Board of Directors

Dean Akey
Executive Vice President & Partner at Clone Capital, LLC
Dean is focused on expanding Clone Capital’s structured PPA and long-term hedge advisory and execution services. Clone Capital provides risk management and asset optimization services to power generation assets of 7,200 MW located in five different Independent System Operators across the United States.
Dean joined Clone Capital in 2020, bringing more than 30 years of wide-ranging experience in the energy markets. He is a pioneer in the field of energy marketing, being one of the first to market electricity into deregulated retail markets and expanding from there to work for utilities, affiliated power marketing companies, independent power producers, and renewable project developers. Dean’s experience includes leadership positions at Tyr Energy, Inc., Edison Mission Marketing & Trading, Aquila Energy Marketing Corporation, and Illinois Power among others.
Dean is a graduate of Illinois State University and a U.S. Army veteran. Dean enjoys people and recognizes the value of long-lasting business relationships. He has developed many over his years of work in this industry we have the privilege to participate in.
Dean joined the NAEMA Board of Directors in 2021 and he serves as the Vice President.

Jay Alexander
Senior Director, Power Origination – Tidal Energy
Jay has over 30 years of experience in the energy business, working for regulated utilities, IPPs, marketing companies and a bank. Jay and his team were brought into Tidal Energy, a subsidiary of Enbridge, Inc., to build out a power trading business to facilitate customer hedge transactions and credit intermediary opportunities. Their business covers all markets in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining Tidal, Jay was Manager of Origination and Mid-Marketing at TransAlta where he had an opportunity to grow a newly formed East customer business, leading a team of three Originators and focusing primarily on MISO and PJM. He started as a Distribution Engineer with AEP (Indiana Michigan Power), subsequently joining AEP’s Energy Services team in Houston as their first West Power Marketer. He held similar positions with Mirant and Xcel Energy before starting up Fortis’ West customer business, later moving over to cover East customers. After Fortis was sold to BNP Paribas, Jay joined Cargill in origination and mid-marketing before his move to TransAlta. Jay holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Jay has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2015, including serving two years as Vice President for the last two years.

Bret Estep
Senior Director – Business Development – Tenaska Energy Solutions
Bret is responsible for Mergers & Acquisitions and Partnerships for Tenaska’s distributed generation business (Tenaska Energy Solutions). Prior to this role he led Tenaska’s Renewable Energy Advisory Services group helping corporate clients across North America develop sustainability strategies and procure renewable energy. Additionally, he led Tenaska’s southeast US energy management services and deal brokerage activities. Prior to joining Tenaska in 2018, Bret spent 15 years with the Southern Company holding numerous positions at Southern Power and Georgia Power, including as Director of National Business Development, Manager of Business Development for ERCOT and SPP, and Generation and Siting Manager. During his time at Georgia Power, he held positions as Team Leader of Transmission and Capital Projects and Senior Biologist. He earned a B.A. in Biology from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC and an M.S. in Ecology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Bret has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2016.

Vince Findley
Managing Director – AEP Energy Partners
Vince has been a Board Member of NAEMA for the past 14 years.

Cindy Hammarlund
Energy Markets & Regulatory Compliance Manager – ALLETE Clean Energy
Cindy has been involved in the energy industry for over 21 years, beginning as a Transmission Scheduler then as a Real Time Trader. Cindy has worked as a Transmission Marketing Manager, handling overall MISO strategy and influencing interconnection policy and as a Transmission Project Development Manager where she led contract negotiations between Minnesota Power and Manitoba Hydro for the 500kV, Great Northern Transmission Line. Her current duties include developing and managing ALLETE Clean Energy’s (ACE’s) NERC program and overseeing interconnection and RTO policy for ACE’s nationwide generation portfolio from BPA to SPP and MISO to PJM.
Cindy has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2018 and serves on the Board’s Advisory, Bylaws, Membership, and Conference Committees and as Treasurer.

Craig Higgins
Business Development Manager – Southern Power
Craig is responsible for business development in the Carolinas, MISO, and PJM, executing Southern Power’s growth strategy through the development of new generating assets and remarketing of existing assets. Over the past 16 years, he has held various roles across Southern Company in Resource Planning, Generation Development, Renewables Development, and Pre-commercial Asset Management. Outside of Southern Company, Craig managed long term power supply for North Carolina EMC.
Craig graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech before earning his Master of Business Administration at Samford University in Alabama.

Chamroeun Kong
Vice President of Origination – ACES Power
Cham has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2015 and is the Chair of the Board’s Social Media Subcommittee.

Brian Moddelmog
Vice President of Strategic Origination - Calpine Corporation
Brian Moddelmog is Vice President of Strategic Origination for the wholesale marketing and trading operation of Calpine Corporation. He has spent the last 18 years in power industry, the last 15 years serving various commercial roles across Calpine’s US based portfolio. He is currently responsible for long term structured products and business development around new and existing assets in PJM, MISO, New York ISO and New England ISO.
Brian graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2002 with a B.B.A. and received his MBA from the University of Tulsa in 2007.
Brian joined the NAEMA Board in 2022 and serves as the Secretary.

Claudia Morrow
Claudia Morrow, Senior Vice President of Origination & Pricing – Vistra Energy
Claudia was elected to NAEMA’s Board of Directors in 2020.

Bill Nielsen
Senior Vice President – Uniper Global Commodities North America
Bill joined NAEMA’s Board of Directors in 2019.

Jim Richardson
Director of Energy Marketing – Avant Energy, Inc.
Jim has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors for several years, including three years as Vice President. He has served as NAEMA President since 2018.

Karyn Scanlon
Wholesale Power Marketing Manager – Manitoba Hydro
Karyn has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2012.