Board of Directors

Frank R. Alix, Chief Executive Officer, co-founded Powerspan in 1994.  He and the team he has assembled have brought our ECO^® multi-pollutant control technology from lab to pilot scale, and ultimately to a commercial available technology.  This team is applying the same principles to the development and deployment of our ECO2^® carbon capture process for coal-fired power plants. Frank has secured over $100 million in venture capital financing for Powerspan, and has developed alliances with leading power engineering and construction firms to execute large-scale, commercial projects.  He has provided expert testimony before energy, environment, and science related Congressional committees regarding the future of coal-fired power generation under climate legislation and the need for incentives to stimulate early deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technology. Prior to Powerspan, Frank worked as a venture capital investor, directing investments in early-stage technology ventures.  Frank has over 15 years’ experience in the construction, maintenance, and repair of nuclear power plants on submarines, beginning his career at General Dynamics.  He served as an engineering manager at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where he directed the Nuclear Test Engineering and Mechanical Engineering divisions.  Frank holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Massachusetts–Lowell and an M.B.A. from the University of New Hampshire.

Dean Kamen, who joined the Board of Directors in 1996, is an inventor, entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for science and technology. He is the founder of DEKA Research & Development Corporation, where he develops internally generated inventions and provides research and development for major corporate clients. He holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents for innovative devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. Some of his notable inventions include the first wearable insulin pump for diabetics, the HomeChoice™ portable peritoneal dialysis machine, the INDEPENDENCE^® IBOT^® Mobility System, and the Segway^® Human Transporter. Among Mr. Kamen's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use, and enjoy science and technology. Mr. Kamen was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2000, the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, is a member of the National Academy of Engineers and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005.

Preston R. (Jeff) Miller, Jr. joined the Board of Directors in 2000. He is a partner of The Tremont Group, a private investment firm based in Boston. He is also partner and co-head of The Beacon Group Energy Funds, which made private equity investments in over 30 companies globally, throughout the energy industry. He was a founding Partner in 1993 of The Beacon Group, a private investment and merger advisory firm, which was acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2000. Most recently, he was a Partner with JPMorgan Partners, the private equity affiliate of JPMorgan Chase. Prior to the formation of The Beacon Group, Mr. Miller was with Goldman, Sachs & Co. for 15 years, where he was the founder and global head of the non-regulated power generation group, and financed many of the most significant transactions in the early stages of the industry. Mr. Miller is a member of the boards of Alliance Resource Partners LP, Longhorn Partners Pipeline LP, Nexant Inc., the World Resources Institute and the Yale Alumni fund; and is a member of the Gas Technology Institute's Strategic Advisory Council and the Advisory Committee for MIT's Study of the Future of Coal. Jeff received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Alexander (Hap) Ellis III joined the Board of Directors in 2004. Hap is a General Partner of RockPort Capital Partners. Hap joined RockPort Partners, a merchant bank specializing in energy and environmental projects, in 1998. He helped form RockPort Capital in 2001. He has extensive operating experience in electric power and renewable energy. Prior to joining RockPort, he was a partner in several electric power development companies, to include Casco Bay Energy Company, LLC, which developed, built and operated (by Duke Energy) a 520 MW gas-fired electric generating station, and Acadia Bay Energy Company, LLC, which developed a 638 MW gas-fired electric generating station. Earlier in his career, Hap worked for Kenetech Corporation from 1991-1995 where he was responsible for expanding the portfolio of wind generation opportunities and introducing wind into utility systems across the country. In addition to Powerspan, Hap serves on the Boards of Directors of Catalytic Solutions, Inc., Southwest Windpower, ISE Corp., PPT Research, Deerpath Energy, Eka Systems, Second Rotation and Northern Power Systems. In addition, he represented RockPort on the board of Comverge Inc. (NASDAQ:COMV).  He is a member of the Finance and Administration Committee of the Massachusetts Audubon Society as well as a Council member. Hap received a BA from Colorado College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Steven E. Parry, Chairman, joined the Board of Directors in 2007. Steve is a Managing Director of NGEN Partners, llc, a leading venture capital firm investing in clean energy and environmental technologies. A professional geologist, he worked in the minerals industry for more than 25 years prior to joining NGEN, including executive positions with both multinational mining organizations and resource sector startups.  In addition to his board role at Powerspan, Steve is a member of the board at Artificial Muscle, EnviroTower, Rayne Corporation, SolFocus, Tioga Energy, Fallbrook Technologies, Energy and Power Solutions  and Persu Mobility. Steve is a BSc graduate of Queen’s University, Canada, and a MSc graduate from the University of Western Ontario. He is a recipient of the Canada 125 medal as a resource sector activist, and a director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

Charles D. Lasky joined the Board of Directors in 2007. He is vice president of Fossil Operations for FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. His responsibilities include management of FirstEnergy’s coal, natural gas, hydro, and oil-powered generating plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Charlie joined FirstEnergy in 1986 as an engineer at the W.H. Sammis Plant. After serving in various engineering positions at Sammis and other locations, he was promoted to planning supervisor at the R.E. Burger Plant in 1992, and to Industrial Relations coordinator in the Akron General Office from 1994 to 1995. Charlie then served in various fossil operations and plant management positions before being named director of the Bruce Mansfield Plant in 2001. He was appointed to his current position in September 2004. Charlie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1986 from The University of Akron.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Charlie is a director of the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) and represents FirstEnergy as a member of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC).

Thomas C. Leonard joined the Board of Directors in 2008. Tom is Senior Vice President – Finance, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of Pennichuck Corporation.  Prior to joining Pennichuck, he was a Vice President at CRA International (formerly Charles River Associates) since 2006 where he worked with outside counsels to assist Audit Committees, Boards of Directors and managements of public companies investigate potential accounting and disclosure issues related to financial reporting and business transactions and disputes.  He has prepared expert reports and has testified as an expert in a number of matters involving accounting and financial reporting matters in Federal, state and other regulatory agencies.  Before joining CRA, Tom was a Managing Director at Huron Consulting Group.  Prior to Huron, Tom was a Partner at Arthur Andersen in Boston and served as the Audit Division Head of the Assurance and Business Advisory Practice for New England.  He served as Audit Partner on numerous public and private companies in the high technology, manufacturing and energy industries.  Tom is a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kadant, Inc., a NYSE company, where he is the Chairman of the Audit Committee.  He was formerly a board member of BayCorp Holdings LTD prior to its acquisition in 2005.  Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin.

Roger W. Sant joined the Board in 2009.  He is co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the AES Corporation.  Prior to starting AES in 1981, Roger was Assistant Administrator for Energy Conservation and the Environment at the Federal Energy Administration.  He was also the Director of the Energy Productivity Center, an energy research organization affiliated with the Mellon Institute at Carnegie-Mellon University.   Roger is Chairman of The Summit Foundation and the Summit Fund of Washington.  He is Vice Chairman of the National Symphony Orchestra Board and Treasurer of the World Wildlife Fund-U.S. (which he chaired from 1994 - 2000).  He is a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, having served as First Chair from 2008 - 2009.  He is also a member of the boards of: the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; the D.C. College Access Program; and, Levitronix, LLC.  He was a member of the Board of Directors of Marriott International from 1994 – 2006 and is also the author of Creating Abundance – America’s Least-Cost Energy Strategy (1982).  Roger received a B.S. from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

George Polk joined the Board in 2009. He is chairman of the executive committee of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) which was founded in 2007 and works closely with NGOs and governments to promote good climate policy in Europe.  The ECF is the sister organization to the U.S. Energy Foundation and the China Sustainable Energy Program.  Polk is also the CEO of the Catalyst Project, which works with a small number of large donors to develop and implement strong philanthropic strategies to accelerate the world’s response to climate change.  He is a Harvard University graduate and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.