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 Byrne is Founder and CEO of CleanCapital, a leading independent power producer focused on middle market solar and energy storage across the United States. Founded in 2015, alongside co-founders, Thomas set out with a goal of capitalizing the clean energy transition. Today, he has led CleanCapital’s growth into one the largest investors and owners of distributed solar and battery generation projects in the US with a footprint reaching 23 states and one US territory. Headquartered in New York, CleanCapital has built a team of over 75 professionals and has secured backing from top-tier financial partners over time, including BlackRock, CarVal Investors, and, most recently, John Hancock. The company works alongside leading institutions such as Rabobank, Wells Fargo, CIT, and PJT Partners to deploy capital efficiently into the clean energy sector. To date, CleanCapital has deployed over $1 billion in capital into solar and energy storage projects. Prior to founding CleanCapital, Thomas was a project finance attorney at top law firms before becoming a partner at a clean energy investment fund in Connecticut. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law. Beyond his professional endeavors, Thomas is deeply engaged in philanthropy and community service. He and his wife, Julie, have been actively involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) since 2012, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of research and advocacy following their daughter Anna’s diagnosis with CF. He served on the board of CFF’s New York Chapter from 2021 to 2024. Additionally, he has contributed to his community through leadership roles, including serving on the council of Emanuel Lutheran Church and currently serving on the board of the Pleasantville youth sports organization. Thomas has been recognized for his contributions to the clean energy industry, including being named one of New York’s “Trailblazers in Clean Energy”, Renewable Energy World’s Solar 40 Under 40 list throughout in his career. He resides in New York with his wife and their three children, Anna, Connor, and Sarah.
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.
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.
Director, Development Origination
Evan is responsible for new site acquisitions for CleanCapital’s growing development portfolio. He leads the company’s efforts to lease and purchase suitable land for solar and energy storage projects, and works closely with CleanCapital’s landowner partners to develop strong and durable relationships.
Evan brings over 15 years of experience in the clean energy industry. He served as Chief Operating Officer at Thule Energy Storage (now Ice Energy); prior to that, he was a Director at energy storage pioneer Calmac Manufacturing Corp., then served as Calmac’s co-head of North American Sales following its acquisition by Trane Technologies. He started his career as an M&A Associate at a small boutique investment bank before pursuing his passion in sustainable energy. Evan is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Business School.
Senior Director of Engineering
Mr. Berkow is an experienced power engineering professional specializing in solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, and substations in the US and internationally. He has worked for independent power producers, utility consultants, and research laboratories. He has supported a wide array of clients including developers, IPPs, banks, investment funds, global development funds, and electric utilities. He has experience in the planning, development, engineering, procurement, project management, cost estimation, and construction of wind plants, PV plants, battery storage systems, substations, and transmission lines. He has supported projects in North America, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Northern Europe, and Australia.
Senior Director of Business Development
Thomas is the Senior Director of Business Development at CleanCapital, where he leads commercial strategies, partnerships, and project origination efforts. With over a decade of experience in the renewable energy industry, he has held key leadership roles, most recently serving as the Director of Business Development & Partnerships at Calibrant Energy, a joint venture between Macquarie and Siemens. Prior to that, Thomas was the Chief Commercial Officer at Kenyon Energy (acquired by Calibrant Energy) and Executive Vice President at Bay4 Energy (acquired by NAES). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business, graduating magna cum laude from Rollins College, and an MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins, with dual concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship.
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.
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.
Director, Policy & Market Development
Scott Elias serves as Director of Policy and Market Development at CleanCapital, where he directs the company’s federal and state government engagement strategy. Scott oversees legislative and regulatory initiatives in key markets, ensuring CleanCapital stays at the forefront of policy developments shaping the clean energy industry. Previously, Scott was the Director of Mid-Atlantic State Affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), where he spearheaded legislative and regulatory advocacy in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. His leadership advanced solar and energy storage policies across the Mid-Atlantic, driving meaningful progress for the clean energy industry. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, an alumni of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, and currently resides in Washington, DC.
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.
Director of BD/Offtake
Jessica Johnson began her 15-year career in energy at Florida Power & Light, where she held a range of roles across Power Generation, Integrated Supply Chain, Product Management, and Channel Sales. In 2019, Jessica transitioned from the traditional utility sector to the renewable energy space, joining the Origination team at NextEra Energy Resources. Over the next five years, she partnered with numerous commercial and industrial customers across North America to develop and implement decarbonization and waste reduction strategies. Her work focused on structuring virtual and physical power purchase agreements (VPPAs and PPAs) for both onsite and offsite solar and energy storage solutions. In early 2025, Jessica joined CleanCapital as Director of Offtake, where she continues to drive renewable energy adoption through innovative offtake strategies. Originally from North Carolina, Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution, Supply Chain, and Business from East Carolina University.
Head of Accounting
As Head of Accounting, 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.
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.
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.
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.