Removing Barriers to Innovation

Julia has served as SEPA’s President & CEO since 2004, providing leadership and strategic direction for the organization. She is responsible for guiding and overseeing all of SEPA’s research, education, and collaboration activities for its 1,100 member companies and the broader energy industry.

Julia is a visionary non-profit leader at the center of the transformation underway in the electric power sector to a clean and modern energy future. For the past 20 years she has been advising and collaborating with utilities, solution providers and government agencies on business models, grid modernization, and clean energy policies, strategies and programs.

She has led SEPA through significant expansion in recent years, including rebranding from the Solar Electric Power Association to the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and merging with both the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid (ADS) and Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).

Prior to joining SEPA, Julia worked for ICF International where she supported EPA’s implementation of the ENERGY STAR program. Julia – a graduate of Cornell University – walks the talk, driving an EV and living in a PV-powered home in Northern Virginia with her husband, two children, and dog.

Phone: 202.559.2025     Email: [email protected]

Erika H. Myers joined SEPA in 2015 and leads SEPA’s transportation electrification research. She has 16 years of experience in the clean energy sector and specializes in the nexus between the grid, electric vehicles, and renewable energy.

Erika currently serves on an electric vehicle (EV) steering committee for the U.S. Department of Energy and is an EV advisor for the National Energy Foundation, a non-profit organization developing curriculum to increase EV literacy in K-12 schools. She was awarded the 2019 Public Utility Fortnightly “Fortnightly Under 40” award for her work on vehicle-grid integration.

Prior to joining SEPA, Erika worked as a consultant with ICF International where she helped electric utilities and local governments develop EV readiness plans. She also served as the Renewable Energy Manager for the South Carolina Energy Office and was a Clean Cities Coordinator for the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition. In these roles, she oversaw the development and execution of key state renewable energy and clean transportation policies, regulations, and grant programs.

Erika has a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina with a specialization in clean energy and climate science.

In her spare time, Erika volunteers for her city’s Energy Transition Subcommittee where she identified donations for the city’s first bank of public EV chargers. She also volunteers as a regular guest speaker for the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and mentors young professionals interested in a clean transportation career.

Phone: 202.379.1615     Email: [email protected]

Sharon serves as the Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer providing leadership and strategic direction for the organization. She is an executive known for business transformation and growth and has advised corporate boards, Fortune 100 companies, venture & private equity companies, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Institute of Standards & Technology, and many U.S. National Laboratories on their efforts to address the transformation of the energy sector.

Prior to joining SEPA, Sharon has driven double-digit growth in both small and large global companies. She has held roles as the CEO of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, managing director/partner, Accenture, president, Elster Integrated Solutions as well as executive roles at ABB. During her time as CEO of SGIP and president of Elster, she executed M&A, launched new software, hardware & service offerings and worked with the respective boards to drive the strategy and growth of the business . At Accenture, she advised top power companies around the world in the areas of innovation, transformation, and new technology

She currently sits on the advisory board of Enertech Capital.

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Hons) in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Duke University Fuqua Business School.

Phone: 919.414.2173     Email: [email protected]

Christine is focused on ensuring that state regulatory processes enable timely and effective deployment of technologies, partnerships and business models that help move the electric industry to a clean and modern grid. Christine joined SEPA in 2015 and previously she advised utilities on strategic and operational plans for programs, products and services that will drive integration of clean energy resources into utility resource portfolios and business operations. She also managed SEPA’s 51st State Initiative, a collaborative platform as an alternative to the contentious debates surrounding market and rate reform occurring jurisdictions across the US.

Prior to SEPA, Christine has had a variety of rewarding work experiences ranging from startups to working at a global sustainability think tank, to building an analytic program for a $3 billion operating organization. Christine presents on energy, sustainability, technology, climate and risk topics. Christine earned both a MBA and a M.Sc. from Columbia University and her BS from Babson College where she majored in Management Information Systems.

Christine has a love of travel, a taste for pancakes, an aptitude for technology, an itch to run and a desire to connect with others,

Phone: 202.753.8926     Email: [email protected]

Rachel Henderson joined SEPA in 2016 as Manager of Executive Affairs. In this role, she supports the SEPA Board of Directors and Utility Executive Exchange Forum, an executive-level group that provides opportunities for utilities to engage with their peers on the topics of distributed energy resources and the evolving utility business model.

Prior to joining SEPA, she worked for CSRA supporting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as Lead of the Program Management Office for a large IT contract. She has experience conducting public health research and implementing community-based projects in Appalachia and Cape Town, South Africa.

Rachel served as a Spring 2017 Fellow in the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) in Washington D.C., a leadership development organization dedicated to building a diverse community of professionals to advance innovative clean energy solutions.

Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Global Development with a concentration in Public Health from the University of Virginia.

Phone: 202.559.2032     Email: [email protected]

Prior to joining SEPA, Jennifer Szaro spent nearly nine years as Renewable Energy Manager for the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) leading their solar energy, corporate sustainability and electric vehicle programs. She also conducted applied photovoltaic systems research for eight years as Senior Energy Analyst for the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), a research institute of the University of Central Florida (UCF). Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science Degrees in Environmental Science and Chemistry from Florida International University in 1997 and holds an MBA from UCF.

She has served on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations, including: SEPA, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), the Florida Renewable Energy Association (FREA), Project Get Ready Central Florida and Drive Electric Florida. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Sciences and the board of the Electric Vehicle Transportation Center.

Phone: 202.559.2023     Email: [email protected]

Nick Esch joined SEPA as a Research Associate in August 2015 after interning with the research team since January 2015. Nick is the lead on SEPA’s annual utility data collection effort, leads SEPA’s Energy Storage Working Group and is SEPA’s subject matter expert on all things energy storage.

Nick was a Fall 2016 Fellow in the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) in Washington D.C., a leadership development organization dedicated to building a diverse community of professionals to advance innovative clean energy solutions.

Nick holds a bachelor’s degree in climate science from the University at Albany and master’s degree in solar energy engineering and commercialization from Arizona State University.

Phone: 202.559.1535     Email: [email protected]