About the Staff and Board
Vineyard Power Cooperative incorporated in November of 2009. Up until incorporation, the cooperative's launch and administration was being managed by the Vineyard Energy Project (VEP). Listed below is the current staff and board of Vineyard Power.
Board Member elections are held every August. Three (3) board members are elected each year and serve a three (3) year term. If you would like to nominate yourself, or another member of Vineyard Power, please send a brief bio to info@vineyardpower.com.
THE VINEYARD POWER STAFF
Richard Andre is the President of Vineyard Power and has responsibility for the cooperative’s start-up and management. Prior to his appointment, Richard was a founding director of Vineyard Power, a CEO of an international company, based in the Netherlands, and consultant to several leading private equity firms. He also brings professional experience in sales, supply chain management, project finance and strategic development to his work with Vineyard Power. Richard received a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and a Corporate Finance degree from the London Business School. He currently serves on the boards of the Vineyard Energy Project and the Martha's Vineyard Youth Soccer Association. He lives in West Tisbury with his wife Ina and son Nicolas.
Erik Peckar is the Executive Administrator for Vineyard Power, and is responsible for conducting research, project development, communications and database management. For the past 5 years Erik has helped a rural community in Nicaragua, obtain electricity with solar panels, studied renewable energy systems in Australia and aided HIV/AIDS patients in Tanzania. Erik has a BSc degree in Science from Penn State University. He currently lives in Oak Bluffs.
Taza Vercruysse is a Vineyard Vision Fellow and works in the Vineyard Power office. He is responsible for the website, data gathering, database management, communication, conducting research, and technical support. With past experience working for South Mountain Company, Taza is knowledgeable about solar and wind power, as well as sustainable building. He is currently studying Environmental Analysis & Policy at Boston University.
VINEYARD POWER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Paul Pimentel is the Chair of the Vineyard Power board. Paul was instrumental in developing the comprehensive business plan for Vineyard Power, drawing from his work as Senior Vice President of Engineering with NORESCO, an energy systems engineering firm. Paul brings more than 40 years of industry experience to Vineyard Power, including the development of a number of large-scale industrial energy projects. He also brings his experience as the former President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers. Paul holds a BS in Engineering and Applied Physics from Harvard College. He lives in Edgartown.
Ted Bayne is a Director and Secretary of Vineyard Power. Prior to VP, Ted was the Director of Application Solutions at XyEnterprise Inc, a company specializing in enterprise-scale electronic publishing. He has nearly 30 years of software engineer and industry consultant experience and has worked with many technologies including web apps, database, internet standards and consulted on publishing workflow. Ted received a BA degree from Harvard College in 1965. As a Vineyard Energy Project Director he is managing the VEP response to DoE Smart Grid Grant (SGIG). He serves on the Board of Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School and is active in the MV Dems. He lives in West Tisbury.
Susan Wasserman is a Director of Vineyard Power. She has a background working with communities and governments to maximize citizen involvement in solving local problems. She has served on boards of the League of Women Voters since 1969, on the board of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (most recently six years as President), as President of the Friends of the West Tisbury Library, as a member of the Island Plan steering committee and on the board of the Vineyard Energy Project and active in the MV Dems. She also has professional experience in journalism, urban planning, education and local government administration. Susan holds a BA in History from Antioch College. She lives in West Tisbury.
Ron Dagostino is a Director and Treasurer of Vineyard Power and previously a member of the Advisory Committtee. He is a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors and has held software development and technical architecture roles in the financial services industry since 1991. Ron holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a BS in Physics from MIT. He serves as the Treasurer on the board of the Vineyard Playhouse and teaches public speaking through Adult and Community Education of Martha's Vineyard. Ron is active in the local yoga community and lives in West Tisbury.
Warren Doty is a Director of Vineyard Power and previously a member of the Advisory Committtee. He has been an active member of the commercial fishing community on Martha’s Vineyard for over 30 years. He was owner and operator of a major seafood buying and processing company on the island and now is president of the Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund. Warren was active in organizing the Martha’s Vineyard / Dukes County Fishermen’s Association and today serves as its chairman. Warren is the current Chairman of the Chilmark Board of Selectmen and has served as selectmen for this small up island town for 12 years. His previous experience in elected office has included the Chilmark School Committee and the Chilmark Planning Board. He is active on the Vineyard Power Advisory Committee and has worked with the committee to amend the bylaws to make sure that members have certain powers so that members will feel that they are owners of the Co-op.
Bill Lake is a Director of Vineyard Power. He is currently the Chief of the Media Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. He was previously Counselor to the Administrator at the EPA advising on the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Bill Lake was also Law Clerk to US Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan from 1969-1970. He is a member of the Washington, DC and California bars. Bill holds a Bachelor of Laws from Stanford Law School and his BA in economics from Yale University.
Rosalie Kerr is a Director of Vineyard Power. Since 2010 she has helped to transform Dartmouth College into a sustainability leader. Before Dartmouth, Rosi was the Director of Sustainability at GreenerU. Her prior work included serving as founding Executive Director of Gray is Green, a non-profit focused on engaging people over 65 in environmental sustainability, and as Energy Advisor at Juice Energy, Inc., a renewable energy supplier in NYC for which she developed sustainability and carbon management strategies for businesses. Kerr earned her Master's in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Rosi has led and participated in expeditions in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. She is an avid rower, runner and cyclist.
Janet Foley Orosz is a Director of Vineyard Power. She has been involved in environment and natural resource issues at the state and local levels in Ohio since 1981. She is a Board Member of the Ohio League of Conservation Voters. From 1985-1990, Janet was the Assistant Director for Business and Administration for the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District and from 1981-1984 held the position of Departmental Budget Administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. She is also a member and a volunteer for the Vineyard Conservation Society. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the Ohio State University and teaches online courses in public management and administrative ethics for the Master's of Public Administration Degree in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPUI Indiana University and Purdue University at Indianapolis.Janet is a homeowner in Vineyard Haven since 2002 and been visiting the Vineyard since 2005. She has been a member of Vineyard Power since the earliest rate period.
Daniel Seidman is a Director of Vineyard Power. He is a member of the Tisbury Planning Board and also serves on the Tisbury Affordable Housing and the Ad-hoc Rental Assistance Committees. He is also the Director and Treasurer of the Dukes Country Regional Housing Authority. Prior to that he served two years as an associate member of the Tisbury Zoning Board of Appeals and served 2 years as the assistant treasurer for MVHC. He is the owner of Seidman Investment Portfolios (SIP), a registered investment advisor established in 1987. Dan has a BS from Indiana University in Business Analysis with a minor in Economics. He had been coming to the island since the 1960's and moved here permanently with his wife and two children in 2000. He has studied many aspects of conservation and alternative energy production and believes in "power for the people, by the people."
