Policy Advisory Board
Rachel Carpitella |
Rachel Carpitella is the Director of the Sustainable Westchester Commercial HeatSmart campaign. |
Marvin Church |
Marvin Church has had an illustrious career in government, banking, transportation, real estate, community development, housing, and energy. He started his career as a banker managing more than $25B real estate portfolio for multiple financial institutions. Marvin had leadership positions in transportation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Associate Commissioner during construction of the Central Artery Tunnel and as Commissioner of Transportation for Westchester County in New York State. It was as the Regional Director of New York State Division and Community Renewal (DHCR) that Marvin made his foray into energy. He managed more than $66M of mostly residential development and Weatherization Programs in New York City, Westchester, Suffolk, Nassau, and Rockland Counties. Marvin continued his energy career as a founding member of Comrie Enterprises, LLC, a consultant firm where he works as a senior energy advisor performing marketing, project financing, and construction management for his clients. He has worked with both NYSERDA and utility programs. Marvin currently serves on several energy boards working to devise solutions in light of Con Edison’s Gas Moratorium in Southern Westchester. |
Joanne Coons |
Joanne Coons teaches science at Hudson Valley Community College and is the Capital Region Section Chair for the New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES). NYSES is an organization that encourages the understanding and use of solar energy technologies through public outreach, offers sound technical knowledge and provides a forum to address critical regional and state issues relating to solar energy solutions. NYSES addresses the energy usage of all segments of society by increasing awareness of the benefits of renewables, including geothermal heat pump technology. |
Jack DiEnna |
John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr, the Executive Director and Founder of the Geothermal National & International Initiative (GEO-NII), is a business development and marketing professional with over forty years' combined experience in the electric utility and the renewable energy industries. |
Jay Egg |
Jay Egg formed EggGeothermal in 1990 to provide geothermal HVAC systems and consultation services for a variety of public and private clients. He is a technical advisor to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the State University of New York (SUNY). |
Rob Jensen |
Robert Jensen is the founder of Agreenability, a company devoted to the development and sales of high-efficiency ground loop heat exchangers for geothermal heat pumps since 2010. |
Ron Kamen |
Ron Kamen is the Founder & CEO of EarthKind Energy Consulting. It is a 20-year-old consulting firm that represents businesses, governments, communities and non-profits in clean energy transformations annually saving clients hundreds of millions of dollars - and eliminating megatons of carbon. |
Joe Parsons |
Joe Parsons has worked in the renewables and environment industry for over 40 years. With a focused expertise on geothermal heat pumps, Joe brought his knowledge and skills to ClimateMaster, as Residential Product Manager where he is responsible for both product planning and product marketing. Prior to his move to ClimateMaster, Joe was president and CEO of EarthLinked Technologies. Throughout his career he has remained active in geothermal industry related activities and was a founding member of NY-GEO. In 2014 he was elected to the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) board of directors and served as its chairman from 2016-2018. He has served as an AHRI Product Section chair and board member as well as chairing ASHRAE standards committee SPC 194. Joe became a director of the California Geothermal Heat Pump Association in 2014 and currently serves as its Treasurer. Joe enjoys playing and collecting guitars, woodworking and spending time working out. He lives in Mustang, Oklahoma with his wife Diane and their two cats, Mocha and Vespa. |
Ravi Patraju |
Ravi Patraju is the Associate Executive Director of New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology (NJCAT). He is responsible for collaborating with state government, academia, and industry to advance clean energy and environmental technologies that satisfy regulatory standards and result in economic growth. |
John Rhyner |
John Rhyner has over 23 years of experience in the commercial geothermal site assessment and design industry and heads up the geothermal practice at CDM Smith, Inc. He is a licensed Professional Geologist and LEED accredited professional. Much of John’s focus has been on geologic due diligence, exploring innovative technologies, and commercial, institutional and educational system design and, most recently, multifamily developments and district-scale systems for utilities. John has a long history of advocacy, policy and education related to the transformation and expansion of the geothermal market in the NYC metropolitan area. He has been a trusted resource to NYC City Council, NYC Department of Design & Construction (DDC), and local A/E firms, and was the primary author of the 2013 update of DDC’s Geothermal Heat Pump Manual. John co-founded the Long Island Geothermal Energy Organization and is a founding member of NY-GEO. He is a Past Member of the Urban Green Council Advancing Electrification Advisory Committee and the ACEC-NYC Energy Code Committee, and is a current member of the American/Canadian Bi-National Geothermal Standards Committee and the Sustainable Westchester Commercial Clean Heating and Cooling Roundtable. John earned his BA in Geology from Dartmouth College.
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Billii Roberti |
Billii Roberti is the owner of Green Choices Consulting, advising businesses and homeowners on energy efficiency and renewable energy. |
![]() Amanda Schneck |
For the past six years Amanda Schneck has been the Territory Manager at WaterFurnace International in New York. |
Noah Shaw |
Noah Shaw is Co-Chair of the Renewable Energy Practice at Hodgson Russ LLP, where he represents a broad range of renewable energy and energy efficiency market participants. |
Cary Smith |
Cary Smith is President/CEO of Sound Geothermal Corporation, a design/solutions firm with projects in 31 states and an IGSHPA Director. Cary is a pioneer in development of hybrid GeoExchange systems and community hybrid systems. He has designed over 20 district and multi-building GX systems. |
Samara Swanston |
Samara Swanston has been engaged in the practice of Environmental Law for more than twenty-five years. During that period she always worked to protect public health and the environment at the federal, state and local level. She was the first drafter of Article 57 of the Environmental Conservation Law creating the Long Island Pine Barrens Maritime Reserve Act and saving a globally rare dwarf pine forest. Samara worked for the Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund attorney and her work led to the creation of the Region 2 Environmental Justice Workgroup; she helped draft the 1992 EPA Environmental Equity Report and she received the EPA Gold Medal, the highest agency honor. Ms. Swanston was the first drafter of all of the local enacted legislation in New York City requiring the use of renewable energy, including the use of geothermal energy, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal energy and in-conduit hydropower. Samara is currently the legislative counsel to the Environmental Protection Committee of the New York City Council and a Visiting Professor at the Pratt Institute Graduate School for Urban Planning and the Environment. |
James Thomas |
Jim Thomas owns Thomas Geothermal Engineering, LLC, a New Jersey HVACR company. It provides system engineering design, equipment selection, program management, installation supervision, and startup commissioning for their designs. |
Tim Wright |
Tim Wright is Vice President of Sales for Enertech Global, LLC. He has been with Enertech Global since 2011. He oversees the company’s Customer Solutions, Commercial & Residential Sales departments. He began his career in the geothermal industry in 1988. Tim has been working to inform homeowners, builders, architects, developers & engineers on the technology, along with the HVAC contractors and distributors. Wright currently serves on the board of directors for California GEO Association and the Virginia Geothermal Heat Pump Association. Tim and his family reside in Ringgold, Georgia. |
Bob Wyman |
Bob Wyman is an Independent Energy Consultant. As a result of his GHP and renewable energy advocacy, Dandelion Energy (Home Geothermal) was formed. He is currently focused on dramatically increasing the adoption of GHP and other forms of Beneficial Electrification in the US and elsewhere. He also advocates for clean energy solutions in New York City such the elimination of No 6 and No 4 heating oil and the recently passed requirement that GHPs be considered for all new and retrofitted municipal buildings. |