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 General Manager of Vineyard Power, and is responsible for conducting research, project development and membership development. Prior to Vineyard Power, Erik spent time traveling all seven continents and studied renewable energy systems in Australia. He currently serves on the steering committee for the Living Local Harvest Festival and is employed at Offshore Ale Co. Erik has a BSc degree in Science from Penn State University. He currently lives in Tisbury.
Kerry Downing is the Office Administrator of Vineyard Power, and is responsible for internal day-to-day operations. While completing her undergraduate degree, she was a summer intern at Vineyard Energy Project. After graduating Kerry worked as Vineyard Power’s first employee. She left MV to volunteer for ACE, participating with conservation projects in Northern California. Since then she has worked on corporate partnerships and energy efficiency at the Environmental Defense Fund. Kerry has a BS degree in Economics with a minor in Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability from Bentley University. She currently lives in Oak Bluffs
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.
Rex Jarrell is a Director of Vineyard Power. He is a lifelong resident of Martha's Vineyard and principal with his wife, Scarlet, at the Yoga Barn in West Tisbury. After 16 years in the construction trades, he turned to the healing arts of yoga and massage therapy and completed a BS in Integrative Health at UMass, Amherst. Rex has served on the board of the Martha's Vineyard Whole Health Alliance, most recently as President, and served two terms on the Dukes County Health Council where he was active on Rural [Medical] Scholars, Vineyard Health Care Access Program (VHCAP) and Youth Task Force committees. He remains a member of the board of directors at VHCAP.
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 professionally and as a volunteer in environment and natural resource issues at the state and local levels in Ohio for thirty years. Jan worked in administrative and finance roles at the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the Ohio State University and taught online courses in public management and administrative ethics for the Master's of Public Administration Degree in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University and Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), and several other schools. Jan's board experiences include ten years on the Board of the Ohio League of Conservation Voters. Jan is a homeowner in Vineyard Haven since 2002 and been visiting the Vineyard since 1995. She joined Vineyard Power during its first year.
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."
