the development, deployment and testing of advanced technology vehicles and alternative fuels. Richard previously worked for NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for 11 years, specializing in the development of thermal control systems for large spacecraft. He has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Colorado.
email:
rparish@calstart.org
Whitney Pitkanen, Project Manager
Whitney manages projects in CALSTART's First Mile Program, which fosters the efficiency of community transportation systems by evaluating and implementing new multi-modal choices that enhance system connectivity. Her work has included the deployment of a variety of demonstration projects including MyGo-Pasadena, a financial incentive program that provides significant rebates and cash rewards to commuters who purchase and use an electric bicycle or electric scooter to connect to local transit stations. Whitney also focuses on small zero or near zero emission vehicles including city class and neighborhood class vehicles. Her current duties focus on the development of the Mobility Industry Group which targets the expansion of the market for alternative mobility options that can effectively compete with the Single Occupancy Vehicle.
Whitney obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C. Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane University Law School, where she received a certificate of specialization in environmental law and was the Notes and Comments Editor of the Environmental Law Journal. While at Tulane, Whitney published several articles on sustainable resource issues, including brownfield/infill redevelopment and sustainable business management. Prior to joining CALSTART, Whitney worked as a legal analyst for the California Department of Justice in the Natural Resources Section, and for the City Attorney of Glendale with regard to water and power issues.
email:
wpitkanen@calstart.org
Susan Romeo, Director, Marketing and Communications
Susan Romeo is the Director of Marketing and Communications for CALSTART. As Director of Marketing and Communications, Susan is responsible for CALSTART’s Clean Transportation Industry Services (CTIS) business unit. CTIS includes media and marketing outreach efforts on behalf of the organization, web site communications, publications, conferences, events, and webinars as well as CALSTART’s member services. In addition, Susan leads CALSTART’s Small Hybrid Bus Working Group, working with bus fleets to purchase small hybrid buses.
Prior to joining CALSTART, Susan was media director at a Los Angeles-based political consulting and public affairs firm where she developed and implemented media strategies for its corporate and political clients. Prior to that, Susan worked in other public affairs firms as a consultant doing media and legislative and issue advocacy.
Susan is a graduate of UCLA, where she received both her A.B. degree and Master of Public Administration degree with a specialty in environmental and urban planning.
email:
sromeo@calstart.org
Melanie Savage, Manager of Member Services
Melanie is responsible for the retention and recruitment of corporate members. She coordinates quarterly Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings, during which promising advanced transportation technologies developed by members are evaluated and validated, essential steps toward advancing the technologies in the marketplace. Most recently, Melanie is now responsible for the NewsNotes publication for members.
Melanie provides additional communication and marketing support to a wide variety of CALSTART programs, including conference and project development. She brings with her a more than 20-year track record of success in marketing and communications that spans print and broadcast journalism, corporate communications, non-profit advocacy and mission-based marketing and communications. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science from California State University, Northridge.
email:
msavage@calstart.org
Fred Silver, Vice President
As Vice President at CALSTART, Fred provides executive oversight on the Low Carbon Bus and Hydrogen Vehicle Programs. He has worked with the Federal Transit Agency for more than twelve years focusing on the commercialization of new bus technologies including Zero Emission Fuel Cell and Battery Buses, Hybrid Vehicles and Advanced Bus Rapid Transit Vehicles. Fred also provides executive oversight on CALSTART's First Mile Program with a focus of encouraging a modal shift to cleaner mobility, especially as it relates to transit connections, as well as fostering the integration of small electric vehicles and bicycles into the low carbon transportation plans for cities and regions.
Fred's past experience includes Business Development for GM Hughes Electronics and Delco Electronics where he worked on advanced propulsions and battery charging systems. His hands on experience include applications such as small electric scooters, and electrically propelled passenger delivery and fleet vehicles, and buses. His global background can provide access to a strong network of potential vehicle, system and component partners around the world.
Fred has a background in power electronics including a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
email:
fsilver@calstart.org
Steven Sokolsky, Project Manager
Steven Sokolsky is a Project Manager in CALSTART’s Clean Transportation Solutions Group (CTSG). In this position, he manages projects that assist fleet operators and others develop and implement clean vehicle programs. For example, he is leading an effort to demonstrate and test hybrid terminal tractors in port applications. Steve is also helping clients identify opportunities to add a transportation component to their biomethane production facilities.
His other responsibilities include leading HTUF’s Commercial Construction Equipment Users Forum (CCEUF) that is aiming initiative to increase the efficiency of construction equipment, and directing vehicle retrofit and replacement activities for California airports. Prior to joining CALSTART, Steve developed natural gas vehicle infrastructure specifications and assisted airports in the deployment of alternative fuels programs while employed by Bevilacqua-Knight, Inc., Resource Dynamics Corp., and the California Energy Commission. He has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from California State University Sacramento.
email:
ssokolsky@calstart.org
Dr. Jasna Tomić, Fuels Program Manager
Jasna leads projects and studies in two main areas: use of alternative fuels (e.g. biofuels, electricity) in transportation, and Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), bringing hybrid trucks to the marketplace. She is investigating the best opportunities for alternative fuels in transportation sector, with particular emphasis on the use of alternative fuels in the heavy-duty sector. Within HTUF, she led the largest deployment and field testing of twenty-four pre-production hybrid trucks. She is also investigating the best pathways and uses for plug-in and electric vehicles. Jasna’s expertise includes research in vehicles-to-grid power (V2G) – innovative use of electric-drive vehicles for transportation and power generation.
She holds a Ph.D. in Fuel Science from Pennsylvania State University and has over 15 years of experience working in the field of energy and fuels.
Jasna previously held positions as Research Scientist at University of Delaware, Princeton University, and French Institute of Petroleum. She has published extensively on energy conversion processes as well as use of electric-drive vehicles.
email:
jtomic@calstart.org
Bill Van Amburg, Senior Vice President
Bill leads major programs and oversees teams in five program areas: heavy hybrids; new fuels; technology commercialization; fleet analysis and consulting; and industry services. A key role is with the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), a national program to speed the commercialization of heavy-duty hybrid trucks, operated in a partnership with the U.S. Armyís National Automotive Center (NAC).
Bill brings more than 30 years of experience in marketing and market development, technology commercialization, communications and environmental markets, including emission credit trading. He has a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, a certificate in Brand Management from the Stanford Alumni Association, and is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Prior to joining CALSTART in 1993 he was an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist covering science, technology and the environment.
email:
bvanamburg@calstart.org
Dr. Lawrence Wnuk, Senior Director
Dr. Wnuk manages hydrogen program activities including the Federal Transit Administration’s National Fuel Cell Bus Program and hydrogen internal combustion engines in transit. He has performed studies for transit-enhancing services such as FTA Bus Rapid Transit Program including a Vehicle Demand and Supply Analysis of buses for U.S. BRT Communities. Dr. Wnuk has been involved with Alternative Fuel Vehicle development and infrastructure for the past fifteen years. He has worked at General Motors Advanced Technology Vehicles in Torrance, California, forging strategic alliances, capturing funds and leading the development and the demonstration of advanced propulsion and charging technologies for electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Programs culminated in successful product demonstrations in Europe and in the US for various bus manufacturers and other customers.
Prior to GMATV, Dr. Wnuk worked at Hughes Electronics where he managed programs involving analog and digital control systems, spread spectrum RF systems, electro-optical and laser systems. Lawrence holds a BS, an MS and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California Los Angeles. He is a board member of the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, producing and volunteering in monthly programs at Caltech that encourage the growth and success of technology-based entrepreneurial ventures in Southern California.
email:
lwnuk@calstart.org