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.
Alexandra (Alex) Goldstein, Co-Founder & Director of Business Development
Prior to co-founding Ambient Fuels, Alex spent over a decade as a research and investment professional. Today she leads all areas of new investment and partnerships for Ambient Fuels and provides operational support for the entire team.
Alex previously served as a member of the founding team of Manor Road Capital, a long/short equity hedge fund, and later joined the corporate strategy and M&A team of Buck Global, an H.I.G. Capital portfolio company. Alex received her A.B. in History from Princeton, where she wrote her senior thesis on the history of Middle East energy security. Alex is an avid classical violinist and member of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. She lives in Manhattan NY with her husband and daughter.
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.
Don Cuffel, Senior Advisor for Refining and HSE Affairs
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.
