Greater DC Solar and Sustainability Summit

Tommy Wells is the director of the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). Appointed January 2015, he is chiefly responsible for protecting the environment and conserving the natural resources of the District of Columbia. Tommy’s team is comprised of approximately 300 environmental professionals collectively working to improve the quality of life for residents and the natural inhabitants of the Nation’s Capital. Most recently, Tommy served as the DC Councilmember representing Ward 6—a position he held since 2006. During his time on Council, he garnered broad support for his efforts to make the District livable and walkable for all. Tommy worked with the City’s leadership and, in particular, residents of Ward 6 to create a shared and respected place where drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and exercise enthusiasts can co-exist safely. Known for his neighborhood-focused development, Tommy championed efforts to ensure availability of public transit, including the construction of new streetcar lines and the expansion of the DC Circulator. As Chair of the DC Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment, he worked to double the city’s Capital Bikeshare program. In 2009, Tommy crafted The Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009, to implement $0.05 fee on disposable bags. This landmark legislation prompted thousands of District residents to curb use of plastic bags and instead opt for reusable, green alternatives. Seventy-five percent of DC residents reported a decrease in their use of disposable bags once the bill took effect on January 1, 2010. The legislation also established a fund to restore District water bodies, including the Anacostia River; support the distribution of reusable bags in the District; install trash traps; and provide environmental education for District students. These and other efforts, championed by Tommy, have helped position the District as a model for sustainable green living for jurisdictions nationwide. With a career in public service that spans 32 years, Tommy’s commitment to District residents--particularly children--is unwavering. In 1996, he led a successful class action lawsuit, LaShawn v. Barry, to address the city’s failure to protect children in its care. In 1991, he took the helm of the DC Consortium for Child Welfare, where he helped to create neighborhood-based family service collaboratives to coordinate the delivery of city and nonprofit resources to underserved District residents. He was the architect of a groundbreaking program to match foster families with children affected by HIV/AIDS and he led the drive to create the DC Family Court,–resulting in a 300 percent increase in the number of foster children adopted into permanent homes each year. A passionate innovator and student of cutting edge solutions, Tommy earned his law degree from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in 1991 and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He and his wife, Barbara, a writer and arts enthusiast, are residents of Ward 6 in the District.

Mr. Mundy oversees Oxford's Washington DC office with a primary focus on new business and is a member of the US executive committee. Mr. Mundy has over 25 years of real estate acquisitions, development, and operations experience. His previous leadership roles include being EVP at Equity Office Properties (the largest US REIT - $39 billion market value), CIO of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust and a Managing Principal at Rubenstein Partners. Mr. Mundy received his undergraduate degree at Boston University and his MBA at The Wharton School.

Martin Mellett serves as vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Jubilee Housing. He assumed that role in July 2016, after serving as Jubilee’s director of Special Projects from January 2013. In his current position, Mellett is responsible for promoting Jubilee’s interests on federal and local legislation that affects Jubilee residents or program participants. He focuses on legislation that touches home affordability, out-of-school programs for youth, re-entry for citizens returning from incarceration, and immigration. He lends Jubilee’s support to organizations working on these issues and brings insights from their experts back to Jubilee’s team. Mellett also oversees Jubilee’s effort to capture data on its initiatives, measure results, and adjust strategy and tactics accordingly. Highlights of Mellett’s work at Jubilee include coordinating the multiple processes—regulatory, short- and long-term financing, tenant outreach, legal, grants, and more—required for Jubilee to close on the Maycoft Apartments last summer; employing creative financing strategies for Jubilee projects; establishing and strengthening relationships with local public officials; and assisting the organization with an infrastructure review and redesign in the areas of human resources, real estate, and advocacy. Prior to joining Jubilee Housing, Mellett served as senior program officer at LISC DC from 1996 to 2013, while also serving as the director of the Community Development Support Collaborative. He also has worked on social justice issues for the Archdiocese of Washington, on immigration issues at his own law firm, and on education and training at the Arizona Farmworkers Union. Mellet has served on the board of directors for many nonprofits and currently is a member of the boards of the Housing Initiative Partnership, Joe’s Movement Emporium, and Caldwell Community. He was a member of the Leadership Washington Class of 2000. Mellett holds a BA in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a JD from Antioch School of Law, now the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.

As Director of Smart Grid & Technology, Small is responsible for advancing the development and integration of new technologies across Pepco Holdings. Her team works closely with other departments to translate policy and strategy into implementable projects and programs advancing the future of energy at Pepco Holdings. Her team also leads the cultural transformation of bringing innovation to life at Pepco Holdings. Based in Washington, D.C., Pepco Holdings employs more than 4,600 people, owns more than $21 billion in assets and generates approximately $4.8 billion in annual revenues. Pepco Holdings serves 2 million customers as the parent company of Pepco, an electric utility serving Washington, D.C., and suburban Maryland; Delmarva Power, an electric and gas utility serving Delaware and the rest of the Delmarva Peninsula; and Atlantic City Electric, an electric utility serving southern New Jersey. Pepco Holdings is a recently acquired subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s leading energy services companies. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC. Professional History Small has been in the energy industry for more than 15 years and previously served as Manager of Environmental Planning and Manager of Project Management. She was instrumental in the creation of the company’s Electric Systems Project Management department and overseeing execution of transmission projects through the complexities of the regulatory approval process. Her tenure also includes the implementation of a geographic information system (GIS) to manage company assets and key environmental and socioeconomic data, leading to streamlined and transparent project execution. Small created Pepco Holdings’ Avian Protection Program, which aligns the company’s electric operations to compliance with state and federal regulations. Civic Involvement Small previously served as the chair of Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) Siting Committee and has been an active EEI member in the areas of transmission siting and routing and avian protection. Small also serves as the Director of Pepco Holdings’ Engineering Development Program, where she ensures development, progression, and engagement for the company’s engineers. Throughout her career, she has engaged with numerous environmental organizations, such as Tri State Bird Rescue, New Jersey Audubon, and Wild Turkey Federation, creating programs and projects to advance the protection of natural resources and wildlife. Small is also an active member of several Employee Resource Groups. Education Small holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Soil Science from the University of Delaware, where she was also a scholar athlete.

Darien Crimmin has been in the business of sustainability for over 20 years. As Vice President of Energy and Sustainability for WinnCompanies and co-founder of Open Market ESCO, he is responsible for managing a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across Winn’s portfolio of residential properties. Combining technical building science with energy policies and entrepreneurial financing has Mr Crimmin has developed a wide ranging portfolio of energy projects, including megawatts of solar photovoltaic, dozens HVAC and insulation upgrades, water conservation improvements, and innovative energy financing demonstrations. Through Mr. Crimmin’s leadership, WinnCompanies has partnered with dozens of local, state, and federal agencies to promote investments at the intersection of affordable housing and sustainability

Internationally experienced energy sector executive and consultant. Has advised Fortune 100 corporations, the German, Swedish, Saudi Arabian, Turkish, and Indian Governments, The European Commission, The World Bank, and US Department of Energy (DOE) on Energy issues. Pranay serves on the Advisory Board of Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC), Board of Directors of Maryland-DC-Virginia Solar Energy Industry Association (MDV-SEIA), and is an Adviser to Washington DC-based Institute for Energy and Environment Research (IEER). Pranay has earned MS (Physics) and MTech (Energy Systems) degrees from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi; has worked as a solar scientist at the Technical University of Munich (Germany), and studied business administration at Stockholm University (Sweden).

Washington, DC, Office Managing Partner Jeff Lesk is as a nationally recognized finance attorney. He works with investors, lenders, sponsors, developers and other private and public industry stakeholders to finance high-impact, socially oriented community developments.

Jared Lang is responsible for integrating sustainability and renewable energy into affordable housing projects. More specifically, Jared manages the energy and water components of housing development projects, finances large-scale solar installations, and secures public and foundation incentives for energy projects. Prior to working with NHT, Jared was program manager for the National Association of Counties' Sustainability Programs, consulting to local officials on strategies for integrating sustainability into their building portfolios. He was also a sustainability consultant with Davis Landon, assisting developers in navigating the green building process. Jared holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, with a certificate in Real Estate Development from the Wharton School.

Joseph LeMense is the managing director of community development & nonprofit banking at United Bank, the largest headquartered community bank in Greater Washington. With over 40 years of experience, LeMense guides the Bank’s nonprofit business development and lending initiatives throughout the Bank’s markets in eight states and the District. He focuses on providing personalized financial solutions to mission-based organizations involved in community development, affordable housing, education, social services and trade associations. LeMense joined United Bank in 2004, most recently serving as a senior vice president of commercial banking. In this role, he developed and managed long-term lending relationships, primarily in the nonprofit, biotech and government contracting industries. LeMense’s areas of expertise include tax exempt bond finance, tax increment finance, Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) financing and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) and New Market Tax Credit (“NMTC”) financing. A fifth-generation Washingtonian and fourth-generation graduate of Georgetown University, LeMense is a board member of the Jubilee Housing Advisory Board and a former mayoral appointee to the D.C. Public Charter School Credit Enhancement Fund Committee. He is an active volunteer and advisor with the Georgetown University Alumni Club of Washington, D.C. as well as a guest lecturer at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. A 2015 graduate of Leadership Montgomery, Joe was also a charter member and past president of the Metro Bethesda Rotary Club.

Shariff Barakat is a project finance attorney focused on domestic infrastructure and renewable energy projects. He represents developers, sponsors, tax-equity investors, lenders and other stakeholders in the acquisition, development and financing of power generation projects.

Mike Healy is the CEO of New Columbia Solar, a District of Columbia based solar company whose mission is to make it as easy as humanly possible for DC residents and businesses to benefit from solar energy.  He’s been a fervent leader in developing solar policy across the Mid-Atlantic region, having been influential in the development, design and advocacy of the District of Columbia and Maryland RPS programs. He is also an experienced entrepreneur and business strategist who has played a key role in starting three successful energy companies. Prior to launching New Columbia Solar, he served as the founder and partner at Nextility Inc. and ConnectDER, inc. Mike has been instrumental in developing business growth strategies from start-up level to maturity, including originating more than 30 successful partnerships within the private and public sectors. He has a proven track record of developing a long-term strategy, implementing the tactics to maintain and execute that strategy, and delivering results.   Previously, Mike served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of SEIA and as Vice President and Policy Chair at MDV-SEIA. He graduated from Bethany College with a degree in Energy Policy and is a long-time D.C. resident who resides in the District’s H street corridor with his wife, Kelly and their two sons, Jack and Liam.

Aaron has more than ten years of experience in the energy policy and markets space. Prior to Greenworks Lending, he was a Director of Policy and Electricity Markets for SolarCity, one of the largest solar and energy storage developers in North America. He led national policy activities for the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) segment of the market. He focused on legislative and regulatory activities while building broad coalitions of partners and stakeholders. In addition to federal, state and local government affairs matters, he worked on project diligence and market development. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the energy practice of Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked on third-party financing mechanisms for renewable and energy efficiency projects, natural gas procurement, and energy-related legislative and budget matters for the U.S. Department of Defense. Aaron received his graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland.