Brent Alderfer is CEO and co-founder of the Company, and is responsible for overall strategic direction, executive management and operations.  Alderfer also directs corporate capital, finance and legal, and heads up the Marketing Division.

Alderfer served as a former Colorado Public Utility Commissioner and is well known in the renewable energy industry for his leadership in markets for new and renewable energy technologies, and brings that regulatory and policy expertise to the executive management team.  Prior to co-founding the Company Alderfer was a principal in the consulting firm of Competitive Utility Strategies, advising on renewable and distributed renewable generation projects in both regulated and competitive markets.  In that role, Alderfer consulted to the U.S. Department of Energy in 1999 on utility interconnection policy for renewable and distributed generation.  As a Commissioner from 1996 to early 1999, Alderfer chaired the Energy Resources Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, where he led several initiatives on opening competitive electric markets, specifically directed to marketing clean and renewable electric supply.  An electrical engineer and a lawyer, Alderfer headed a general commercial law practice for fifteen years representing development stage companies through start up and public offering.  Alderfer holds an electrical engineering degree from Northeastern University and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Eric Blank is an Executive Vice President and co-founder of CEI, and shares responsibility for overall strategic direction and executive management.  He oversees project development, including project finance, project timelines and criteria, construction management, equity structures (passive tax equity), and construction.  Under an executive employment agreement, Blank served as an executive vice president leading US wind development for Iberdrola, overseeing the development to construction of 700 MW of wind energy, including, but not limited to, the build out of the CEI pipeline.   Blank led CEI’s wind development efforts from inception.  

Before CEI, Blank served as the Director of the Energy Project of the Land and Water Fund, where he helped pioneer the field of wind energy marketing, launching one of the first, and most successful, wind energy marketing programs in the country in partnership with several Colorado utilities.    Prior to that experience, Blank spent six years providing economic consulting and legal support primarily to independent power producers and energy project developers.   With over twenty-five years experience in the electric utility industry, Blank holds a Master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from Yale Law School.  Blank has widely published on electric utility issues in a variety of trade and law journals and presented at numerous regional and national forums. 

Brent Beerley is Executive Vice President and part of the Executive Management team that sets strategic direction and directs implementation. Beerley directly manages origination and public policy efforts. Beerley has eleven years of experience in the renewable energy industry in project off-take contracts and development. Beerley was part of the original management team that built CEI prior to the sale to Iberdrola Renewables in 2006. At Iberdrola, he led off-take and origination efforts as a Managing Director until 2009. Beerley has led the negotiation and execution of over 600 MW of long-term renewable energy supply agreements with utilities, wholesale power marketers, and banks.

Prior to CEI, Beerley worked for the Federal Energy Department’s Distributed Energy and Wind Energy programs. Beerley received a B.S. in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University.

Tom Tuffey is Vice President, Project Services. Dr. Tuffey leads energy development services including regulatory policy, company strategy, and capital formation.

He has 40 years of experience in energy and environment, and served as Executive Vice President of a 3000 person global environmental engineering company. Dr. Tuffey has his PhD in Environmental Sciences, is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business Advanced Management Program, and served on the faculty of Rutgers University in the Water Resources Research Institute and the Bureau of Engineering Research. He has also worked in venture capital, publishing, and management consulting. More recently, he served as Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Fund and as Director of the Center for Energy, Enterprise and the Environment. He has served on a dozen company Boards and received honors throughout his career including the award by the US Department of Energy as the Wind Advocate of the Year 2009-East Coast. He is a founding member of the Middle Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition and served on the Executive Committee of the Clean Energy States Alliance.

Gary is the former Renewable Power Manager for Conectiv Energy, the merchant generation subsidiary recently sold to Calpine by Pepco Holdings.  Gary has been in the electric power markets for 11 years at Conectiv, and has served in a variety of roles on Conectiv’s Power Origination team, including wholesale load-serving RFP responses, deal pricing, municipal contract management, State regulatory initiatives, and renewable power portfolio management.  Gary also managed wholesale municipal customers for Conectiv, and administered Conectiv’s New Jersey wholesale load bid process. He was recognized as the subject expert at Conectiv for renewable regulations and markets.  Gary was responsible for creating and managing Conectiv’s profitable renewable portfolio and is widely recognized for his expertise in the renewable power markets. Gary previously worked for 14 years at CoreStates Bank, NA and First Pennsylvania Bank in a variety of roles including accounting management and VP in the Treasury group responsible for the internal transfer pricing administration for the bank’s asset and liability products.  Gary has a B.S. in Accounting from the University Of Delaware, and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University. 

Jay Carlis is Vice President, Retail Division and is responsible for managing day-to-day operations for CEI’s Retail Division reporting to the CEO.  This includes maintenance and growth of Mass Market Green Power sales through 18 utility programs and direct sales of RECs and carbon offsets to Commercial & Institutional customers.  Jay joined CEI in mid-2007 as Marketing Director.  Under Jay’s direction, CEI developed an updated visual style for promotional materials and launched its Green-e^® certified Community Carbon Offset product.  In 2009, Jay led the successful development of CEI’s first two on-site solar projects at Eastern University and Smith College.  Jay is President of the Renewable Energy Markets Association, an industry trade association that represents the collective interests of organizations that sell renewable energy products through voluntary markets throughout North America.  Jay also serves on the Green-e^® Governance Board as Chair of the Climate Marketers Advisory Committee.

Before joining CEI, Jay served as Web & Publications Manager for the Conservation Law Foundation, a $5 million non-profit in Boston focused on energy and environment.  Jay also helped launch Wheatmark, Inc., a successful on-demand publishing company.  Jay has a MBA in Marketing and Sustainable Enterprise from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in Sociology from Haverford College.

Katie Barrett is the Director of Supply and Delivery at Community Energy.  She joined CEI in 2006 and currently manages all aspects of REC and carbon offset procurement, portfolio management, verification, and product delivery for all Community Energy customers.  This includes 18 utility green power programs, and direct sales to large commercial and institutional customers and wholesale customers.  Katie led the development of an innovative portfolio management system that contributes to CEI’s industry-leading role, and has been instrumental in ensuring delivery of high quality and cost competitive products to CEI’s customers.  She also works very closely with the sales and marketing team to drive new business development.

Prior to joining Community Energy, she worked in environmental and groundwater consulting.  Katie holds a BS in Environmental Science and a BS in Policy Management Studies from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.

Tess Barton is Community Energy’s Director of Marketing. She is responsible for marketing strategy, messaging, design, corporate branding and utility partner relations, and oversees campaign execution, analysis, market research, communications, and website management. Tess also contributes to strategic business development and bringing new products and services to market. Prior to assuming this role, she served as Utility Program Manager for several years. Tess first joined CEI’s Grassroots Outreach team in 2006.

Tess began her career in public relations and advertising.  She has a BA in Environmental Studies from Gettysburg College and is currently pursuing an MBA in Managing for Sustainability at Marlboro College Graduate School.  She is a member of Net Impact and Women of Wind Energy and currently resides in New York City.

Meg Denney is the Director of Mass Markets for Community Energy, Inc., where she currently manages all Mass Market Green Power Programs.  She oversees the strategic planning and execution of marketing campaigns and manages the daily utility program business operations which includes over 130,000 utility customers.  Meg has worked for Community Energy for over 5 years, as an outreach coordinator, program manager and now as the Director of Mass Markets. Her motivation continues to be enabling and educating residential customers to get involved with their local Utility Green Power Program.

Prior to CEI, Meg worked at the Washington, D.C. non-profit ACORE (The American Council on Renewable Energy), where she worked to develop and launch the Utility Committee.  Meg has a Bachelors of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame.