Leadership

John Easoz

Board President
President | Solar PV Consulting
Pittsburgh, PA

John Easoz is a proven leader and voice for “all of the above” in the energy industry. At Solar PV Conslting, Easoz has developed a client base of over forty solar companies, ranging from startups to well established solar PV firms. Easoz has worked in the solar industry since 1985 and has over 40 years of experience in energy engineering, research, solar PV development, manufacturing, and technical and corporate management.

Easoz concurrently works as CEO of Direct Gain Consulting, LLC, an executive level consulting firm specializing in the renewable energy industry.

Easoz has also worked in the areas of nuclear fusion development, surface/particle interactions, ion beam physics, crystal growth, thermal hydraulics, and control systems development while employed at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. He holds two patents.

The Honorable Tom Stevenson

Treasurer
Partner | Green Roads Solar Energy & Iceburgh Associates
Mt. Lebanon, PA

Tom Stevenson has served the citizens of Pennsylvania in state office, and has served his community as a local government official, attorney and voice for “all of the above”.

Stevenson is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (where he served for 10 years), and is a former Commissioner of Mt. Lebanon (where he served for 7 years).

He is a Graduate of Penn State University and of the Western New England College School of Law

He launched Green Roads Solar Energy & Iceburgh Associates to supply electric power and solar energy generation in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Chad Forcey

Secretary
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum
Camp Hill, PA

Chad Forcey has served in public policy since 1998, and has focused on conservation and small business growth throughout his career. He previously ran his own environmental consulting firm, and spent five years as State Affairs Director for the Irrigation Association (IA). At the IA, he fought to advance water conservation and efficient technologies across the 50 states. Chad built public/private partnerships in California and Texas to reduce potable water use during drought emergencies, and increase the use of smart irrigation controllers, surface and sub-surface high efficiency systems in the landscape and agricultural sectors.

Chad also represented the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association for six years, where he drafted and implemented legislation on right to farm, immigration reform, and green infrastructure. He achieved an $11.6 billion federal appropriation for landscape revitalization, and secured $33 million for urban air and water quality projects in Philadelphia. Chad began his career in public service as an aide with the Virginia House of Delegates, as Personal Assistant to Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker, and with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Chad is a member of the Penn State Agriculture Council, and provides industry and conservation advice to the U.S. Senate as a member of the Agriculture Advisory Team. He holds a Bachelors of Science in History from Liberty University, and has completed coursework towards a law degree from Penn State.

The Honorable Chuck McIlhinney

Pennsylvania State Senator | 2007-2019
Bucks County, PA

Chuck McIlhinney served the citizens of Pennsylvania as an elected official for 25 years. While in office, he led the way on de-regulating Pennsylvania’s liquor laws, and was a voice for government reform and “all of the above” on energy throughout his career. McIlhinney is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, serving from 2007-2019. Prior to that, he was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1998-2006

McIlhinney served on the borough council of Doylestown, Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1996, and also served as Director of the Bucks County Office of Employment and Training.

He holds a B.S. degree in finance from Bryant College.

Ed Johnstonbaugh

Board Member

Education Program Associate for Energy, Business and Community Vitality, Penn State University, College of Agricultural Sciences
Washington County, PA

Ed Johnstonbaugh is a leader in the field of energy education. He brings several decades of experience in the electricity generation industry and higher education to the PennCEF Board.

Johnstonbaugh works exclusively on building renewable energy capacity through education, the development of well-designed public policy, reconfiguration of the modern transmission and distribution grids, and the design and leveraging of equitable incentives. At Penn State he has led a number of funded programs including the Pennsylvania Wood Energy Team, the Renewable Energy for Municipal Authorities project and the Farm Energy IQ program.

Johnstonbaugh founded and, since 2008, has led the Future Times Energy renewable energy aggregation group, with over 400 customer generators and an installed capacity of over seven megawatts.

He holds a Masters Degree in Renewable Energy & Sustainability Systems from Penn State University. Johnstonbaugh also serves on the Environmental Quality Board in Peters Township, PA where he resides.

Brian Kennedy

SVP for Operations and Government Affairs
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh, PA

The Pittsburgh Technology Council is an advocate for local tech-focused businesses in the Pittsburgh region and helps to make connections and create a better business climate, serves in the field of Government Relations, where he supports the work on the Council with advocacy and outreach.

Previous service includes work as a mentor with the German Marshall Fund, and board positions with Standing Firm SWPA and the Local Government Academy.

Prior to joining the Tech Council, Brian worked in community and economic development for the U.S. Senate. Brian is a graduate of Gannon University.

David Jason

Green Roads Solar Energy & Iceburgh Associates
Mt. Lebanon, PA

Co-founder of Green Roads Energy, LLC and Iceburgh Associates, LLC with Tom Stevenson and Paul Steigerwald, in 2011.

Led prior initiatives in the commercial insurance industry and commercial real estate financing. Through his work in helping secure venture capital for new business startups, David developed a strong interest in the renewable energy sector.

Veteran of the USAF/PAANG and served both on active duty and in the reserves. He trained as a Security Forces Police Officer and was deployed abroad to Japan and Jordan. Served four consecutive terms on the Scott Township Board of Commissioners since first being elected to that position in 2001. He is currently serving as Board President. David is a graduate of Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA.

Mark DeSantis

CEO – RoadBotics
Pittsburgh, PA

Mark DeSantis is a leader in the renewable energy and technology sectors. As CEO of RoadBotics, a leading applied technology development firm, DeSantis is responsible for smartphone road inspection tech development. He previously co-founded and was Executive Chairman of kWantix, an energy hedge fund (acquired by Moody Aldrich Hedge Fund). He also previously co-founded and was CEO of kWantera, a GE Ventures-backed energy predictive analytics company and Think Through Learning, a venture-backed online tutoring company (acquired by Imagine Learning).

DeSantis previously served as the director of government relations for Texas Instruments and earlier served in policy positions in Washington, D.C. including as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Commerce, both in the Administration of George H. W. Bush. DeSantis also worked for the late U.S. Senator John Heinz (R-PA).

DeSantis is currently an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University and has lectured at Princeton University and Dartmouth College. He served previously an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland. Mark holds a BA and MBA from the University of Dayton, an MS in Technology Management from The American University and a PhD in Public Policy from George Mason University.

The Honorable Jim Seif

Secretary
Former Secretary | PA Department of Environmental Protection | 1995-2000
Philadelphia, PA

Jim Seif served as PA Secretary of Environmental Protection from 1995 -2000. In his capacity as DEP Secretary, Seif led the way on reforming the Department from the “job crushing nightmare” that Governor Tom Ridge called it during the 1994 PA Gubernatorial campaign. Seif’s innovations included the Growing Greener campaign, the Environmental Excellence Awards, and an ethic of “pollution prevention and compliance assistance” that changed the nature of the relationship between the regulated community and state government in PA.

Seif was awarded the Lifetime Award of Public Service from the National Academy of Public Administration for his work as Secretary, Regional Administrator for the U.S. EPA, 1985-1994.

Seif also served as Vice President of Corporate Relations for PPL, Inc., as Principal of the Energy and Environmental Practice at Ridge Global, LLC, a strategic consulting firm in Washington D.C., and currently, maintains his own consulting practice, serves on the board of BioChem Technology Inc., a water pollution control company in King of Prussia, and is on the Advisory Committee of the Dick Thornburgh Forum of Law and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.

Seif began his career in the US Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh where he prosecuted some of the earliest environmental cases of the modern era. In 1977, Jim joined the Dick Thornburgh gubernatorial campaign in Pennsylvania and served as administrative assistant to the Governor for six years until becoming a lobbyist for AT&T.

Jerry Pickel

Owner/Operator | Pickel’s Wildlife Services
York County, PA

Jerry Pickel is the founder of Pickel’s Wildlife Services, a wildlife managing company in York County, Pennsylvania. Jerry is an avid outdoorsman, trapper, hunter and angler.

Pickel served as a National Trustee for Ducks Unlimited, and is also a Life Sponsor member. He is a member of the following organizations: Pennsylvania Trappers Association, National Trapper Association, North American Trap Collectors Association, Amateur Trap Shooter’s Association, Handyman’s Club of America and the Starview Sportsmen’s Association.

Pickel served as a Hunter-Trapper Education Instructor with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and served as State and Regional Director for the National Wildlife Control Operators Association. Pickel began his career with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Penn State, where he majored in both Civil Engineering and Forestry, and minored in Surveying.

The Honorable John Lehman

Former U.S. Navy Secretary | 1981-1987
Founding Partner – JFLCO
Bucks County, PA

From 1981 to 1987, John Lehman served as Secretary of the U.S. Navy. As the chief executive of the Navy, he was responsible for the management of 1.2 million people, an annual budget of $95 billion and total assets equivalent to those of the seven largest Fortune 500 corporations combined. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman was President of Abington Corporation, served on the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and as a senior aide to Dr. Henry Kissinger at the White House. John Lehman also served as an aviator in U.S. Air Force and Navy.

Dr. Lehman is a founding partner of the John F. Lehman Company, an investment firm based in New York, NY. Immediately prior to forming JFLCO, Dr. Lehman spent three years as a Managing Director in Corporate Finance at PaineWebber, Inc.

Lehman’s corporate board service is as follows:

• Ball Corporation
• TI Group plc
• Westland Helicopter plc
• Sedgwick plc
• National Response Corporation
• Trident Maritime Systems
• Verisk Inc.
• EnerSys.

Additional Service:

• Chairman, Princess Grace Foundation
• Overseer, School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania
• 9/11 Commission
• National Defense Commission

John Lehman received his B.S. from St. Joseph’s University, his B.A. and M.A. from Cambridge University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Honorable Barry Moore

CEO | Moore Energy
Bucks County, PA

Barry Moore founded Moore Energy LLC, to address the lack of businesses in Pennsylvania providing a single source solution for the design, cost-benefit analysis, and the installation of solar energy systems.

Moore previously served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Anglo Irish Bank. Prior to that he was an Executive Vice president at GMAC Commercial Mortgage.

Moore is currently involved in a number of nonprofit activities to preserve the environment, including his service as President of the Churchville Nature Center in Bucks County. Barry serves as an elected member of his local Township Board of Supervisors.

Mike Feeney

CEO | Feeney’s Wholesale Nursery
Bucks County, PA

Mike Feeney is the Owner/Operator of Feeney’s Wholesale Nursery, a production nursery located in central Bucks County, specializing in Pennsylvania hardwood deciduous trees.

Feeney previously served on the Board of Directors and as Government Affairs Committee Chair for the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association.

Feeney serves as a volunteer and donor for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Tree Tenders Program, and has participated in urban revitalization and tree planting efforts throughout Philadelphia and by direct advocacy in Washington, DC.

The Honorable Jim Cawley

Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Temple University
Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania | 2011-2015
Bucks County, PA

As the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, serving from 2011- 2015, Cawley honed a unique understanding of how various strategic improvements can lift Pennsylvania’s economy and trajectory. He also brought government and community leaders together through his work with various statewide commissions and partnerships.

Jim Cawley currently serves as Temple University’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement. As vice president, he directs the university’s fundraising and alumni relations, to ensure Temple’s mission of providing affordable, accessible, diverse and high-quality education. An active alumnus, he also served as a Commonwealth Trustee at Temple from 2011 until his appointment as vice president.

With a long career in the service of others, both regionally and nationally, Cawley has significant experience with fundraising, organizational advancement and addressing the needs of the surrounding community. Prior to serving at Temple, Cawley served as president and CEO of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. In the community, he has served on the board of directors for Lower Bucks Hospital and as trustee of Bucks County Community College and Manor College.

Jim Cawley received his B.S. from Temple University, and his J.D. from the Beasley School of Law.

Ron Gdovic

President & CEO | Windstax Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA

Founded Windstax Inc., a full-service developer of integrated alternative energy solutions and a pioneer in large vertical wind turbines and microgrid,

Previously served as President of Digital Media & Marketing Division at Mace Security International, Inc., as Executive Director of InSITeS, the Institute for the Study of Information Technology and Society, and as Executive Director of 3 Rivers Connect.

Has over 20 years of business experience and holds both a B.A. Degree and M.S. Degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dilip Limaye

President & CEO, SRC Global, Inc. | Global Energy Consultant
Newtown Square, PA

Dilip Limaye is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and senior executive with more than 40 years of international success in financing clean-tech and numerous verticals of energy. He is a trusted financial advisor and consultant, providing services to organizations in more than 50 countries, with a proven ability to assist in the implementation of innovative initiatives while ensuring regulatory compliance and driving sustainable growth.

Areas of expertise include strategic business planning, climate change mitigation, utilities, fund-raising, financial structuring, global expansion, international joint ventures, program design, contract negotiation, and reverse mergers. Mr. Limaye serves as a member of the International Energy Advisory Council, as a senior advisor and consultant to the World Bank, and as Chair of the Advisory Council for the International Institute for Energy Conservation.

Mr. Limaye is a Ph.D. Candidate at Drexel University for Alternative Energy Systems; a Ph.D. Candidate at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania for International Business; holds an MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Cornell University; and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian University of Technology, Bombay.

The Honorable Dan Laughlin

State Senator Dan Laughlin | 49th District
Erie County, PA

Senator Dan Laughlin was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 2016 to represent the 49th Senatorial District, which includes most of Erie County. He was reelected for a second term in November 2020.

Senator Laughlin serves as Chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee and Vice Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee. He serves as a member of four other Senate Committees: Appropriations; Community, Economic and Recreational Development; Law & Justice; and State Government. He also serves as the Senate representative on the Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Erie, one of Pennsylvania’s six veterans’ homes.

Senator Laughlin joined his brother’s construction firm and later bought into the company as a full partner. Today, Laughlin Builders is one of the region’s premier builders of quality homes. Twenty years later, the brothers formed Waste Away, a trash disposal company, which they later sold to Pro Waste Corp. Their portfolio of companies expanded to include Clear Water Foam, an insulating firm, as well as Laughlin Properties, a rental company.

As a small business owner, Senator Laughlin strongly supports policies and programs that create jobs, limit government spending and ease the tax and regulatory burden on job-creators. A strong advocate for government reform, he is committed to making state government accessible and accountable to the people he serves.

The Honorable Mike Krancer

Co-Founder & Principal, Silent Majority Strategies
Bryn Mawr, PA

Mike Krancer is the co-founder of Silent Majority Strategies (SMS) an environmental, energy and technology sector focused regulatory and permitting strategy firm. SMS operates in that substantial space between the legal and the traditional lobbying disciplines to influence permitting decisions and regulatory policy to bring permits across the finish line and create favorable regulatory results for our clients at the state and federal levels.

Mr. Krancer is the former Cabinet level Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) under Governor Tom Corbett, serving from 2011 to 2013. He is an experienced and well-known policy thought leader in energy development. Mr. Krancer is also an experienced advisor to U.S. and global energy companies of all types regarding the full range of legal, public policy, government relations, state and federal regulatory, financial, corporate, and labor matters with his 20+ years of energy industry and public policy experience at the highest corporate and policy-making levels.

Mr. Krancer was a litigation partner with Blank Rome from 1992 to 1999. He also served as chief judge and chairman of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board, the state trial/appellate court for environmental matters involving appeals from actions of the DEP, and was assistant general counsel to Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest competitive energy providers and utility companies. At Exelon, he was responsible for environmental health and safety matters, and energy policy development and government relations.

As a prominent and popular speaker and writer, Mr. Krancer is widely recognized for his practical leadership on a wide range of energy policy issues, including the emerging, global importance of shale gas and energy resources; federal and state regulation of shale gas extraction; LNG export; and the future of America’s energy revolution.

In 2015, Mr. Krancer was recognized by Chambers USA as a leader in environment law in Pennsylvania. Chambers stated that he is “particularly respected for his expertise in advising clients in the energy sector” and “attacks problems head-on.” In 2016, he was appointed to the Energy Law360 editorial advisory board.