Grid Forward Board of Directors

The Grid Forward Board of Directors represents the diversity of stakeholders: utility, industry solution providers, professional services, education, government and non-profits.

Experience that guides our mission to promote and accelerate grid innovation

Our Board of Directors manages the business and financial affairs and strategic direction of the organization as outlined in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Members of the Board have relevant leadership experience in the energy and utility industry, so their contributions will help support the organization’s mission of promoting and accelerating grid innovation. Board Members serve three-year terms.

Nominations from among members in good standing are considered by the Nominating Committee when notice is provided to the Executive Director, Secretary, or other members of the Nominating Committee in writing. Candidates are voted on by the Board of Directors. The slate of renewing and incoming members elected by the Board is then voted on by the membership in the Annual Meeting. Board meetings are generally scheduled quarterly. The Board may fill vacancies from resignation or other changes. Typically 2-4 members are elected each year.

Emeka Anyanwu

Seattle City Light (2020-23)

Emeka joined Seattle City Light in March 2018, and leads teams responsible for Power Resource Management and Planning, Regional Affairs, Customer Energy Solutions, and Electrification strategy, including Grid Modernization and strategic technology deployment. His team is leading efforts to evolve the utility as the operational and business models pivot to meet the current and future customer and community needs and expectations in the new energy marketplace. He has also served on the External Advisory Committee for the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at Iowa State University and is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions Leadership program.

Julie Desimone

Treasurer

Moss & Adams (2019-22)

Julie leads the Power & Utilities National Practice for Moss Adams LLP, and has been providing auditing, accounting, and consulting services since 2000. Some of her specific areas of focus include: advanced utility accounting, regulatory assets and liabilities, technical auditing (including single audits), contracting, business feasibility studies, internal control evaluation, litigation support, and relationship management. Julie currently serves on the Moss Adams’s Executive Council, training and development committee, audit task force, and recruiting program. In addition, she serves as an AICPA peer reviewer and is a regular speaker on technical and operational issues related to the energy and utility industry.

Jackie Flowers

Tacoma Public Utilities (2020-23)

Jackie assumed the role of CEO/Director of Tacoma Public Utilities on August 1, 2018. She is the first female to be permanently appointed to the position. Jackie is active in implementation strategies associated with TPUs utility modernization vision with the goal of integrating technology and fostering innovation to deliver affordable, flexible, secure, resilient, and sustainable power and water services. Jackie spent 13 years as general manager of Idaho Falls Power. During her tenure, the utility participated in the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration project, exploring benefits of smart grid technology in seven key areas. Jackie is a Registered Professional Civil Engineer with 27 years of professional experience, 19 of which have involved managing public utilities. She has long list of organizations she has been involved with, serving on many boards and often in leadership positions.

Scott Harden

Board Chair

Microsoft Energy (2017-22)

As Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft’s worldwide energy industry team, Scott serves as a trusted advisor to Microsoft’s top energy customers, driving thought leadership that will shape industry, competition and solution strategies, strong industry partnerships, as well as long-term, sustainable growth for both Microsoft and key accounts. Working closely with Microsoft primary stakeholders including account teams, marketing, and engineering, Scott guides the industry product and service strategies as well as Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. Prior to Microsoft, Scott held several technology leadership positions providing advisory and delivery services to architect and deploy advanced technology solutions for the power utility industry including advanced analytics, edge computing, machine learning / artificial intelligence and industrial data platforms.

Bill Holmes

K&L Gates (2013-20)

Bill Holmes is a partner at K&L Gates where he concentrates his practice in the area of energy and infrastructure projects and transactions with an emphasis on wind energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal, biomass, natural gas, carbon offsets, and energy storage. His experience extends into corporate transactions, water law, and real estate law. Bill also advises clients in negotiating major power purchase agreements, acquisition and sale of energy projects, EPC agreements, O&M agreements, fuel supply, and energy project development agreements. Bill has been selected to be included in the 2007 through 2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in Energy Law and Environmental Law and was selected as a “leader in the field” by Chambers Global (Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy – USA), 2011. He was also named the Best Lawyers 2011 Portland, and Oregon Energy Lawyer of the Year. Bill is an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon Law School, where he taught one of the first renewable energy law courses in the nation from 2008 through 2012.

Marissa Hummon

Utilidata (2019-2022)

Marissa joined Utilidata in 2018 as Chief Technology Officer, responsible for the company’s technology research, product development, deployment, and engineering teams. She brings more than fifteen years of expertise in energy systems and grid optimization, having previously overseen product development for Tendril and managed grid modernization research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Marissa is a graduate of Colorado College and holds a PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard University.

Carl Imhoff

Pacific Northwest National Labs (2014-2021)

Mr. Imhoff manages the Electric Infrastructure market sector within Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy and Environment Directorate, conducting advanced electric infrastructure research and product development with the U.S. Department of Energy, state governments, vendors and commercial energy firms. In this role he is responsible for PNNL’s research and development programs on innovations in the areas of advanced power transmission reliability concepts, demand response, development of improved integration concepts for renewable energy generation technologies, policy and strategy for smart grid concepts, and cross-cutting grid analytic tools in visualization and high performance computing. During his 30 years at PNNL, Mr. Imhoff has conducted and managed a broad range of energy research. His technical work emphasizes systems engineering and operations in the areas of power system reliability, smart grid, energy efficiency, energy storage and clean generation. He has been actively involved in a number of electric power system organizations and bodies, including the North American Synchrophasor Initiative, the GridWise Alliance, the Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions, and the Western Electric Coordinating Council.

Josh Keeling

Cadeo (2017-20)

Josh brings over a decade of experience in analysis, evaluation and development of distributed energy resources to his role at Cadeo. He has a deep understanding of distribution resource planning and demand-side analytics—having been responsible for both as a consultant for Cadmus and as a manager for the Customer Energy Solutions team at Portland General Electric. Prior to joining Cadeo, Josh was a Senior Product Manager at LO3 Energy where he designed transactive energy solutions. In his five years at Portland General Electric, Josh lead distribution resource strategy and product development, helping to deploy a suite of demand response, pricing, transportation, and resilience programs. A voting member of the Regional Technical Forum, Josh holds a Ph.D. in Systems Science, an M.S. in Systems Science, and a B.S. in Economics, all from Portland State University.

Andy Macklin

Portland General Electric (2019-2020)

As director of Grid Products and Integration for Portland General Electric, Andy Macklin is responsible for the development and implementation of PGE’s strategies for products, partnerships, and emerging business models at the edge of the grid. Macklin joined Portland General Electric in February of 2018, having previously worked with PGE in a consulting capacity on initiatives such as smart grid strategy development, IT and cyber security programs, and strategic planning. Macklin started his career with GE Aircraft Engines. Macklin holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University. Macklin resides in Portland with his wife, Sharon, and two children.

John Gibson

Avista (2020-2022)

John Gibson, P.E., is Chief Research & Development Engineer at Avista, and leads the team that develops grid products and services for Avista’s electric and natural gas customers. With more than 25 years of experience in the electric utility industry, Gibson is currently leading the development of a shared energy model called an eco-district, which uses a centralized plant to supply energy to multiple buildings in an area referred to as the “five smartest blocks” in Spokane, Wash. This innovative model could transform how the electric grid of the future operates and help reinvent the utility business model. Gibson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical (BSEE) and civil engineering (BSCE), plus a Masters in Engineering Management. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Washington.

Matt Schnugg

GE Power Digital (2018-2021)

Matt Schnugg is a senior director of data and analytics at GE Power Digital, where he is responsible for the development and productization of analytics across all of GE Power. Matt focuses on delivering best-in-class outcomes to utility customers using the breadth of their data, with an emphasis on using both GE’s domain expertise and a wide variety of advanced analytical and data science-based tactics. Prior to his tenure at GE, Matt held leadership roles in marketing and engineering for the cloud at Microsoft. He was most recently a principal in the C+E growth + ecosystems group, where he led a team using experimentation, analytics and data science across the Azure platform. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where he was also a fellow at the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond.

Bryce Yonker

Grid Forward Executive Director (2010-2020), Grid Forward Executive Director & CEO

Bryce Yonker serves as the first executive director & CEO for Grid Forward. He heads up strategic development, programs and operations for the organization. Bryce was a founder and original board member and the initial executive director of Grid Forward. He is also the founder & principal of EnerTec Development, an energy advisory and consulting firm based in Portland Oregon. He is an advisor to multiple industry companies and previously served as the senior director of business development & strategy for Clean Edge, a leading clean tech market research firm. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and an International MBA from IE in Spain.