And yes, we want to change the world.
Our team is made up of experts in finance, law, public policy, development, construction, operations, and marketing. What ties us together? Talent, hustle, integrity, and a shared commitment to leading the clean energy transition.
Based in Manhattan but represented in Washington, D.C., the Hudson Valley, San Diego, Buffalo, and all across the country, our team of more than 70 professionals brings decades of deep experience to renewable energy investment.
Chief Executive Officer
Thomas leads strategy and operations at CleanCapital. As an attorney specializing in clean energy financing, he saw how inefficiency was hampering the growth of clean energy investment and envisioned a technology-based solution.
Prior to founding CleanCapital, Thomas served as Partner and General Counsel at True Green Capital, a private equity firm focused on distributed solar investments. He led the financing of landmark clean energy projects including NRG’s California Valley Solar Ranch, Caithness’ Shephards Flat Wind Project, and Terra Gen’s Alta Wind Energy Center. Thomas is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the UCLA School of Law.
President
Jon Powers, President of CleanCapital, is a transformative leader with a deep-rooted commitment to advancing clean energy solutions. His journey began with the U.S. Army, where he witnessed firsthand the crucial role of clean energy in safeguarding national security. As Special Adviser for Energy, Jon pioneered initiatives that revolutionized the Army’s energy program, later assuming the role of Director of Outreach for the Energy Initiatives Task Force.
Appointed Federal Chief Sustainability Officer by President Obama, Jon played a pivotal role in shaping energy and climate policies across the Federal Government. Drawing from his extensive experience, Jon co-founded CleanCapital with a mission to attract investment to clean energy solutions that advance the energy transition. CleanCapital is now among the leading developers and owners of middle market solar and storage in the U.S. with more than $1 billion invested to date. A graduate of John Carroll University and Johns Hopkins University, Jon’s visionary leadership continues to drive innovation and impact in the clean energy sector.
Chief Investment Officer
Julia oversees acquisitions, investments, and underwriting for CleanCapital. She also strategically manages the company’s portfolio growth and revenue strategies while overseeing CleanCapital’s corporate ESG initiatives.
Julia began her career in policy with the New York City Mayor’s Office as a policy advisor before transitioning to practicing law as an energy and project finance attorney with global law firm White & Case LLP in New York City and Mexico City. Julia graduated from the University of Chicago and NYU School of Law.
General Counsel & Chief Financial Officer
Melinda oversees all aspects of CleanCapital’s legal affairs, including structuring, negotiating, and implementing the company’s investment strategies, as well as the structuring and execution of capital markets transactions.
She began her career in the non-profit sector, advocating for clean energy legislation with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). In 2008, she switched gears to practice law; first as an attorney at Chadbourne & Parke and later at global law firm White & Case. Her extensive legal experience has centered on representing investors and developers in energy financing transactions, including several award-winning and innovative deals. Melinda is a graduate of Colgate University and Fordham Law School.
Chief Operating Officer
Zoe is responsible for the management and optimization of CleanCapital’s growing fleet of clean energy assets; she also oversees corporate operations. Zoe and her team manage the full scope of asset management services to ensure optimal performance. The team thinks creatively on how to add value to each project and to grow our assets under management in the most sustainable and efficient way.
Prior to CleanCapital, Zoe’s passion for clean energy took her to Washington, D.C. to focus on public policy. At the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), a clean energy trade association, Zoe managed the federal clean air program and assisted with the international programs at United Nations climate conferences. Prior to BCSE, Zoe worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the Office of Federal Sustainability. She is a Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellow and a Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) committee Co-Chair. Zoe has lived and studied in Dakar, Senegal and is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Chief Development Officer
Paul Curran is the Chief Development Officer at CleanCapital, a diversified clean energy company, and was previously the CEO and founder of BQ Energy (BQE), which was acquired by CleanCapital in 2022. Curran founded BQE 20 years ago, where he became the first fulltime developer of renewable energy projects on landfill and brownfield. He is passionate about working with lower and middle-income communities (LMI) to develop renewable energy projects on polluted sites.
Prior to founding BQE, Paul worked for a large oil company, where he was given an opportunity to build a wind farm within the oil refinery. The wind farm is still operating today, providing a clean electricity source to the oil plant. Curran took his experience and began looking for brownfields, polluted sites, old oil refineries, and other places with an environmental footprint and history. He is devoted to his company’s mission: creating positive outcomes from polluted entities by taking sites that have no value to a community and transforming them into clean energy projects. His team focuses on structuring the sites opportunistically to attract stakeholders and communities. Paul is a graduate of Columbia Engineering and holds an MBA from Marist College.
Chief of Staff
Carly is responsible for developing and executing CleanCapital’s business strategy, as well as enabling the company’s continued growth through marketing, advertising, and public relations.
In past professional roles, Carly worked as Director of Communications at Bak USA, a computer manufacturer with a strong social mission; Executive Director of the Elmwood Village Association, a community development non-profit; and Marketing Manager for The Buffalo News. She received her M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo.
Co-Head, Investments
Winston is involved in all aspects of the investment process, including origination, structuring, and closing of transactions, and is separately responsible for the firm’s capital markets strategy.
Prior to joining CleanCapital, Winston was a Vice President at Silverpeak, a multi-strategy private equity firm where he worked exclusively on investments in utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects. Earlier, Winston was a Senior Associate at Fisher Lynch Capital, a private equity firm with $7.5 billion in AUM focused on direct equity co-investments in leveraged buyout and select infrastructure transactions. Winston began his career as a management consultant with L.E.K. Consulting.
Winston earned his BS in International Economics from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and his MBA in Finance and Energy & Environment from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Senior Director, Acquisitions
In her role as Director of Acquisitions, Laura leads project acquisitions and due diligence for CleanCapital.
Prior to joining CleanCapital, Laura worked at HSBC as an analyst in the Global Research and Technology teams. During graduate school she interned at Tesla’s Manufacturing Innovation team and at Innosight, a global strategy innovation consulting firm.
Laura grew up in Estonia and received her BSc in Economics and Geography from University College London. She also graduated from Yale School of Management and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a dual degree in MBA/MEM.
Senior Director, Business Development
Alyssa brings her deal knowledge, market intelligence, and business development experience to the CleanCapital team as she focuses on asset origination and acquisition.
She was first exposed to project finance and the energy space at Power Finance & Risk, a publication covering M&A and Project Finance for the energy industry. Alyssa was keen on being on the transaction side of deals, which led to a shift to energy project finance. Building on a long-held passion for renewables, she served most recently as Director of Sales for Safari Energy.
Nick is responsible for valuation, structuring, and execution of investments at CleanCapital and serves as an observer on the firm’s investment committee.
Previously, Nick was an associate at New Energy Capital, a clean energy private equity firm. Before private equity, he co-founded SparkFund, an energy efficiency financing company. Nick also has work experience at the Macquarie Group, ICF International, and Bloom Energy.
Nick is a graduate of Dartmouth College and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management where he earned the Martin Trust MBA Achievement Award and led the MIT Energy Club.
Senior Director, Asset Management
Tommy brings more than a decade of solar experience to his role overseeing the technical and performance aspects of CleanCapital’s portfolio of clean energy assets.
Tommy has a technical background and 10 years C&I and utility-scale solar operations experience at companies including Wood, PowerSecure, and Southern Energy Management. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University.
Deputy General Counsel
He spent over five years as an associate at the international law firm Milbank LLP, with the vast majority of that time spent in the New York office of the firm’s project finance practice group. His legal experience has included representing both borrowers and lenders in a wide array of innovative domestic and international project financings and M&A transactions, specializing in the renewable energy sector. Danny is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School.
Head of Construction and Project Advancement
As Head of Construction and Project Advancement, Alyssa is responsible for overseeing and managing acquired projects from the notice to proceed (NTP) phase through project construction completion.
Alyssa’s passion for clean energy was first sparked while studying sustainability abroad in Australia. Prior to joining CleanCapital, Alyssa worked as a Project Manager and Energy Industry Specialist at the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and has experience managing solar specific projects. Alyssa has her LEED AP BD+C certification and graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in Civil Engineering.
Controller
As Controller, Amy is the finance and accounting lead for the company and its growing fleet of clean energy assets. Her responsibilities include overseeing all financial reporting, compliance, year-end audit, budgeting and tax functions as well.
Prior to joining CleanCapital, Amy spent several years as a Financial Controller at ecoCFO where she provided accounting and financial consulting services to energy and environmental companies and projects. Earlier experience includes time at United Asset Management, an investment management holding company, where she serviced in multiple financial roles. Amy started her career in public accounting at Arthur Anderson where she earned her CPA and is a graduate of Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Director of Development
Brad has 24 years of experience in natural resource, project management and renewable energy. Across the renewable energy sectors, he has had a particular focus on distributed generation and utility scale solar projects. He has a Master of Science degree in Biology from Northeastern University. In addition, he is certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist and Geographic Information Systems Professional.Outside of work Brad enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include hiking mountains and sea kayaking, as well as photographing his adventures.
We are a leading renewables investor and asset owner with a proven track record of success. Our team of dedicated, collaborative professionals strives for excellence in everything we do—and we know how to have fun while delivering results. If you are passionate about clean energy, please check out our current openings.