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 Secretary.

Jay Alexander

Manager, Origination & Mid-Marketing – TransAlta Energy Marketing

Jay has over 30 years of experience in the energy business, working for regulated utilities, IPPs, marketing companies and a bank. He joined TransAlta in 2014 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, serving as Vice President for the last four 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

For the past 31 years, Vince has worked in the power and energy industry in various positions within American Electric Power, including Distribution, International Development and in his most recent position as Managing Director in AEP Energy Marketing. His current responsibilities include expanding AEP’s wholesale power supply and renewable energy business to municipal utilities, cooperatives and investor owned utilities in both the PJM and MISO markets.

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.

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.

Dean Jones

Manager – NorthPoint Energy Solutions

Dean Jones has 43 years experience working in the electric industry. Over that period, he has held positions in power production, grid system operations, energy trading, and power marketing. Dean has experience working in MAPP, SPP, WECC, MISO, PJM, NYISO, AESO and IESO markets.

Dean has served for the past seventeen years on NAEMA’s Board of Directors. During that time, he has served three years as the NAEMA Vice-President and four years as NAEMA President. Dean actively participates in NAEMA initiatives and has served on the Audit, Tariff, and Conference Planning committees.

Dean lives on an acreage outside of Regina, Saskatchewan with his wife of 43 years. Sharing that space with them are five horses, one donkey and a cat. Dean has two children and three grandchildren, who all live close by. Spending time with family and friends is his favourite pastime.

Chamroeun Kong

Vice President of Origination – ACES Power

Cham has over 23 years of diversified energy marketing and trading experience. Currently, Cham heads up the origination group at ACES, providing due diligence and transactional support for an array of market-based products including renewable energy credits, capacity, emissions, heat rate options, long-term power purchase agreements, outage insurance, and tailored-fit structured products for ACES’ clients across the U.S. Cham holds a B.S. in Microbiology and a minor in Spanish from Indiana University-Bloomington and an MBA with a finance concentration from the University of Indianapolis.

Cham has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2015 and is the Chair of the Board’s Social Media Subcommittee.

Claudia Morrow

Claudia Morrow, Senior Vice President of Origination & Pricing – Vistra Energy

Claudia is responsible for wholesale origination of sales of generation in ERCOT, MISO, CAISO, PJM, New England ISO, and New York ISO. She also provides commodity cost forecasting of Vistra Energy’s retail electricity and natural gas sales and is responsible for deal support of Vistra Energy’s Large Commercial and Industrial sales including structuring, product development, contract language development and negotiation, etc. Claudia joined Vistra Energy in July of 2001 with multiple years of experience in commodities markets and has been involved in commodity pricing and risk management of the retail portfolio for her entire tenure at Vistra Energy.

Claudia was elected to NAEMA’s Board of Directors in 2020.

Bill Nielsen

Senior Vice President – Uniper Global Commodities North America

Bill is responsible for originating power and risk management products for Uniper customers serving load and managing wind, solar, and gas-fired generating facilities across North America. For the past 32 years Bill has worked in the wholesale power and energy industry in various power marketing positions with utility affiliates, independent power companies, and power marketing organizations. His focus is to bring value to both sides of the supplier-customer equation with various generation and market portfolios. He has served as a general management consultant and on a number of for-profit and not-for-profit boards, some of them within the energy industry. Bill has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Bill joined NAEMA’s Board of Directors in 2019.

Jim Richardson

Director of Energy Marketing – Avant Energy, Inc.

Jim has 33 years of experience in the power industry. As the Director of Energy Marketing, Jim is responsible for creating long-term value from the energy markets for both Avant Energy and the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA). Previously, Jim was instrumental in the start-up of The Energy Authority and for 20 years held a number of positions in energy trading, power marketing, and business development. He has experience working in MAPP, MISO, PJM, SPP, SERC and FRCC regions. His prior work experience includes 10 years of service at the South Carolina Public Service Authority and 6 years’ experience as senior test engineer for both Pratt & Whitney and Westinghouse Electric Corporation Nuclear Technology Division. Jim has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina.

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 over 27 years’ experience in the power industry. In her current capacity, she is responsible for long term bilateral power transactions in the MISO region and Canada, transmission and non-utility generation procurement strategies, wholesale power contract administration as well as the maintenance of regulatory relationships. Karyn has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry including strategic planning, deal structuring and contract negotiations. In addition, prior to entering the wholesale electricity markets she worked in various finance, information technology and project management roles. Karyn has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree as well as a Professional Accounting designation.

Karyn has served on NAEMA’s Board of Directors since 2012.