Katie Mehnert, CEO and Founder, ALLY Energy (she/her)

The modern architect of the energy workforce, Katie Mehnert is the Founder and CEO of ALLY Energy™ the community accelerating connections, jobs, and skills to drive an equitable energy transition. ALLY Energy is an inaugural member of Greentown Labs Houston, the top climate tech incubator in North America.

 Ms. Mehnert has held global leadership roles with BP and Shell in safety and environment during periods of financial crisis, spills, divestment, and globalization. Her early career included assignments with Duke Energy, Entergy, and Enron. Her corporate path drove her to entrepreneurship to help energy companies prepare for the looming talent shortage and workforce diversity needs to address energy poverty and climate change.

She was appointed Ambassador to the United States Department of Energy in 2020 during the Trump Administration and has testified before Congress on the clean energy workforce of the future. She was most recently appointed by the Biden Administration to the National Petroleum Council. She’s also an Energy Institute Fellow and an advisor to Clean Energy for America.  

Ms. Mehnert is a speaker, author, and trusted source in the energy industry. She has been published in Scientific American, Forbes, The Hill, CNBC, and CNN. Her first book, Grow with the Flow, was published in 2020. She most recently co-authored Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy, a children’s book focused on energy careers. Mrs. Mehnert also has appeared in Hot Money, a documentary produced by Academy Award-winning actor, Jeff Bridges and Retired NATO General Wesley Clark on the financial complexities of climate change and finance, and Dirty Nasty People, a film on the future of the energy workforce.

Katie is a four-time World Major marathoner having completed London, Chicago, New York, and Berlin. Her husband is a legal executive with Baker Hughes. They live with their 12-year-old daughter, Ally, in Houston.  

Kevin McMinn is the Chief Operating Officer of ALLY Energy. He is an accomplished and multi-faceted executive with an entrepreneurial mindset and extensive experience developing transformational strategies for sustainable business growth. Throughout his career, he has successfully handled 17 legal and regulatory actions and 6 class action/trademark infringement lawsuits.

A visionary leader, Kevin is focused on achieving organizational objectives. He efficiently adapts to changing business climates, cultivates trusted relationships at all levels, from customer to C-Suite peers, and builds high-performing teams that are empowered to succeed.

Kevin's core competencies include P&L Ownership, Budgeting/Forecasting/Cash Flow, Strategic Planning and Startups/Turnarounds/M&A. He is focused on value creation, operational excellence and transparent communication while also leading Product Launches, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Talent Development & Team Leadership and Coaching & Mentorship. Additionally, he excels in Business Transformation activities such as Thought Leadership, Succession Planning and Customer & Employee Engagement.

Kevin McMinn brings a wealth of experience from various C-suite roles, having served as a high-level executive for companies such as Crius Energy, US Gas and Electric, Lucid Solutions, and Via Renewables.  He's a foodie with a flare for wine and gardening.

Michael Goodwin is the Chief Financial Officer of ALLY Energy.  Mike's experience includes responsibility for strategy, M&A, capital raising, operations, sales, and marketing with high-growth SaaS software and technology-enabled companies.  He has served in multiple capacities for companies including CEO, President, COO, and CFO. Michael has an MBA from the University of Michigan in Finance & Strategy and a Bachelor's from the University of Texas Austin.

Fredric A. Navarre is the Vice President of Marketing, Communications & Client Engagement for ALLY Energy.  Fred was formerly Deputy Assistant Director for the Houston Mayor’s Office of Complete Communities responsible for communications and external affairs.  Fred is enthusiastic to deploy his experience and credentials in this role. In addition to an MBA in Energy Finance and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, he’s an entrepreneur, veteran educator, experienced nonprofit board leader, and philanthropist. He loves to interact with people and organize positive experiences to move companies and causes forward. His strategies foster diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging.

He’s currently a board member of the American Cancer Society of Greater Houston. His extensive record of public service includes local, province, and national positions in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In addition, Fred has been a review panelist for the National Science Foundation and serves on the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), a national nonprofit.  As a native Louisianan, he’s quite comfortable using great food and good times to bring people together — sometimes with the flourish of his own cajun culinary skills!

Jo Madriaga is the Operations Lead supporting product, technology and operations.  She has over 13 years of experience in Administrative, Personal, and Executive Assistant roles to C Level Executives at Siemens, Kempinski Hotels, Emaar Hospitality Group, and St. Regis Hotels.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality and Tourism from Lyceum Northwestern University and is recently studying for her Master's in Digital Technology in Australia.

Zak Kinion is a former entrepreneur turned digital nomad.  He has experience as a co-founder, data scientist, product manager, software developer, and author with various companies including Indeed, Upwork, Carrot Creative, Warby Parker, HashiCorp, HireWith AI, and Jet.com.  Zak co-authored The Zero Dollar Workforce and is a constant study of growth hacking, software and product development.

Sydney is a graduate of the University of Houston and the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship - the #1 ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship in the nation. She has experience in business and marketing strategy, go-to-market strategy, product development, and entrepreneurship. She has supported business development and strategy for startups, nonprofits, CPG businesses, and technology-based companies.

Throughout her career, she has found a deep passion for impact, especially when paired with innovation. She is truly passionate about cultivating an environment that embraces creativity, challenges the system, and drives tangible results while creating a palpable impact.

As a results-driven individual with a proven track record in project management, she takes pride in her ability to lead cross-functional teams, optimize processes, and drive successful strategic outcomes.

Laura Aiken founded Thrive Leadership after a ten-year career in engineering and construction to help companies help their people thrive.  She’s worked and led teams on several multibillion-dollar engineering and construction projects in the energy industry has led DEI programming including strategic planning, inclusive leadership, ally engagement, and business resource groups for over 50,000 employees, and has facilitated resiliency training for a construction workforce of over 6,000 people. Laura is a part of the team delivering our member programming. She graduated from the University of Bath in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Materials and Biomedical Engineering.

Arquella Hargrove is a sought-after facilitator, leadership consultant, speaker, and coach dedicated to the transformative and sustainable results of people through development. She is an author of Coaching Perspectives, Leadership Coaching Strategies Chapter. A moderator and frequent panel speaker in the areas of diversity, women in leadership, and social capital, as well as a contributor to publications, such as, Workforce Magazine. She holds 11 licenses and certifications in professional development and coaching. She helps business leaders build stronger, more effective teams and companies. Arquella is a part of the team delivering our ALLY Academy. She received her MBA from Texas Woman’s University.

Shantera Chatman is the author of the Transformative Ally Framework. Shantera helps bridge cultural gaps with interactive, immersive learning experience. Shantera is known for her guiding principles, developing strong cultures, and her successful work within many Fortune 500 companies.  She has worked for both large and small consulting firms servicing clients such as NASA and Chevron.

Shantera has led teams for her clients as they successfully rolled out various information technology (I.T.), cyber intelligence, and diversity initiatives. As a transformation specialist and project manager, Shantera has helped Fortune 500 companies engage their user community and adopt significant workplace cultural changes.

Shantera graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Information & Operations Management.  She is noted for founding The Chatman Women's Foundation in Houston, Texas. Shantera is a part of the team delivering our ALLY Academy.

Angela Gonzales is an experienced controller for multiple clients across various industries including SAAS, Oil & Gas, Creative Technology, Not-for-Profit, etc.   She's a strong accounting professional skilled in Account Reconciliation, Accounting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), General Ledger, and Financial Statements/Reporting.  Angela attended University of Houston Downtown. 

Ms. Michalowicz is an Advisor of ALLY Energy. She leads EDPR NA Distributed Generation (“EDPR NA DG”) project development and operations, in addition to, engaging key business partners in North America. Prior to EDPR NA DG, she co-founded and co-led C2 Energy Capital (“C2”), building an award-winning solar portfolio of over 300 MW spanning eighteen states. Ms. Michalowicz led efforts that resulted in diversifying C2’s customer base to include businesses, municipalities, healthcare, and educational institutions as well as capturing a growing number of corporate and retail market entries. At EDPR NA DG, she continues to focus on providing a stronger customer-centric approach to the development, construction, and operation of safe and clean distributed generation.

Ms. Michalowicz previously served as Vice President of Development at Healthy Planet Partners where she oversaw the development of the firm’s solar photovoltaic projects. She also served as Vice President of Development at Adamas Energy Investments where she led due diligence on over 1 GW of power generation opportunities.

She holds a BA Summa Cum Laude from George Washington University.

Ms. Montana is a former senior executive at Shell Oil with extensive international and operational experience in the downstream and midstream sectors. She retired as CEO of Shell Midstream Partners GP LLC in 2015 and served on its board until 2020. Prior to that, Ms. Montana served as Executive Vice President, Supply & Distribution, from 2009 to 2014, where she was responsible for hydrocarbon supply to Shell’s downstream worldwide fuels manufacturing and marketing businesses. Prior to 2009, Ms. Montana served in the U.S. from 2004 as Vice President, Supply, and then Vice President, Global Distribution where she was responsible for Shell’s global terminal operations and product distribution. Ms. Montana currently is on the board of Kodiak Gas Services, a private gas compression company, Gibson Energy, a Canadian crude oil infrastructure company, the board of trustees of Missouri University of Science & Technology, and the board of the Houston YMCA. Ms. Montana holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Adam Quinton has invested in and advised several early-stage companies with a focus on diverse founding teams, proudly being one of the first investors in The Muse. He has also served as Chair of the North American Jury for the Cartier Women's Initiative for the past two years.

He is Board member and Treasurer at Holy Cross Energy based in Glenwood Spring, CO as well as Walking Mountains Science Center based in Avon, CO.  Adam is a Board member at International House in New York where he has Chaired the Development Committee and been a member of the Executive Committee.  He also currently serves on the Finance and Programs Committees of the House.

Previously Adam taught as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in New York City for seven years and was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. His last role at BofA was Head of Global Macro Research where he led a team of 175 professionals in 12 countries across the globe. Prior to that, he was a sell-side equity research manager in the USA, Latin America, and Asia was a top-ranked sell-side equity research analyst in all of Europe, Asia, the USA, and globally for telecommunications services.

Adam holds a BA and MA degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, England, and an MBA degree from the Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School at City University, London.

 Claire Broido Johnson is a senior operations and finance executive who runs the University System of Maryland Momentum Fund. (MMF) She has a proven track record in creating and managing successful businesses and driving operations (including as founder of SunEdison). She also guided the deployment of $11 billion in economic stimulus funds in 2009-2010 at the Department of Energy (DOE). 

Prior to MMF and after DOE, she ran CBJ Energy where she developed a energy efficiency financing product for Serious Energy, launched new products and new states for Next Step Living, and managed energy projects and research for Katerra.   She is on the Board of BlocPower.io, the National Sierra Club Foundation, Living Classrooms, and serves as an Advisor for several companies.   She lives with her husband and 2 kids in Baltimore.

Lee is an independent board director PROS Holdings, (NYSE:PROS) a provider of AI-solutions, where he serves on the Leadership and Compensation Committee and is the lead director for ESG governance. Lee also serves on the board of the nonprofit, SEARCH Homeless Services, in Houston. Previously, he served on the board for Chevron subsidiaries Amata Natural Gas Company and The Electric Generating Company, both headquartered in Thailand.

Lee is recognized for leading international businesses to high-value outcomes, developing strategies to monetize business trends and disrupters, and advancing a more diverse and inclusive corporate culture. He is interested in leveraging his business development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expertise as a board member for an international, energy, manufacturing, or services company that recognizes the business potential created by current business disruptions.

At Chevron, Lee led teams from diverse backgrounds and cultures and closed multibillion-dollar projects. As the Vice President of Business Development for Southeast Asia, Lee received the Chairman’s award by leading his team to generate an additional $0.9 billion for the company through the successful closure of a ten-year concession extension with the Thai government and supply agreements with PTT, the Thai national oil company. As Vice President of Commercial and Business Development for IndoAsia, Lee led cross-functional commercial and technical teams to divest a major capital project at 40% above target.

As the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Chevron, Lee helped Chevron be recognized as an industry leader in diversity and led the effort to develop a more diverse and inclusive culture. Lee is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Hart Energy, and he was recognized by Business Insider in 2020 as one of 100 People Transforming Business in North America.

Before joining Chevron, Lee was the Managing Director of El Paso Global LNG. He led the successful closing of the company’s 20-year capacity contract and won a highly competitive bid to provide commodity and transportation management services to a multi-national independent power producer, generating $40 million in Mark-to-Market value. At Dominion, Lee developed and executed a joint venture with Sabine Pipeline Company to provide unique products and services to the natural gas commodity market. He led the start-up of the largest physical natural gas hub on the continent, the CNG/Sabine Center.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in National Security and Foreign Affairs with a concentration in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Lee left the U.S. Army as a Captain after completing five years of service as a logistics officer.

Tri Nguyen is the founder of Tri Nguyen Law Office PC. He has worked with Katie Mehnert since the formation of her first company and ALLY Energy’s parent corporation, Cognovi Communications, and more recently helped the company with its acquisition of Clean Energy Social. Tri’s expertise is in corporate formation, purchases, investment raises, advisory governance, and exits. Tri is also a member of the Houston Executive Advisors. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and his Juris Doctor of Law from UH Law Center.

Ms. Robak is a partner at Shackelford.  Marianne’s practice focuses on resolving business disputes and uncovering corporate fraud in federal court, state court and in arbitration. She represents businesses, oil and gas companies, banks, real estate investors, trusts, and individuals. She has served as lead attorney on matters ranging from complex breach of contract claims, fraudulent transfers, partnership disputes, banking litigation, breach of fiduciary duties, bank fraud, trade secret violations, employment matters, real estate fraud and other property disputes. She has spent her career successfully participating in jury and non-jury trials, arbitrations, evidentiary hearings, complex summary judgments, and appeals. In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Robak also acts as outside general counsel for banks and small to medium-sized businesses throughout Texas assisting them with business transactions, negotiations, contracts and employment issues, as they arise.

While she is located in Houston, she handles business and oil and gas disputes on behalf of corporations and energy companies throughout the U.S. Ms. Robak has been a member of ALLY Energy’s advisory board since its inception. 

Lori Feldman is the founder and president of TheDatabaseDiva.com, a sales and marketing consulting firm started in 2005.  She trains and mentors CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs on how to exceed revenue goals by building long-term customer relationships. Her practice includes optimizing sales lead workflows, creating and implementing lead nurture campaigns, and setting up marketing automation processes.  Lori has written more than 3,000 e-marketing campaigns and is a recipient of the prestigious Direct Marketer of the Year Award. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has been an adjunct professor in marketing and social media for St. Louis Community Colleges.

Christina Sistrunk has held management and executive roles focused on assessing and delivering next level performance.  She has lead organizations across Upstream E&P, both IOC and independent, ranging in revenue from $2- 10B. Prior to her CEO role, Christina was a VP with Shell focused first on Deepwater production and development and then Arctic strategy. She has served on several industry and community boards in addition to the Aera Board of Managers. Christina started her career after earning a BS in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Her management training has been supported via formal programs at Amoco and Shell via IMD and University of Houston.

Bill Davis founded Stance Capital to bring to market investment portfolios that mitigate material environmental, social, and governance risks and generate excess returns while at the same time allowing investors to align their portfolios with their belief systems. Prior to forming Stance, Mr. Davis was co-founder and Managing Director of Empirical Asset Management, and Portfolio Manager on EAM Sustainable Equity, a strategy he launched in 2014.

Prior to co-founding Empirical, he was the founder and CEO of Ze-gen, a venture and private equity-backed renewable energy company focused on up-cycling certain waste materials into renewable syngas. Mr. Davis received a B.A. from Connecticut College, and his career in business has included serving as CEO or founder of numerous companies including Database Marketing Corporation in 1986, Holland Mark in 1997, and Cambridge Brand Analytics in 2003.

He serves on the board of the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Ceres, where he also chairs the Ceres President’s Council. Mr. Davis co-leads a shareholder engagement effort within Climate Action 100+, a collaborative effort between UNPRI and Ceres. He has taught Environmental Entrepreneurship at Columbia University Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, and guest lectured at Harvard College, Harvard Business School, MIT/Sloan, and Vanderbilt University.

John is a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches member. Three organizations certify him as a master coach: Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, the International Coach Federation, and the MEECO Leadership Institute. He founded and has been a Managing Principal since 2005 at Quinn Reed Associates.

He has undergraduate and MBA degrees from Dartmouth and, as an organizational psychologist, a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia with an internship at Emory University. A Navy veteran, he previously worked in the strategy practice of Accenture and the government practice of CGI. He helps talented people excel further, serving C-suite leaders, partners, boards, executive teams, business founders, and other professionals.

John has 30 years of executive coaching and trusted leadership advising, executive assessment, leadership development, organizational change, and strategy consulting experience globally in the aerospace, biotechnology, chemical, construction, consumer products, defense, education, energy, entertainment, environmental services, the federal government, financial services, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, not for profit, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail, and technology sectors.

Organizations supported for example: 3M, Abbott Laboratories, AGCO, AIG, Aker Solutions, AlEn, ALLY Energy, AstraZeneca, BASF, Benteler, Black Hills Corporation, BP, Brock Group, Calpine, Cameron, CBRE, CDI Energy Products, Children’s National Medical Center, CIA, Citgo, Clock Spring/NRI, Comerica Bank, Comfort Systems, ConocoPhillips, Covalus, CVS Health, Diageo, Dover Industries, Duke Corporate Education, Duke University Medical Center, East West Bank, EGC Critical Components, Exelon, ExxonMobil, Flix Entertainment, Gulfstream Aerospace, Hines, HydroChemPSC, ION Geophysical, ITW, IvyExec, John Deere, Jones Lang LaSalle, KIPP Schools, Lloyd’s Register, LyondellBasell, Macquarie, Memorial Hermann Health System, NASA, NGP Energy Capital Mgt., NRG, Occidental Petroleum, Oil States Intl., Panasonic, PetroChina, Raytheon Technologies, Recall, Schlumberger, Seyfarth Shaw, Shell, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Songwon Intl., Stepan Co., Sunbelt Steel, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas, The CapStreet Group, The March of Dimes, The Menil Collection, The Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, The University of Houston, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, The UT Health Science Center at Houston, Thomson Reuters, TransUnion, US Foods, Vinson & Elkins and WakeMed Health & Hospitals.

John is a Founding Fellow and Contributing Author of the Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School. His book 'Pinpointing Excellence' for example is a popular guide for evaluating and selecting coaches.

He teaches MBA courses as an adjunct professor and contributes as a speaker and writer. He is the 2013-14 president and a member of the Society of Psychologists in Leadership, and a member of the Society of Consulting Psychology. His psychologist license was granted in 2000.

In volunteering, John cares about education and supporting children and veterans. He has a history of board service, for example as the 2016-17 president of an inner-city Houston school, the Nehemiah Center. He supports institutions including the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College and Deerfield Academy.

He and his wife Perry Ann, a healthcare executive, have four grown children.

Katie Mehnert, CEO and Founder, ALLY Energy (she/her)

The modern architect of the energy workforce, Katie Mehnert is the Founder and CEO of ALLY Energy™ the community accelerating connections, jobs, and skills to drive an equitable energy transition. ALLY Energy is an inaugural member of Greentown Labs Houston, the top climate tech incubator in North America.

 Ms. Mehnert has held global leadership roles with BP and Shell in safety and environment during periods of financial crisis, spills, divestment, and globalization. Her early career included assignments with Duke Energy, Entergy, and Enron. Her corporate path drove her to entrepreneurship to help energy companies prepare for the looming talent shortage and workforce diversity needs to address energy poverty and climate change.

She was appointed Ambassador to the United States Department of Energy in 2020 during the Trump Administration and has testified before Congress on the clean energy workforce of the future. She was most recently appointed by the Biden Administration to the National Petroleum Council. She’s also an Energy Institute Fellow and an advisor to Clean Energy for America.  

Ms. Mehnert is a speaker, author, and trusted source in the energy industry. She has been published in Scientific American, Forbes, The Hill, CNBC, and CNN. Her first book, Grow with the Flow, was published in 2020. She most recently co-authored Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy, a children’s book focused on energy careers. Mrs. Mehnert also has appeared in Hot Money, a documentary produced by Academy Award-winning actor, Jeff Bridges and Retired NATO General Wesley Clark on the financial complexities of climate change and finance, and Dirty Nasty People, a film on the future of the energy workforce.

Katie is a four-time World Major marathoner having completed London, Chicago, New York, and Berlin. Her husband is a legal executive with Baker Hughes. They live with their 12-year-old daughter, Ally, in Houston.  

Kevin McMinn is the Chief Operating Officer of ALLY Energy. He is an accomplished and multi-faceted executive with an entrepreneurial mindset and extensive experience developing transformational strategies for sustainable business growth. Throughout his career, he has successfully handled 17 legal and regulatory actions and 6 class action/trademark infringement lawsuits.

A visionary leader, Kevin is focused on achieving organizational objectives. He efficiently adapts to changing business climates, cultivates trusted relationships at all levels, from customer to C-Suite peers, and builds high-performing teams that are empowered to succeed.

Kevin's core competencies include P&L Ownership, Budgeting/Forecasting/Cash Flow, Strategic Planning and Startups/Turnarounds/M&A. He is focused on value creation, operational excellence and transparent communication while also leading Product Launches, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Talent Development & Team Leadership and Coaching & Mentorship. Additionally, he excels in Business Transformation activities such as Thought Leadership, Succession Planning and Customer & Employee Engagement.

Kevin McMinn brings a wealth of experience from various C-suite roles, having served as a high-level executive for companies such as Crius Energy, US Gas and Electric, Lucid Solutions, and Via Renewables.  He's a foodie with a flare for wine and gardening.

Michael Goodwin is the Chief Financial Officer of ALLY Energy.  Mike's experience includes responsibility for strategy, M&A, capital raising, operations, sales, and marketing with high-growth SaaS software and technology-enabled companies.  He has served in multiple capacities for companies including CEO, President, COO, and CFO. Michael has an MBA from the University of Michigan in Finance & Strategy and a Bachelor's from the University of Texas Austin.

Fredric A. Navarre is the Vice President of Marketing, Communications & Client Engagement for ALLY Energy.  Fred was formerly Deputy Assistant Director for the Houston Mayor’s Office of Complete Communities responsible for communications and external affairs.  Fred is enthusiastic to deploy his experience and credentials in this role. In addition to an MBA in Energy Finance and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, he’s an entrepreneur, veteran educator, experienced nonprofit board leader, and philanthropist. He loves to interact with people and organize positive experiences to move companies and causes forward. His strategies foster diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging.

He’s currently a board member of the American Cancer Society of Greater Houston. His extensive record of public service includes local, province, and national positions in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In addition, Fred has been a review panelist for the National Science Foundation and serves on the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), a national nonprofit.  As a native Louisianan, he’s quite comfortable using great food and good times to bring people together — sometimes with the flourish of his own cajun culinary skills!

Jo Madriaga is the Operations Lead supporting product, technology and operations.  She has over 13 years of experience in Administrative, Personal, and Executive Assistant roles to C Level Executives at Siemens, Kempinski Hotels, Emaar Hospitality Group, and St. Regis Hotels.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality and Tourism from Lyceum Northwestern University and is recently studying for her Master's in Digital Technology in Australia.

Zak Kinion is a former entrepreneur turned digital nomad.  He has experience as a co-founder, data scientist, product manager, software developer, and author with various companies including Indeed, Upwork, Carrot Creative, Warby Parker, HashiCorp, HireWith AI, and Jet.com.  Zak co-authored The Zero Dollar Workforce and is a constant study of growth hacking, software and product development.

Sydney is a graduate of the University of Houston and the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship - the #1 ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship in the nation. She has experience in business and marketing strategy, go-to-market strategy, product development, and entrepreneurship. She has supported business development and strategy for startups, nonprofits, CPG businesses, and technology-based companies.

Throughout her career, she has found a deep passion for impact, especially when paired with innovation. She is truly passionate about cultivating an environment that embraces creativity, challenges the system, and drives tangible results while creating a palpable impact.

As a results-driven individual with a proven track record in project management, she takes pride in her ability to lead cross-functional teams, optimize processes, and drive successful strategic outcomes.

Laura Aiken founded Thrive Leadership after a ten-year career in engineering and construction to help companies help their people thrive.  She’s worked and led teams on several multibillion-dollar engineering and construction projects in the energy industry has led DEI programming including strategic planning, inclusive leadership, ally engagement, and business resource groups for over 50,000 employees, and has facilitated resiliency training for a construction workforce of over 6,000 people. Laura is a part of the team delivering our member programming. She graduated from the University of Bath in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Materials and Biomedical Engineering.

Arquella Hargrove is a sought-after facilitator, leadership consultant, speaker, and coach dedicated to the transformative and sustainable results of people through development. She is an author of Coaching Perspectives, Leadership Coaching Strategies Chapter. A moderator and frequent panel speaker in the areas of diversity, women in leadership, and social capital, as well as a contributor to publications, such as, Workforce Magazine. She holds 11 licenses and certifications in professional development and coaching. She helps business leaders build stronger, more effective teams and companies. Arquella is a part of the team delivering our ALLY Academy. She received her MBA from Texas Woman’s University.

Shantera Chatman is the author of the Transformative Ally Framework. Shantera helps bridge cultural gaps with interactive, immersive learning experience. Shantera is known for her guiding principles, developing strong cultures, and her successful work within many Fortune 500 companies.  She has worked for both large and small consulting firms servicing clients such as NASA and Chevron.

Shantera has led teams for her clients as they successfully rolled out various information technology (I.T.), cyber intelligence, and diversity initiatives. As a transformation specialist and project manager, Shantera has helped Fortune 500 companies engage their user community and adopt significant workplace cultural changes.

Shantera graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Information & Operations Management.  She is noted for founding The Chatman Women's Foundation in Houston, Texas. Shantera is a part of the team delivering our ALLY Academy.

Angela Gonzales is an experienced controller for multiple clients across various industries including SAAS, Oil & Gas, Creative Technology, Not-for-Profit, etc.   She's a strong accounting professional skilled in Account Reconciliation, Accounting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), General Ledger, and Financial Statements/Reporting.  Angela attended University of Houston Downtown. 

Ms. Michalowicz is an Advisor of ALLY Energy. She leads EDPR NA Distributed Generation (“EDPR NA DG”) project development and operations, in addition to, engaging key business partners in North America. Prior to EDPR NA DG, she co-founded and co-led C2 Energy Capital (“C2”), building an award-winning solar portfolio of over 300 MW spanning eighteen states. Ms. Michalowicz led efforts that resulted in diversifying C2’s customer base to include businesses, municipalities, healthcare, and educational institutions as well as capturing a growing number of corporate and retail market entries. At EDPR NA DG, she continues to focus on providing a stronger customer-centric approach to the development, construction, and operation of safe and clean distributed generation.

Ms. Michalowicz previously served as Vice President of Development at Healthy Planet Partners where she oversaw the development of the firm’s solar photovoltaic projects. She also served as Vice President of Development at Adamas Energy Investments where she led due diligence on over 1 GW of power generation opportunities.

She holds a BA Summa Cum Laude from George Washington University.

Ms. Montana is a former senior executive at Shell Oil with extensive international and operational experience in the downstream and midstream sectors. She retired as CEO of Shell Midstream Partners GP LLC in 2015 and served on its board until 2020. Prior to that, Ms. Montana served as Executive Vice President, Supply & Distribution, from 2009 to 2014, where she was responsible for hydrocarbon supply to Shell’s downstream worldwide fuels manufacturing and marketing businesses. Prior to 2009, Ms. Montana served in the U.S. from 2004 as Vice President, Supply, and then Vice President, Global Distribution where she was responsible for Shell’s global terminal operations and product distribution. Ms. Montana currently is on the board of Kodiak Gas Services, a private gas compression company, Gibson Energy, a Canadian crude oil infrastructure company, the board of trustees of Missouri University of Science & Technology, and the board of the Houston YMCA. Ms. Montana holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Adam Quinton has invested in and advised several early-stage companies with a focus on diverse founding teams, proudly being one of the first investors in The Muse. He has also served as Chair of the North American Jury for the Cartier Women's Initiative for the past two years.

He is Board member and Treasurer at Holy Cross Energy based in Glenwood Spring, CO as well as Walking Mountains Science Center based in Avon, CO.  Adam is a Board member at International House in New York where he has Chaired the Development Committee and been a member of the Executive Committee.  He also currently serves on the Finance and Programs Committees of the House.

Previously Adam taught as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in New York City for seven years and was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. His last role at BofA was Head of Global Macro Research where he led a team of 175 professionals in 12 countries across the globe. Prior to that, he was a sell-side equity research manager in the USA, Latin America, and Asia was a top-ranked sell-side equity research analyst in all of Europe, Asia, the USA, and globally for telecommunications services.

Adam holds a BA and MA degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, England, and an MBA degree from the Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School at City University, London.

 Claire Broido Johnson is a senior operations and finance executive who runs the University System of Maryland Momentum Fund. (MMF) She has a proven track record in creating and managing successful businesses and driving operations (including as founder of SunEdison). She also guided the deployment of $11 billion in economic stimulus funds in 2009-2010 at the Department of Energy (DOE). 

Prior to MMF and after DOE, she ran CBJ Energy where she developed a energy efficiency financing product for Serious Energy, launched new products and new states for Next Step Living, and managed energy projects and research for Katerra.   She is on the Board of BlocPower.io, the National Sierra Club Foundation, Living Classrooms, and serves as an Advisor for several companies.   She lives with her husband and 2 kids in Baltimore.

Lee is an independent board director PROS Holdings, (NYSE:PROS) a provider of AI-solutions, where he serves on the Leadership and Compensation Committee and is the lead director for ESG governance. Lee also serves on the board of the nonprofit, SEARCH Homeless Services, in Houston. Previously, he served on the board for Chevron subsidiaries Amata Natural Gas Company and The Electric Generating Company, both headquartered in Thailand.

Lee is recognized for leading international businesses to high-value outcomes, developing strategies to monetize business trends and disrupters, and advancing a more diverse and inclusive corporate culture. He is interested in leveraging his business development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expertise as a board member for an international, energy, manufacturing, or services company that recognizes the business potential created by current business disruptions.

At Chevron, Lee led teams from diverse backgrounds and cultures and closed multibillion-dollar projects. As the Vice President of Business Development for Southeast Asia, Lee received the Chairman’s award by leading his team to generate an additional $0.9 billion for the company through the successful closure of a ten-year concession extension with the Thai government and supply agreements with PTT, the Thai national oil company. As Vice President of Commercial and Business Development for IndoAsia, Lee led cross-functional commercial and technical teams to divest a major capital project at 40% above target.

As the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Chevron, Lee helped Chevron be recognized as an industry leader in diversity and led the effort to develop a more diverse and inclusive culture. Lee is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Hart Energy, and he was recognized by Business Insider in 2020 as one of 100 People Transforming Business in North America.

Before joining Chevron, Lee was the Managing Director of El Paso Global LNG. He led the successful closing of the company’s 20-year capacity contract and won a highly competitive bid to provide commodity and transportation management services to a multi-national independent power producer, generating $40 million in Mark-to-Market value. At Dominion, Lee developed and executed a joint venture with Sabine Pipeline Company to provide unique products and services to the natural gas commodity market. He led the start-up of the largest physical natural gas hub on the continent, the CNG/Sabine Center.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in National Security and Foreign Affairs with a concentration in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Lee left the U.S. Army as a Captain after completing five years of service as a logistics officer.

Tri Nguyen is the founder of Tri Nguyen Law Office PC. He has worked with Katie Mehnert since the formation of her first company and ALLY Energy’s parent corporation, Cognovi Communications, and more recently helped the company with its acquisition of Clean Energy Social. Tri’s expertise is in corporate formation, purchases, investment raises, advisory governance, and exits. Tri is also a member of the Houston Executive Advisors. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and his Juris Doctor of Law from UH Law Center.

Ms. Robak is a partner at Shackelford.  Marianne’s practice focuses on resolving business disputes and uncovering corporate fraud in federal court, state court and in arbitration. She represents businesses, oil and gas companies, banks, real estate investors, trusts, and individuals. She has served as lead attorney on matters ranging from complex breach of contract claims, fraudulent transfers, partnership disputes, banking litigation, breach of fiduciary duties, bank fraud, trade secret violations, employment matters, real estate fraud and other property disputes. She has spent her career successfully participating in jury and non-jury trials, arbitrations, evidentiary hearings, complex summary judgments, and appeals. In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Robak also acts as outside general counsel for banks and small to medium-sized businesses throughout Texas assisting them with business transactions, negotiations, contracts and employment issues, as they arise.

While she is located in Houston, she handles business and oil and gas disputes on behalf of corporations and energy companies throughout the U.S. Ms. Robak has been a member of ALLY Energy’s advisory board since its inception. 

Lori Feldman is the founder and president of TheDatabaseDiva.com, a sales and marketing consulting firm started in 2005.  She trains and mentors CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs on how to exceed revenue goals by building long-term customer relationships. Her practice includes optimizing sales lead workflows, creating and implementing lead nurture campaigns, and setting up marketing automation processes.  Lori has written more than 3,000 e-marketing campaigns and is a recipient of the prestigious Direct Marketer of the Year Award. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has been an adjunct professor in marketing and social media for St. Louis Community Colleges.

Christina Sistrunk has held management and executive roles focused on assessing and delivering next level performance.  She has lead organizations across Upstream E&P, both IOC and independent, ranging in revenue from $2- 10B. Prior to her CEO role, Christina was a VP with Shell focused first on Deepwater production and development and then Arctic strategy. She has served on several industry and community boards in addition to the Aera Board of Managers. Christina started her career after earning a BS in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Her management training has been supported via formal programs at Amoco and Shell via IMD and University of Houston.

Bill Davis founded Stance Capital to bring to market investment portfolios that mitigate material environmental, social, and governance risks and generate excess returns while at the same time allowing investors to align their portfolios with their belief systems. Prior to forming Stance, Mr. Davis was co-founder and Managing Director of Empirical Asset Management, and Portfolio Manager on EAM Sustainable Equity, a strategy he launched in 2014.

Prior to co-founding Empirical, he was the founder and CEO of Ze-gen, a venture and private equity-backed renewable energy company focused on up-cycling certain waste materials into renewable syngas. Mr. Davis received a B.A. from Connecticut College, and his career in business has included serving as CEO or founder of numerous companies including Database Marketing Corporation in 1986, Holland Mark in 1997, and Cambridge Brand Analytics in 2003.

He serves on the board of the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Ceres, where he also chairs the Ceres President’s Council. Mr. Davis co-leads a shareholder engagement effort within Climate Action 100+, a collaborative effort between UNPRI and Ceres. He has taught Environmental Entrepreneurship at Columbia University Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, and guest lectured at Harvard College, Harvard Business School, MIT/Sloan, and Vanderbilt University.

John is a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches member. Three organizations certify him as a master coach: Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, the International Coach Federation, and the MEECO Leadership Institute. He founded and has been a Managing Principal since 2005 at Quinn Reed Associates.

He has undergraduate and MBA degrees from Dartmouth and, as an organizational psychologist, a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia with an internship at Emory University. A Navy veteran, he previously worked in the strategy practice of Accenture and the government practice of CGI. He helps talented people excel further, serving C-suite leaders, partners, boards, executive teams, business founders, and other professionals.

John has 30 years of executive coaching and trusted leadership advising, executive assessment, leadership development, organizational change, and strategy consulting experience globally in the aerospace, biotechnology, chemical, construction, consumer products, defense, education, energy, entertainment, environmental services, the federal government, financial services, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, not for profit, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail, and technology sectors.

Organizations supported for example: 3M, Abbott Laboratories, AGCO, AIG, Aker Solutions, AlEn, ALLY Energy, AstraZeneca, BASF, Benteler, Black Hills Corporation, BP, Brock Group, Calpine, Cameron, CBRE, CDI Energy Products, Children’s National Medical Center, CIA, Citgo, Clock Spring/NRI, Comerica Bank, Comfort Systems, ConocoPhillips, Covalus, CVS Health, Diageo, Dover Industries, Duke Corporate Education, Duke University Medical Center, East West Bank, EGC Critical Components, Exelon, ExxonMobil, Flix Entertainment, Gulfstream Aerospace, Hines, HydroChemPSC, ION Geophysical, ITW, IvyExec, John Deere, Jones Lang LaSalle, KIPP Schools, Lloyd’s Register, LyondellBasell, Macquarie, Memorial Hermann Health System, NASA, NGP Energy Capital Mgt., NRG, Occidental Petroleum, Oil States Intl., Panasonic, PetroChina, Raytheon Technologies, Recall, Schlumberger, Seyfarth Shaw, Shell, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Songwon Intl., Stepan Co., Sunbelt Steel, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas, The CapStreet Group, The March of Dimes, The Menil Collection, The Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, The University of Houston, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, The UT Health Science Center at Houston, Thomson Reuters, TransUnion, US Foods, Vinson & Elkins and WakeMed Health & Hospitals.

John is a Founding Fellow and Contributing Author of the Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School. His book 'Pinpointing Excellence' for example is a popular guide for evaluating and selecting coaches.

He teaches MBA courses as an adjunct professor and contributes as a speaker and writer. He is the 2013-14 president and a member of the Society of Psychologists in Leadership, and a member of the Society of Consulting Psychology. His psychologist license was granted in 2000.

In volunteering, John cares about education and supporting children and veterans. He has a history of board service, for example as the 2016-17 president of an inner-city Houston school, the Nehemiah Center. He supports institutions including the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College and Deerfield Academy.

He and his wife Perry Ann, a healthcare executive, have four grown children.