Leadership

Michael Hart, CEO
Mike Hart founded Sierra Energy in 2004 where he serves as President and CEO. Mr. Hart developed Sierra Energy’s innovative FastOx gasifier to make waste gasification globally attainable, affordable, and profitable. Named a “Champion of Change” by the White House and an “Environmental Hero” by the U.S. EPA, Mr. Hart also serves as President of Sierra Railroad, a company he has expanded from four employees to over 100. Mr. Hart is a graduate of U.C. Davis, where he frequently lectures. Prior to founding Sierra Energy, Mr. Hart acted as a management consultant for FMC, NASA (Mars Mission), TRW, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, GM, ARS and Hay Systems and worked as a developer for Apple’s joint project with NeXT. Mr. Hart has also created a variety of software tools for analysis of future weapon systems and operational impacts, including developing advanced weapons systems for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marine Corp.

 

Torgny Nilsson , Vice President and General Counsel
Mr. Nilsson been with Sierra Energy since 2004 and has extensive intellectual property, corporate governance, and corporate finance experience. Prior to joining Sierra, Mr. Nilsson worked for various law firms and companies including Thelen Reid & Priest LLP, Gartenberg, Jaffe, Gelfand & Stein LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and NASA. After earning two B.A. degrees from the University of California, Davis, Mr. Nilsson received his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Santa Clara Law Review and received the American Jurisprudence Award. Mr. Nilsson has also completed studies in comparative law at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

David Magaw, Executive Vice President
Mr. Magaw has extensive experience in the electric power industry, as an engineer, a staff attorney, as Manager of Power Marketing for a federal power agency Western States Power, and as a partner with Henwood Energy. He has worked with electric and water utilities in maintenance, construction, power marketing, regulation, and power and facility contracts since 1974.

The Honorable Paula Stern, Chief of Overseas Markets
A former chairwoman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and distinguished scholar, The Honorable Paula Stern founded The Stern Group, Inc. in 1988 and leads its practice, serving national and multi-national companies and organizations on business, political and technological issues that affect their competitiveness in a global economy.

Ted Harris, Government Consultant
Mr. Harris has extensive experience working with local, state, and federal government entities and has proven expertise in environmental policy and strategy to successfully resolve environment, energy, and development issues. Harris has expertise in: attaining air and water quality regulatory solutions, developing successful strategies to grow and finance green companies, creating green communication strategies, and assisting clients with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA guidance).

Tony Brunello, Government Consultant
Mr. Brunello has over 15 years of experience in leading public and private entities through complex state, national and international climate change, renewable energy and greenhouse gas mitigation policies such as California’s Global Warming Solution’s Act (AB 32) and the state Renewable Portfolio Standard. Until recently, Brunello served under Governor Schwarzenegger as the California Natural Resources Agency’s Deputy Secretary for Energy and Climate Change.

 

Daniel Mark Dodd, Vice President, Engineering
Mr. Dodd earned a Masters of Engineering, with first class honours, in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the University of Bristol in England. Prior to joining Sierra Energy, Mr. Dodd’s professional experience included engineering work for Goodrich Aerospace Corp., Bridgestone UK Ltd., Atkins Engineering Consultants, The European Space Agency (ESA) and Tidal Generation Ltd. In 2003 Mr. Dodd was awarded the prestigious Engineering Leadership Award Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, England.

Rod Sidwell, Process Engineer
Mr. Sidwell brings more than 20 years of experience to Sierra Energy. Prior to joining Sierra Energy, he worked as Sr. Process Engineer for Ze-gen, a company developing a molten-metal gasification technology. His work centered on gasifier development, slag fluidization, mass-energy balances, and interpretation of experiment results. Prior to joining Ze-gen in 2009, he was a Sr. Application Engineer for Catalytic Solutions, developing catalyst test rigs and providing field support of SCR installations. Prior to attaining his Ph.D. in 2003 he worked at the Idaho National Engineering lab for Argonne National Laboratory. Sidwell has published a number of articles on thermodynamics of high temperature fuel cells, catalytic combustion, and holds a patent on novel methods of hydrogen separation using ceramic membranes.

Laura Carroll, P.E., Manager, Projects and Engineering
Ms. Carroll earned a Civil Engineering degree from University of California, Davis, with some additional coursework at University of Sussex in Brighton, England.  Obtaining her professional license in 2010, Ms. Carroll brings well-rounded experience from the civil and environmental engineering field including work and study in the areas of renewable energy, air quality, climate change effects, land development, and utility planning.

Alex Loulier, Chemical Engineer
Mr. Loulier earned a Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Mr. Loulier brings experience in the chemical engineering field with knowledge in thermodynamics, CO₂ capture, and simulation and optimization of processes. Before joining Sierra Energy, Loulier’s professional experience included work for BP, Jordan Phosphate Mines, and University of California, Davis.

Tom Loftus, Chief Financial Operator, Consultant
Mr. Loftus is a Principal with The Seneca Group LLC, headquartered in Washington, DC. At Seneca, he focuses on financial and investment analysis engagements and business planning projects for public and private entities in the rail sector. He has worked on a number of international engagements, serving most recently as a senior financial expert on a team supporting efforts to improve the finances and operations of the government-held railway companies of Romania. Prior to joining Seneca Group, Loftus was Chief Financial Officer of Vectora Transportation, a third-party logistics company serving the wind energy industry. Loftus has a Masters of Business Administration in finance from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.

Rashael Parker, Director of Marketing
Ms. Parker brings over a decade of experience in design and communications to the Sierra Energy Team. Prior to Sierra Energy she led a team of designers and developers as the creative director and co-owner of Studio66, a graphic design and web development firm in Davis. In which time she worked with clients such as: Target Corp., AllState Insurance, UC Davis, Regency Centers, and many other companies nation-wide. She has also held design and communication positions in the television and publishing industries. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in graphic design from California State University, Sacramento.

Bowley Joo, Financial Analyst, Consultant
Ms. Joo earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Technology Management from University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mandarin & Rhetoric, with first class honors from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Prior to Sierra Energy, she worked for ExxonMobil, managing fuels operations across South East Asia and Hong Kong regions, where she gained international perspectives in the oil and gas industry. Joo has been involved in renewable energy additional experience working for one of the world’s largest nuclear radiation technologies companies, Mirion Technologies, and for University of California, Davis Energy Efficiency Center.

Dr. David H. Wakelin
Dr. Wakelin received his B.Sc and Ph.D degrees in engineering metallurgy from Imperial College, University of London. He has been employed by LTV Steel Company, and its predecessors Jones and Laughlin, his entire career. He began as a Research Engineer in the steelmaking group at the Graham Research Laboratory in Pittsburgh in 1966. After transferring to Development Engineering in 1974, he became Supervisor of Ironmaking Engineering in 1979. Upon the merger of Republic Steel with LTV Steel in 1984, he assumed his current position of Manager, Development Engineering-Primary. Dr. Wakelin has authored numerous papers on iron and steelmaking and is the holder of a patent for the manufacture of high chromium steels. He is a member of AISE, Eastern States Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Association, and the Iron and Steel Society of AIME, for whom he has lectured on blast furnace topics at continuing education courses. He served as Chairman of the Ironmaking Division of ISS from 1995-96 and was a member of the ISS Board of Directors from 1995 to 1997.

Dr. Wei-Kao Lu
Professor Emeritus, University of McMaster, Canada
Dr. Lu received his B.S. from National Cheng-Kung University and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lu holds the position of Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University, Canada where he is engaged in research into heterogeneous kinetics and mechanisms of ironmaking reactions in blast furnaces and rotary hearth furnace, carbonization, reducibilities of iron ore agglomerates, melting of DRI and HBI, and waste oxide recycling. Dr. Lu has authored numerous papers on iron and steelmaking and received the Josef S. Kapitan Ironmaking Best Paper Award from the Association for Iron and Steel Technology in 2007 for a paper entitled “Blast Furnace Performance and Tuyere Practice at Stelco Hamilton No. 5 Blast Furnace”, Indianapolis, Indiana, May 2007.