OUR TEAM
Jacob Susman, Co-Founder & CEO
Jacob Susman is a clean economy business builder, investor, and thought leader who has been developing and originating renewable energy projects for over 20 years.
Jacob has decades of experience as a finance professional and project developer with a global power sector network. He is a successful clean energy founder-CEO, having built and led OwnEnergy, a wind energy mid-market leader, from inception to exit. He has also been instrumental in renewable energy investments and projects as an investor at Goldman Sachs and an executive at EDF Renewables.
With Jigar Shah, Jacob co-founded Cleantech Leaders Roundtable (CTLR), a private community of business leaders working to combat climate change and build a thriving clean economy. He currently serves as CTLR’s Board President. Jacob is also a board member of REpowering Schools. He previously served on the boards of American Clean Power’s predecessor, AWEA, as well as the American Council on Renewable Energy. He was a founding board member of Clean Energy Buyers’ Alliance’s predecessor, REBA.
In 2010, Jacob was named to Crain's New York “40 Under 40,” and in 2012, he was an E&Y Entrepreneur of The Year Finalist. In 2013, Greentech Media named Jacob one of New York’s Top 10 Cleantech Leaders.
Chris Shugart, SVP Operations
Chris comes to Ambient Fuels with over 25 years of experience in renewable and industrial and energy projects including wind, solar, battery storage, high voltage transmission, and cogeneration. Chris is responsible for leading the development, execution, and operations of the Ambient Fuels’ project pipeline.
Prior to his current role, Chris was a member of the executive management teams at leading renewable energy firms Pattern Energy and Rev Renewables (LS Power). In these roles, Chris had diverse leadership roles spanning project development, construction, project operations, asset management, corporate operations, supply chain and construction management of renewable energy and storage projects. Prior to Pattern,
Chris worked in power project development roles at Calpine Corporation, including extensive work helping energy intensive industrial clients to improve the efficiency and environmental footprint of their operations. Chris earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Phoenix. He resides in Houston TX with his wife and has three children.
Kevin Lawlor, Technical Director
Kevin brings 26 years of experience in the exploration and production, midstream, refinery and petrochemical businesses to the Ambient Fuels team. Kevin is primarily responsible for engineering, cost estimation, financial modeling, project management, and operations aspects of Ambient Fuels’ projects.
Prior to his current role, Kevin had leadership roles in engineering, business development, operations as well as mergers and acquisitions in companies such ONEOK, Bear Paw Energy, Samson Resources and Fluor Daniel. Kevin holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and is currently enrolled in an executive education program at Harvard Business School. Kevin resides in Tulsa and enjoys traveling, hiking with his dogs, and yoga and meditation.
Devraj (Dev) Banerjee, Director of Renewables and Structuring
Dev brings over 14 years of experience in energy markets, sustainability, and corporate strategy, including 6 years in origination and power marketing of utility-scale renewable energy projects. Dev is primarily responsible for securing renewable energy supply for Ambient Fuels’ projects as well as sourcing and structuring green hydrogen offtake.
Dev came to Ambient Fuels from EDF Renewables (EDFR), where he sourced and negotiated offtake contracts for EDFR’s pipeline of utility-scale solar, solar plus storage, onshore wind, and offshore wind projects across a range of U.S. power markets. Previously, he spent more than 8 years in a variety of consulting and corporate strategy roles including work in corporate sustainability and electric utilities. Dev holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Brown University. He resides in Brooklyn NY with his wife and two young children.
Leanne Russell Fate, Origination Manager
Leanne comes to Ambient Fuels with over 12 years of experience in renewable energy. As Origination Manager, Leanne leads proposal development for green hydrogen offtake, manages the company’s CRM database, performs market research and analytics, and facilitates a transparent company culture.
Prior to Ambient Fuels, Leanne held project development and origination roles at EDF Renewables (EDFR) where she led the development of over 3GW of utility-scale wind and solar projects in SPP and MISO. She subsequently led RFP responses for EDFR’s pipeline across a range of U.S. power markets. Leanne served as Co-Chair of the WRISE Leadership Forum in 2016 & 2017 and now serves on the ACP Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.
Raised around the world as an “Army brat,” Leanne eventually planted roots with her wife, three children, and an ever-changing number of pets near Minneapolis, MN. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, bird watching, hiking, and snowshoeing.
Kim Sachtleben, Head of East Region, Business Development
Kim brings over 20 years of experience in the renewable energy sector including a wind, solar, battery storage and high voltage transmission. Kim is responsible for leading the strategy, development, and execution for Ambient Fuels’ eastern region.
Before joining Ambient Fuels, Kim was a Senior Director of Development for Pattern Energy. While at Pattern, she led the development of over 2GW of wind and solar assets and over 270 miles of high voltage transmission line projects, resulting in over $4 billion of financing. In this role, Kim held a senior role on the team that developed and executed Pattern Canada’s business which led to being the #1 owner of renewable assets during her time. Kim held strategy and development roles at Babcock & Brown and was a founding member of Superior Renewable Energy, which was acquired by Babcock & Brown.
Kim holds an MBA from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics from the University of Houston. She resides in Houston TX with her husband and daughter.
Greg Bostick, Senior Associate, Finance
Greg brings 5 years of transaction and finance experience across different energy sectors, including utilities, solar, wind, chemicals, and oil & gas. Greg is responsible for corporate and project finance for Ambient Fuels.
Before joining Ambient Fuels, Greg worked at Deloitte, executing over 40 M&A transactions for private equity and corporate clients. Greg was a founding member of Deloitte Houston Tax’s diversity and inclusion committee. Greg has also held operational and strategic roles at EnPower, Inc., a lithium-ion battery start-up, and Philadelphia Energy Authority.
Greg holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BBA and MAcc from Baylor University where he competed (and lost a lot) in track and field. He resides in New York.
Don Cuffel, Senior Advisor for Refining and HSE Affairs & Advisory Board Member
Don recently retired as the Director of Health, Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs at Valero’s Benicia Refinery and has over 42 years of experience in refining operations. He brings a depth of knowledge to the Ambient Fuels team in GHG and other emission inventories, process and occupational safety, project permitting to reduce emissions and regulatory compliance.
Don holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College. He speaks French, is an avid skier and lap swimmer, former classical pianist, and current photographer. When not traveling with his three grandkids, Don lives with his husband in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Barry Nicholls, Advisory Board Member
Gryphon Investors' Executive Advisory Board
Barry is a member of Gryphon Investors' Executive Advisory Board and assists Gryphon in evaluating and managing investments in the business services sector. He supports multiple current portfolio companies with emphasis on strategy, marketing, and sales. Barry previously served multiple companies supporting the utility sector, including as President and Board member of EN Engineering, a leader in natural gas and electric transmission and distribution engineering services; and CLEAResult, a leading energy efficiency program implementer. Both were General Atlantic portfolio companies. Prior to that he held increasingly responsible positions at Westinghouse and Siemens Energy for over 40 years, finishing his career as Senior Vice President for Power Systems Sales, and Lead Executive for the Siemens U.S. Power Generation Business.
Jesse B. Langston, Advisory Board Member
Retired Vice President, Oklahoma Gas & Electric
Jesse Langston is nationally recognized as an expert in the development and deployment of large-scale wind energy projects and deployment of innovative utility technology. He has served as an expert witness, testifying in front of regulatory lawmakers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Jesse retired from OG&E on December 1, 2015, after over 30 years of service. At retirement, he was OG&E’s Vice President of Retail Energy. His career at OG&E was marked by nationally recognized innovation and creativity.
In the mid-2000s, under Jesse’s leadership, OG&E acquired or developed renewable energy and fossil fuel generation, valued at more than $2B dollars; and OG&E became the first Electric Utility in the United States to own and operate its own wind farm. He also developed renewable energy agreements with OSU and OU which were models for other universities across the US and continues to benefit both institutions today.
In 2011, Jesse was chosen to oversee all retail customer functions at OG&E and he spearheaded OG&E’s system-wide deployment of an innovative “Smart Grid”, which dramatically expands customer options for reducing their electricity costs as well as OG&E’s ability to avoid or react quickly to outages. This first in the nation effort caused Electric Light and Power magazine to name OG&E its National Utility of the Year.
He has appeared as a guest lecturer at the OCU School of Business, OSU School of Engineering, and the Executive Utility Institute of the University of Idaho; and has presented in numerous seminars, including the Oklahoma Governor’s Energy Conference, The American Wind Energy Association and University of Central Oklahoma’s Black History Month.
Jesse has served as a Board Member of the Last Frontier, Boy Scouts of America, Board Member of the Institutional Diversity Development Council at OSU, Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of OKC, President’s Advisory Board for OSU-OKC, Board Member of Leadership Oklahoma, and Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
Mr. Langston was born and raised in Oklahoman City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1985 from Oklahoma State University and later acquired an MBA from Oklahoma City University in 2002. He and his wife, Loreta, currently operate or own interests in a number of businesses, including Langston Properties LLC, VorderLang Properties LLC, Buckhead Wine Cellars and commercial real-estate investments in Missouri and Florida.
Dr. Naomi Boness (PhD), Advisory Board Member
Managing Director of the Natural Gas Initiative (NGI) at Stanford University and Co-Managing Director of the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative
Dr. Boness is an experienced practitioner in the energy sector with a focus on using her background in reservoir geophysics and technoeconomic modeling to develop technology solutions related to natural gas, hydrogen, and decarbonization in both the developed and the developing world. In addition to managing the research portfolio, she teaches classes in earth science and energy engineering, most recently designing a graduate class on the Hydrogen Economy.
Prior to Stanford, she held a variety of technical and management positions at Chevron. Dr. Boness is also a Director at Aemetis, a renewable fuels company, a member of the Renewable Natural Gas Coalition Advisory Committee, and an advisor to a number of energy startups. As an advocate for women and gender equality, she is a member of the organizing committee for the Women in Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative.
Dr. Boness holds a Ph.D. in geophysics from Stanford University, a M.Sc. in geological sciences from Indiana University and a B.Sc. in geophysics from the University of Leeds.
C. Michael Ming, Advisory Board Member
President and Founder of Ming Energy Partners, LLC.
Mike retired in 2018 as the VP - Executive Liaison for Marketing & Technology for Baker Hughes, a GE Company. Formerly, Mike served as the original General Manager of General Electric’s Global Research O&G Technology Center in Oklahoma City. Mike previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy under Governor Mary Fallin, the President of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), and as an independent natural gas producer as a Managing Member and principal of K. Stewart Energy Group and K. Stewart Petroleum Corp. He holds a BS degree with distinction in Petroleum Engineering and an MS degree in Engineering Management, both from Stanford University, and is a registered professional engineer in Oklahoma.
At Stanford, Mr. Ming is an emeritus member and past Chairman of the Petroleum Investments Committee and co-sponsored the MAP/Ming Visiting Professorship on Energy and the Environment. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma and currently teaches in the Executive MBA in Energy program. He also serves on or advises several boards including the Central Oklahoma United Way BoD, chairman of Riversport OKC (formerly the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation), Project Canary, Ambient Fuels, Woven Earth, Energy Futures Initiative, EnXchange (GIP), Duncan Oil, and university industry advisory boards at Stanford, the University of Texas BEG, and OU. He authored the “Oklahoma First Energy Plan,” Oklahoma’s first formal energy plan in 2011. He is a frequent speaker in the U.S., in addition to dozens of countries around the world as a Society of Petroleum Engineers 2011-12 Distinguished Lecturer, on energy and energy systems. He received the Stanford Earth Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020. He also co-chaired the 2019 Oklahoma Academy Energy Townhall, served on the MIT Future of Natural Gas Study, and as a strategic planning advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Roxana Popovici, Advisory Board Member
Managing Director & Global Head of Renewables at CitiGroup Energy
Roxana Popovici is Managing Director and Global Head of Renewables within Citi’s Commodities Global Business. Based in Houston, she is responsible for Citi’s activities in physical and financial renewable products serving the firm’s global client base. Roxana routinely works with private equity sponsors, corporate clients, utilities, and investors seeking to meet sustainability goals or enhance the ability to finance projects by accessing commodity markets. Roxana joined Citi in October 2006.
Before joining Citi, Roxana worked for UBS. Prior to UBS, she spent time at Sempra Retail Solutions and El Paso Energy where she held various risk management, structuring and sales positions. Roxana holds a graduate degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Baylor University.
