Speakers

Meet the leaders shaping energy’s future.

Energize Long Island is built around the pooled expertise of the industry’s most compelling authorities. Speakers and presenters will share their vision of a sustainable future, discuss proven practices, and explore next steps in Long Island’s advancing clean energy commitment.

Daniel Audette

Wendel

PE, CEM Senior Engineer/PM

Bob Boerner

PSEG Long Island

Mgr. Renewable Programs

Michael Cervini

Farmingdale State College

PE, LEED AP Energy Manager

Louisa Chan

LIPA

Clean Energy Program Manager

Jean-Pierre Clejan

GreenLogic LLC

Technology Executive

Louis DeBrino

PSEG Long Island

Vice President, Customer Operations

Gary DeFelice

PSEG Long Island

Lead Customer Operations Analyst

Paul DiBenedetto

PSEG Long Island

EV Program Manager

John Franceschina

PSEG Long Island

PE, Program Director, Energy Efficiency Demand Response Programs

Carrie Meek Gallagher

New York State Department of Public Service

Director, Long Island Office

Mark J. Jozefowski

Air Flow Improvement, Inc.

Managing Director

Tom Kacandes

VEIC

Senior Consultant

Mohammad Khan

PSEG Long Island

Sr. Business Management Associate

Brian Kurtz

PSEG Long Island

Special Projects & U2.0 PMO

Brian Levite

Long Island Power Authority

Director of Clean Energy

Mark Lorentzen

TRC

Senior VP Distributed Energy

Saqib Madni

PSEG Long Island

Fleet Advisory Services Lead

Tara McDermott

EmPower Solar

Dir. of Customer Experience & Stakeholder Relations

Rich Pandolfi

PGI Geothermal

Principal

John Raguso

Alta Lighting Services Group

Manager

John Rhodes

Long Island Power Authority

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Billii Roberti

Green Choices Consulting

President & CEO

August Ruckdeschel

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

Clean Energy Coordinator

Jessica Torsiello

PSEG Long Island

EV Lead Program Analyst

Michael Voltz

PSEG Long Island

PE, Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewables

Steven Wagner

NYSERDA

Senior Project Manager, Single Family Residential

Rick Wertheim

United Way Long Island

Sr. VP, Housing Development

Tel: (516) 320-9225 • Email: [email protected]

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Daniel Audette
Wendel
PE, CEM Senior Engineer/PM

Dan is a senior engineer/project manager at Wendel. He has over 14 years of analyzing building data to develop long-term energy strategies for commercial, governmental, and industrial buildings. Dan has specialized in assisting building owners with developing and implementing campus-wide energy reduction and decarbonization projects, as well as obtaining funding in the form of energy tax incentives, federal grants and utility incentives. 

He is the co-author of numerous articles related to strategies for the building and energy industry, published in Building Operating Management, UNIT Magazine, Green Lodging News, International Parking Institute, Corporate Business Taxation Monthly, and Thomson Reuters. He has presented on energy efficiency programs throughout the country to hundreds of corporations, architectural firms, engineering firms, accounting firms, as well as at numerous national educational events.

Bob Boerner
PSEG Long Island
Mgr. Renewable Programs

Bob is responsible for managing the implementation of PSEG Long Island’s Dynamic Load Management Tariff Program, which includes direct load control (aka smart thermostats) and demand response, home energy management, behind the meter solar PV, and NY SUN Energy Storage Incentive Program. He has a BS in Business, Management, and Economics and MA in Business and Policy Studies from SUNY Empire State University.

Michael Cervini
Farmingdale State College
PE, LEED AP Energy Manager

Mike is SUNY Farmingdale State College’s energy manager. Since joining SUNY Farmingdale in 2022 with over five years of design and project management experience, Mike has driven the development of numerous campus initiatives, including developing the campus’s Clean Energy Master Plan, improving efficiency of the campus’s lighting, insulation, water usage, and heating/cooling systems and utility distribution systems, restoring existing campus renewable energy generation systems, expanding the campus’s EV and submetering programs, and developing numerous energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to various development stages. 

Luisa Chan
LIPA
Clean Energy Program Manager

Louisa is LIPA’s Clean Energy Program Manager. In this role, she works to align clean energy programs with New York’s statewide clean energy goals in energy efficiency, electric vehicle charging and heat pump adoption. Prior to joining LIPA, Louisa worked at Consolidated Edison on their Electric Vehicle Make Ready Program and regulatory proceedings related to heat pumps. Louisa has 15 years of experience in the clean energy industry in varied roles in utilities, consulting, and public sector. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from Syracuse University.

Jean-Pierre Clejan
GreenLogic LLC
Technology Executive

Jean-Pierre is a renewable energy subject matter expert, specializing in solar electricity and heat pump systems for residential and commercial buildings which minimize energy bills, carbon footprint and exposure to future rate increases. With certifications from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP PV Installation Professional) and the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA Geothermal Installer), he is well versed in the best-practices use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in new construction, major renovation and retrofit projects.

Jean-Pierre delivers accredited programs to design professionals seeking his technological expertise to guide their clients towards sustainable construction projects. Jean-Pierre enjoys working with architects, engineers and LEED professionals in developing zero energy or near-zero energy buildings – many of these are showcased as case studies in his accredited programs. Jean-Pierre received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Applied Science degree from Caltech, currently serves as Technology Executive for LI-based solar integrator GreenLogic Energy, and is one of DPC Continuing Education’s original speakers (with multiple accredited programs available on-demand).

Louis DeBrino
PSEG Long Island
Vice President, Customer Operations

Lou has worked for PSEG Long Island since its inception in January 2014, where he currently holds the position of Vice President, Customer Operations. In this role, he oversees the Company’s Meter to Cash processes, Customer Contact, Utility Marketing and Sales, Key Accounts and Economic Development areas, driving the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to advance business objectives and enhance the overall customer experience. Lou provides leadership for strategic and business planning, monitoring/conducting industry research to understand emerging market trends and customer preferences, to support the development of programs/services and adoption of new technologies for improving overall customer satisfaction. Lou is also responsible for Energy Efficiency/Renewables efforts, providing oversight and advocacy for the Company’s aggressive energy conservation and sustainability initiatives, including distributed energy resource and transportation strategies to align with the goals and objectives of the Long Island Power Authority and New York State.

He holds a Master of Business Administration degree, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, both from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He currently serves as a board member for the American Red Cross.

Gary DeFelice
PSEG Long Island
Lead Customer Operations Analyst

Gary has over 30 years’ experience in the service delivery industry with various leadership roles in operations, engineering and project management.

Paul DiBenedetto
PSEG Long Island
EV Program Manager

Paul is the electric vehicle program manager at PSEG Long Island. His background is in general engineering, with a focus on alternative energy & power generation, and a minor in energy engineering, which he received at Penn State University in 2016. He is a certified energy manager, which he received from AEE, and is pursuing an MBA in innovation at Stony Brook University.

Paul has been with PSEG Long Island for over eight years, starting in the Power Markets group, to determine the impact of utility-scale generation and renewables on the power supply charges. He later went on to energy efficiency, where he worked on non-wire alternatives, and led the Utility 2.0 filing to assist with the proposal of innovative initiatives such as public charging stations, smart electric panels, and more. Eventually, Paul took over the Transportation Electrification team where he currently manages over five programs including EV Make Ready, Fleet Make Ready, DCFC Incentive, Residential Charger Rebate, and Fleet Advisory Services. 

John Franceschina
PSEG Long Island
PE, Program Director • Energy Efficiency Demand Response Programs

John is the Director for TRC’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Response programs serving PSEG Long Island. These programs provide energy efficiency rebates and incentives for PSEG Long Island’s 1.1 million commercial and residential customers. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading his team to achieve over 600,000 MMBtus of energy savings annually.

John serves as the Vice Chair of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Long Island chapter, which is committed to promoting sustainable practices on Long Island through advocacy, education, and outreach to local municipalities, residents, and building industry professionals. He also serves on the board of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society’s board of directors.

John holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College, an M.B.A. in Banking and Finance from Dowling College, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York State.

Carrie Meek Gallagher
New York State Department of Public Service
Director, Long Island Office

Carrie has 25 years of experience in government leadership roles in NYS and on Long Island, including Incident Commander of the NYS COVID Test Site at Stony Brook, Regional Director of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on Long Island, Chief Sustainability Officer for the Suffolk County Water Authority, Commissioner of Environment and Energy for Suffolk County, and most recently serving as Deputy Secretary for Energy & Environment in the Governor’s Office, before returning back to her family on Long Island to assume leadership of the NYS Public Service Commission Long Island Office.

In her current role, Carrie and her regional staff provide increased regulatory oversight of LIPA and PSEG Long Island, and ensure fair and reasonable electric rates for ratepayers, while also safeguarding access to secure, resilient, reliable, and sustainable electric, gas, water, cable and telecommunications services in the region. The office also facilitates development of the clean energy infrastructure in the region necessary to implement the NYS Climate Act. While not busy working to secure a more sustainable future for the region and state, Carrie enjoys yoga, running with gal pals, nature walks, and cocktails over sunset at West Meadow Beach.

Mark J. Jozefowski
Air Flow Improvement, Inc.
Managing Director

Mark is the Managing Partner of Air Flow Improvement (AFI) located on Long Island servicing the tri-state area.

As an ESCO and Facility Management Service Company, AFI brings products and services to the marketplace that reduce energy consumption in the HVAC usage that results in the saving of dollars and in extending the life of the mechanical assets for owners and building managers.  AFI works with PSEG LI on proving and documenting energy savings with their products and services that culminate in rebate programs from PSEG offered to their customers to implement and invest in their facilities.

Tom Kacandes
VEIC
Senior Consultant

Tom is a senior consultant for the VEIC.org, a national not-for-profit with the mission of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. VEIC administers several energy efficiency programs and acts as energy and GHG-reduction consultant to a wide variety of states, federal agencies, national not-for-profits, foundation and private business clients, conducting research on emerging technologies, efficient mechanical systems such as HVAC and refrigeration, and elevating best practice in all areas.

Tom co-leads VEIC’s Refrigerant Management practice, including projects for NYSERDA’s NextGEN HVAC research, California’s CalNEXT emerging technologies program, and serves on US DOE’s Future of Refrigerants R&D road mapping work groups. He advises the Long Island Power Authority, and is privileged to contribute ideas to PSEG Long Island’s heat pump programs. Tom also works across NYS helping to deliver NYSERDA’s Strategic Energy Management program, which assists manufacturers, grocery and food businesses, large commercial and institutional sites in reducing cost, primarily through low- and no-cost measures.

Mohammad Khan
PSEG Long Island
Sr. Business Management Associate

Mohammad is a senior business management associate with PSEG Long Island, with a degree in mechanical engineering from NYIT. He advises clients on transitioning from fossil fuels to electric vehicles, promoting cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions.

Brian Kurtz
PSEG Long Island
Special Projects & U2.0 PMO

Brian is responsible for the planning, initiating, executing, monitoring and reporting for high-impact, cross functional matrix projects. Brian has over 25 years’ experience in project management, including leading teams for special projects & U2.0 PMO, customer satisfaction, customer intelligence, energy efficiency & renewables, finance as well as land use planning, forestry, and wildland fire management. He holds an Executive MBA from Hofstra University, a bachelor of science from Emory University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Brian has been interviewed in industry publications and his projects have been recognized with awards from EnergyStar, Chartwell, SECC, and CS Week.

Brian Levite
Long Island Power Authority
Director of Clean Energy

Brian is the Director of Clean Energy for the Long Island Power Authority. He oversees program strategy for energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation electrification, and energy storage. He has 25 years of experience in the energy industry focusing on clean energy, market transformation, and energy resilience. He has worked with the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, state and local governments, electric utilities, and major corporations, to design and implement energy programs.

In the private sector, Brian has been a microgrid developer and a regulatory affairs director for a distribution grid equipment manufacturer. He is the author of two books on energy resilience planning, including Energy Resilient Buildings and Communities: A Practical Guide and Powering Through: Energy Resilience Planning from Grid to Government. Mr. Levite is a Certified Energy Manager and holds a master’s degree in public policy from The American University.

Mark Lorentzen
TRC
Senior VP Distributed Energy

Mark, a senior vice president at TRC, has over 25 years of experience in clean energy innovation and commercialization. He serves as the national lead for TRC’s Distributed Energy Resources team, a team that has developed and manages large scale DER projects and programs across the nation, including multiple “first of their kind”  energy transition projects. He has served as the executive in charge for multiple large-scale utility-owned energy storage projects, including Eversource’s BESS located in Cape Cod and NYPA’s BESS located in upstate New York State. He has also led the development of virtual power plant program in CA, mobile storage pilot for EV charging in Oklahoma, and successful microgrid programs in Connecticut.

Saqib Madni
PSEG Long Island
Fleet Advisory Services Lead

Saqib is the fleet advisory services lead at PSEG Long Island, with a background in business management and a minor in law, which he received at SUNY Farmingdale State. Saqib helps fleets transition to clean and sustainable options.

Tara McDermott
EmPower Solar
Director of Customer Experience & Stakeholder Relations

With over a decade of dedicated service at EmPower Solar, Tara is an employee-owner and a key member of EmPower Solar’s executive committee. Tara brings a unique blend of deep subject matter expertise and an unwavering passion for clean energy to her role leading EmPower Solar’s client and stakeholder relations. Tara also represents EmPower Solar as the chair of the Long Island Solar & Storage Alliance, where she is the government liaison for policy issues related to solar and energy storage.

As a lifelong Long Islander, Tara is a SUNY Stony Brook alumni and earned her MPA at CUNY Baruch, both with a focus on environmental studies. She participated in “Semester at Sea” and was a fellow of the U.S. Climate Change Professional Fellows Program, Australia cohort.

Rich Pandolfi
PGI Geothermal
Principal

Rich has been President/CEO of a number of high-tech companies, many related to the design, development and manufacture of complex electronic systems for military applications. He turned his attention to renewable energy with emphasis on Geothermal Heat Pump HVAC systems to combat climate change and reduce dependency on fossil-fuels.

Rich formed PGI Geothermal Corp. in 2004, specializing in the design and installation of residential and commercial geothermal HVAC systems. PGI has completed hundreds of best-in-class geothermal and air source heat pump HVAC implementations for ecstatic Long Island clients. Rich has also delivered geothermal training to professional groups, resulting in award-winning architect projects with integrated PGI Geothermal HVAC.

John Raguso
Alta Lighting Services Group
Manager

John is the Manager of Alta Lighting Solutions, based in Ronkonkoma, NY. Alta Lighting Solutions is a division of Alta Material Handling, which in turn is part of the Alta Equipment Company, a $1.75B national corporation that services the industrial sector in 85 locations throughout the Northeast, Midwest, Florida and Canada. Alta specializes in providing turnkey warehouse solutions for a number of critical business needs, including commercial and industrial lighting, material handling equipment, dock and doors, sweepers and scrubbers, aerial lifts, electric vehicles, construction equipment and more. 

John received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Fordham University, an MBA in marketing from the Baruch College of Business, CUNY, and was an adjunct professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, while working as a VP of Marketing for Manufacturers Hanover Bank in NYC. Since then, Mr. Raguso has been a veteran of various Long Island lighting rebate programs since their inception back in 2005, has managed over 3,000 lighting projects in that time period, and has won a total of 16 “best contractor” awards over the past 20 years.

John Rhodes
Long Island Power Authority
Acting Chief Executive Officer

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, John Rhodes was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Long Island Power Authority by its Board of Trustees. John brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. He is a true public servant, having been a trusted voice on clean energy reforms to both President Biden and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. John comes to LIPA from the New York Department of Public Service (DPS), where he was Chief Program Officer, charged with overseeing New York’s ratepayer-funded programs for clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy affordability at New York agencies and utilities.

Before that, John was Special Assistant to the President in the Biden Administration’s Climate Policy Office, where he worked to advance the deployment of clean energy, transmission, and building and vehicle electrification solutions. He also served as Chair of New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) and CEO of its Department of Public Service; President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); and Director of the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

John currently teaches classes on energy policy at the Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs and at the Yale School of the Environment. He received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Management.

Billii Roberti
Green Choices Consulting
President & CEO

Billii, the founder & president of Green Choices Consulting, is an International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) Accredited Installer, with 12 years’ experience in geothermal and air source heat pumps and solar photovoltaics (PV). She is a founding member of the New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO) and works with homeowners, commercial realtor trade associations, the Renewable Heat Now Campaign, NYSERDA, local governments, state legislators, and the public.

Billii has written for Renewable Energy World on the combination of solar and geothermal heat pumps. She has also been an appointee to Town of Huntington Advisory Committee on energy efficiency, renewables and sustainability since 2011, and is a member of the town’s Climate Smart Community Task Force. She has a background in the scientific method and holds a BA in psychology.

August Ruckdeschel
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
Clean Energy Coordinator

August is the Clean Energy Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, which is a part of the Long Island Clean Energy Hub. August is a former Long Island vegetable farmer with a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Colorado in Boulder. August worked in the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning for ten years as the Farmland and Open Space Coordinator and as the Economic Development Specialist for the Agriculture & Marine industries. For five years, August also taught a masters-level class entitled Food Policy and Health Outcomes in the United States at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

Jessica Torsiello
PSEG Long Island
EV Lead Program Analyst

Jessica has over 15 years of experience in energy efficiency and renewable energy. She has specialized in program management, developing and marketing non-wire alternative programs and, more recently, programs that incentivize the build out of EV charging infrastructure. In her current role, Jessica implements and manages PSEG Long Island’s Electric Vehicle Make Ready program, and is involved in the Utility 2.0 filing, which outlines future renewable and efficiency programs that will help Long Island meet the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) goals.

Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from Siena College.  She also serves on the leadership board for the G.R.E.E.N. EBRG, supporting PSEG Long Island employees and the local community, and was appointed as the marketing lead for the G.R.E.E.N. EBRG at the enterprise level for PSE&G.

Jessica’s background highlights her deep commitment to energy efficiency, rooted in her upbringing and developed throughout her professional career.  In her free time, Jessica enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family and living life to the fullest!

Michael Voltz
PSEG Long Island
PE, Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewables

Michael is the Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables for PSEG Long Island. He is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating energy efficiency and renewable programs, and the preparation of a Utility 2.0 Plan, with the goal to achieve state policy objectives contained in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (“CLCPA”). Such programs include efficiency, advanced meters, battery storage, electric vehicles, and renewable solutions.  He is responsible for a $90 million annual budget for energy efficiency and demand response, plus another $20 million per year for electric vehicle programs.

Prior to his current role, Michael was a director at LIPA and at Central Hudson Gas & Electric where he had worked for 30 years in power generation, customer services, energy efficiency and regulatory affairs. In his current role, Michael works closely with the Department of Public Service and LIPA to achieve state policy objectives. Michael also serves on the board of directors for the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA-LI) and the Boy Scouts of America, Theodore Roosevelt Council.

Michael graduated from Farmingdale State College and then went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master’s in Business from Union College. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York State. 

Steve Wagner
NYSERDA
Senior Project Manager, Single Family Residential

Steve is a member of the NYSERDA Single Family Residential team and manages the Residential Energy Assessment (REA) Program which provides free energy assessments to all market rate homeowners of one to four family homes in NY State.  Steve also manages the Remote/Virtual Energy Audit Pilot with six vendors participating over the past two+ years.  The goal of the pilot is to establish a standardized remote/virtual energy audit and customer engagement approach which can be used to rapidly scale delivery of energy audits and improve the customer engagement process to put homeowners on a path to a clean energy future. Prior to working at NYSERDA Steve worked for CSG, CLEAResult, and TRC, managing different aspects of the PSEG LI HPwES Program.

Rick Wertheim
United Way Long Island
Sr. VP, Housing Development

Rick is the senior vice president for housing development, sustainability & training at United Way of Long Island. He oversees the Green / High Performance Construction, Energy Retrofit, and Workforce Development training programs the organization offers to the region. He is a graduate architect, CAPS, BPI and RESNET trained professional, construction manager and builder/developer.  He has developed/renovated over 150 homes following the Zero Energy Ready Homes Program, Indoor Air Plus and Watersense standards, as well as Universal Design and Healthy Homes principles.