Board of Directors

Mr. Scott L. Carlton has a strong international business background and extensive experience within the finance and accounting functions in a global public company. He is currently the President of Tokai Carbon GE LLC, the US subsidiary of Tokai Carbon, a global leader in carbon-based materials, a position he has held since 2017. Prior to this position, Mr. Carlton was the President of SGL Carbon LLC for 10 years, leading a subsidiary of SGL Group-The Carbon Company, a leading worldwide manufacturer of carbon-based products with 42 facilities worldwide, including 12 locations in North America. From 2002 until 2007, Mr. Carlton served as Vice President of Finance and Controlling for the largest business unit of SGL Carbon Group, and in that capacity was responsible for the controlling, finance and accounting functions. Since beginning his career with SGL Carbon Group in 1994, Mr. Carlton has worked in a variety of accounting and financial positions at various locations within and outside of the US. Mr. Carlton holds a bachelor’s degree in financial management, masters of business administration degree and completed the Senior Executive Education Program at the London Business School. He has a strong background in finance, with particular expertise in accounting, financial oversight and reporting. Mr. Carlton also has insurance experience on both a domestic and international scale. Mr. Carlton is actively involved on corporate boards and in the community. He is also a Director of the Carolina chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (“NACD”) and is a registered NACD Governance Fellow. Mr. Carlton serves on the board of E4 Carolinas and the German Language and Culture Foundation of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Appointed to the role of Vice President Customer Accounts & Government Affairs in North America, Carl Fisher draws on over 30 years of extensive domestic and international experience to lead this organization.

Fisher began his career in the nuclear field in the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, where he was involved in naval nuclear reactor operations and managed instrumentation and control startup, operations, maintenance, and commissioning activities.  His global experience began when he started working for Duke Energy International in Hong Kong where he managed energy commercial development efforts in Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

For Duke Energy International, Fisher served in a variety of roles most notably as the Commercial Development Manager and then the Project Director for the Tasmania Natural Gas Project, which delivered natural gas to the energy constrained market of Tasmania, Australia for the first time.

Fisher joined Framatome in 2003 holding various management roles in Instrumentation & Control, Electrical Systems, Hardware and Product Modernizations, Engineering, and Customer Accounts & Government Affairs. During his time with Framatome, Fisher has implemented organizational changes and initiatives resulting in significant growth.  He recently led a business line which included Plant Engineering, NSSS Engineering, Electrical Products, Mechanical Products, Commercial Grade Dedication, Qualification & Testing, Inventory Management, the Nuclear Parts Center, SAFER, and Cyber Security.  Recently, Fisher assumed his current role of leading Framatome’s customer accounts, government affairs, and commercial excellence in North America.

Fisher holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Queens University.  He is a Professional Engineer and is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina.  In addition he is a certified Project Management Professional.

Fisher serves on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board, the UNCC EPIC Board, and the E-4 Carolina’s Board.

Lara Nichols is senior vice president, state and federal regulatory legal support for Duke Energy. Partnering with the company’s corporate and regulatory strategy team and state presidents, she is responsible for advancing rate and regulatory initiatives throughout the enterprise and updating regulatory models. In addition, her team provides legal advice on state and federal public utility regulatory matters.

Before assuming her current position in May 2021, Nichols served as vice president, nuclear and environmental, health and safety legal support for Duke Energy. She led the group providing legal advice with respect to the company’s nuclear power generation fleet, nuclear development and decommissioning activities, and delivering legal advice on environmental, health and safety matters across the enterprise. She also served as the secretary to the Nuclear Oversight Committee of the Duke Energy Board of Directors. She held this position since September 2015.

Nichols joined the company in 1998 as an attorney providing legal advice to Duke Energy’s domestic and international business segments on corporate compliance and corporate governance matters. She has served as deputy general counsel for Duke Energy’s nuclear department. She has also served as the chief state regulatory counsel for Duke Energy Carolinas, representing Duke Energy in a variety of issues before state utility commissions, including general rate proceedings, resource planning, generation and transmission sitings, energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards. Prior to joining Duke Energy, Nichols was an associate attorney with the predecessor firm to K&L Gates LLP.

Nichols graduated magna cum laude, with distinction, from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She holds a Juris Doctor degree, with high honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She also attended King’s College (University of London) in London, England, as a part of an exchange program.

Nichols is a member of the North Carolina Bar and the American Bar Association. She is a member of the board of trustees for the Charlotte Ballet and serves as executive sponsor for Duke Energy’s Charlotte Chapter of WeR1 for LGBTQ Equality employee resource group. She has served on the boards of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy (formerly Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont), Council for Children’s Rights and the Executive Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar. She is also a recipient of the James B. Duke Award, which recognizes accomplishments that create superior and substantial value for the company’s customers, employees, communities and/or investors, the Roberta Bowman award, presented for demonstration of professionalism, perseverance, passion, championship and respect, and the Mecklenburg County Pro Bono Service Award. Nichols and her husband, Steve, have two daughters.

Roy joined ElectriCities in 2009 as the Senior Vice President of Planning and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2011 before becoming CEO in November 2015. Roy has more than 35 years of experience in the electric power industry, including both public power and investor-owned utility experience. He began his career with Entergy in 1981. Following his time with Entergy, he joined Midwest ISO in Indiana. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electric engineering from LaSalle University.

Jim is the Principal of Nuclear Energy Advisers. He previously served as the executive vice president of business development for Atkins Nuclear Solutions which provides specialty analysis and engineering services to the nuclear industry. Atkins Nuclear Solutions is a subsidiary of Atkins Global which is a multinational engineering, design project management services company headquartered in the UK and employs 17,500 personnel in 300 offices across 29 countries. Jim is a 42 year veteran of the nuclear industry and provided consulting services to nuclear energy organizations after retiring from URS Corporation where he was senior vice president of nuclear energy programs for URS, leading the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and services for URS for domestic and international clients.

Prior to this, Jim served as president and CEO of Washington Safety Management Solutions (WSMS) LLC, a subsidiary company of Washington Group International, which provided specialty safety and risk management services to the Department of Energy, Department of Defense and commercial clients. Under his leadership, the business experienced significant growth, integrating the specialized consulting services of WSMS into a robust, full-life-cycle-solutions provider to federal and commercial sector clients.

Previously, Jim was president and CEO of Washington Group’s West Valley Nuclear Services Company at the Department of Energy West Valley Demonstration Project where he directed the efforts of a multi-billion dollar project for the first successfully completed solidification effort for liquid high level radioactive nuclear waste in the United States.

Jim began his professional career in the commercial nuclear power industry working for the former Westinghouse Electric Corporation where he held a number of management positions of increasing responsibility in nuclear energy systems in the areas of systems engineering, licensing and regulatory services for domestic and international clients in the nuclear power industry.

Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is an advisory board member for the University of North Carolina Charlotte Energy Production Infrastructure Center and serves as the industry representative on the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council.

Gary assumed this position upon Hitachi’s acquisition of ABB’s Power Grids business in July 2020. Previously, Gary was Vice President of Smart Grids at ABB. He leads ABB’s smart grid initiatives in North America and is the General Manager of the Smart Grid Center of Excellence in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gary has 30 years of Transmission and Distribution (T&D) experience, working for ABB in Raleigh the last 20 years in management, strategic marketing, and business development positions.

Gary holds BS and ME degrees in Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

To be added.

Since 2006, Bryan has led several transformative initiatives including increasing the number of generation stations nine-fold and creating a diversified portfolio generating 100% renewable energy, while reducing customer costs. These generation projects required the addition of significant new capabilities and resources across all departments, positioning the company for an even wider variety of future growth opportunities. In 2015, Stone stepped up to assume a dual role as the Chief Operating Officer of the largest private wastewater utility in South Carolina. Before Lockhart Power, Bryan held a variety of engineering and maintenance management roles at two Fortune 500 chemical manufacturing companies. He earned a BSEE and MSEE and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Weston Adams is the Co-Chair of the Nelson Mullins’ Energy Industry Group, where he practices Energy, Environmental, and Appellate Law. He served from 2004 to 2014 as Commissioner, and then Chairman, of the SC Conservation Bank, in which time that SC State Agency funded 250,000 acres of conservation easements in South Carolina. He was educated at Sewanee, Cambridge, and the USC School of Law, where he served as the Research Editor of the South Carolina Law Review. In his law practice, he has served as lead counsel on more than 100 appeals to the SC Court of Appeals, the SC Supreme Court, and the 4th Circuit in Richmond.

George Baldwin is a senior executive with extensive experience in identifying complex policy/management solutions, strategic planning, external affairs and building high-performance teams. Prior to establishing the Baldwin Consulting Group, George served as Duke Energy’s Director of Gas & Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Policy, and previously Managing Director of Government Relations & Sustainability for Piedmont Natural Gas.

Baldwin received his Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University, his MBA from Campbell University and his BSBA from Appalachian State University. Additionally, he serves on the E4 Carolinas Board of Directors as well as other non-profit boards in the community.

Jeff is a leader in mobility and robotics with over 20 years of experience ranging from research and development to program design, implementation and management. He has served in roles ranging from a product development engineer to vice president of Transportation Initiatives to CEO.

Jeff’s passion is creating positive impact to the human condition through the development and adoption of emerging technologies – with a focus on connected, autonomous and electric vehicles, robotic systems, and the supporting infrastructure. He is an innovative strategist with a strong understanding of how to integrate big picture vision with organizational goals, resources and workforce dynamics-delivering market based solutions with greater impact and ROI. He communicates effectively with all levels of an organization from planners and staff engineers to senior management. And is an empathic leader who builds, manages and mentors teams that successfully exceed business goals.

In collaboration with leading national experts and thought leaders, Jeff provides strategic, market based solutions for the development, assessment and integration of emerging technologies to businesses, government, academia and the private equity community. He helps organizations navigate the complex intersection of technology, market forces, regulation and the vast array of stakeholder opinions, perception and needs.

Jeffrey Merrifield is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, in the firm’s Energy practice and is located in the Washington, DC office.

Mr. Merrifield was appointed by President Clinton and reappointed by President Bush to serve on the five-member, Senate-confirmed, independent United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. During his tenure, which was from October 1998 to June 2002 and from August 2002 to June 2007, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission had a staff of 3,250 employees with a budget of $900 million and set all policies and rules that govern the safe and secure use of nuclear materials at the 104 U.S. nuclear power plants operating at that time.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Merrifield served as President of The Merrifield Group, LLC where he provided energy and environmental consulting, advocacy and strategic advice for companies, organizations and individuals. Specific areas of focus included management, energy market analysis, nuclear, fossil and alternative energy policy and deployment, radioactive and hazardous waste disposal strategies, safety and regulatory assessment and analysis, as well as public and government engagement.

Before working with the Merrifield Group, Mr. Merrifield was the Senior Vice President of Global Business Development with CB&I’s Power Business Unit. While there, he led a team of twenty-five sales and proposal staff to develop and win over $1.5 billion in annual sales, including the first competitive, EPC combined cycle gas unit in over six years.

Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President for The Shaw Group, Inc.’s Power Group. As a member of the Power Group’s executive team, he was responsible for overseeing the group’s external relationships including nuclear business development, customer relations, strategic planning, marketing and communications, as well as government and regulatory affairs.

Mr. Merrifield also served on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Ecology Corporation, which is one of the largest U.S. operators of both hazardous and low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. He served as the Lead Director and Chairman of the Governance Committee, and was a member of the Compensation and Audit Committees.

Sean Sexstone is Senior Vice President, Aecon Nuclear. He is responsible for leading Aecon’s Nuclear group with a focus on life extension projects, plant life maintenance projects, maintenance services, nuclear staffing and nuclear fabrication. In addition, Mr. Sexstone leads Aecon-Wachs, a strategic services and fabrication business based in Jackson, SC.

Mr. Sexstone brings a diverse range of global energy industry experience in both domestic and international sales, as well as operations and management, with expertise in project management, supply chain, product line management and commercial development. He is recognized in the industry for fostering effective client relationships and leveraging innovation.

Prior to joining Aecon, Mr. Sexstone served as Global Vice President, Power, at Chicago Bridge and Iron, where he was responsible for the company’s Power Product Line, and previously served as Director, Strategic Alliances, at Entergy Inc., where he was responsible for vendor performance and supply chain across the second largest U.S. commercial nuclear fleet. Mr. Sexstone has also held leadership roles at General Electric in transmission and distribution, power generation and nuclear power. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University.

I am excited to serve as WSP E&E's Global Energy Sector lead, helping lead the company’s efforts for Energy Transition for our customers. I have worked in the consulting Energy/Power industry for 22 years, leading strategic teams to deliver for our Energy customers. Directly responsible for annual client engagement targets of over $210M. My experience and knowledge is across multiple Power and Energy Transition markets including Microgrids, Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR), Renewables (solar, wind, energy storage), Hydrogen, Renewable Natural Gas, Transmission and Distribution (T&D), Decommissioning and Demolition (D&D), Natural Gas, Nuclear, and Conventional Generation.

Previously served as Operations Manager of the Charlotte Office of Wood, providing leadership for 225 employees in four offices (including Columbia, SC, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC) with revenues exceeding $35M annually. Grew sales from $19M to $39M in 2 years. 

Brian is responsible for the production of the Siemens Energy’s Generator product line in Germany and the Americas. Brian has more than 30 years of experience in the power generation industry and has held various management roles of increasing responsibility within Westinghouse and Siemens. In 2011 he was a key component in the transfer of Siemens former Gas Turbine facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to the Siemens Charlotte Energy Hub. Brian completed his studies in Industrial Management in Canada prior to joining Westinghouse Electric Corp.

Lee Mazzocchi is an experienced utility executive with 35 years in the electric utility industry. His tenure in the industry has given him an extensive background in various aspects of design, construction, operations, maintenance, customer service, project management, technology, research and development, innovation, supply chain, sustainability, and merger integration.

Mazzocchi is president of Pike Engineering, LLC, where he leads a national team of engineering professionals who serve electric, gas, and telecommunications utilities and independent power producers across the country with broad expertise. He formerly served as senior vice president Grid Solutions for Duke Energy, where he led the company’s strategy and program management for regulated electric transmission and distribution investments. He was Duke Energy’s chief integration and innovation officer from 2012 to 2014, Progress Energy’s vice president of supply chain and chief procurement officer from 2009 to 2012 and vice president of electric power distribution from 2006 to 2009.

A native of Cary, N.C., Mazzocchi earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Mazzocchi is, past chair for the American Red Cross – Triangle Chapter, past chair for the American Heart Association – Greater Charlotte Heart Walk, past chair for College Relations committee of the N.C. State – Engineering Foundation board, founding board member and past secretary/treasurer for the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, and past board member for  Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. He was also vice chair of the Electric Power Research Institute Research Advisory Committee, and has served as a member of the Edison Institute for Electric Innovation – Strategy Committee, and Edison Electric Institute – Grid Advisory Committee.

He is currently an executive committee member for the E4Carolinas board of directors.

Founded in 1945, Pike is a leading, integrated provider of construction, repair and engineering services for distribution and transmission powerlines and substations, with a growing portfolio of turnkey and renewable projects.

Tina Taylor is Senior Director, R&D and at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She is responsible for a diverse portfolio of research addressing the most technically challenging issues facing nuclear power. She leads the nuclear innovation team and is responsible for strategy, execution, and external relationships.

Taylor has worked in the electric power industry for more than 30 years and joined EPRI in 1997. At EPRI, she has worked in a breadth of areas including nuclear power, environment, sustainability, renewables and engineering services.

Prior to joining EPRI, Taylor specialized in chemistry and corrosion in nuclear plants, working as a senior engineer at B&W Nuclear Technologies and before that as an engineer at Northeast Utilities.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Tufts University.

To be added.

Bruce McKay serves as Senior Director, External Affairs for Gas Transmission & Storage (GT&S), an operating company of Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE). McKay manages a team of external affair professionals across multiple states responsible for the development and execution of strategies to advance GT&S’s policy priorities on state and local matters, media relations, employee communications, and philanthropy. McKay’s responsibilities also include overseeing GT&S’s stakeholder outreach efforts in support of the permitting of growth projects.

McKay joined GT&S in 2020 when Dominion Energy sold its gas pipeline and storage assets to BHE. Prior to joining BHE, McKay worked for Dominion Energy and Consolidated Natural Gas since 1995. From 2006 to 2016 McKay managed Dominion Energy’s federal government affairs office in Washington DC. He began his professional career working as a legislative assistant for former U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick (ND) and legislative director for U.S. Representative Earl Pomeroy (ND) focusing on energy and natural resource issues.

McKay currently serves on the board of directors of E4 Carolinas. He is past chairman of various industry organizations including the Government Relations Committee of the Center for LNG, the Legislative Committee of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the Government Relations Committee of the Domestic Petroleum Council, and the Legislative Committee of the American Gas Association.

McKay was raised on a farm near Valley City, North Dakota. He attended the University of North Dakota, earning a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Public Administration.  He is married to Anne Miniter McKay, has three children, Justin, Campbell and Jackson, and resides in Great Falls, Virginia.

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