Mark Dow - Vice President, Program Management, Lockheed Martin

Mark has spent the last 28 years in the aerospace industry working on a wide range of technologies and programs including national air defense, satellite ground systems, and missile/rocket programs. Mark started his career as a computer scientist, becoming a system architect, chief systems engineer, program manager, and industry executive. During his aerospace career, Mark became involved in developing strategy for business growth and how to apply aerospace technologies in related industries. In particular, Mark was a strong champion for applying the aerospace skill sets to the challenges associated with renewable energy.

Mark has had a life long passion for renewable energy technologies and how those technologies can be used to improve our everyday living environment. In the past few years, Mark has decided to focus his attention on turning his passion for renewable energy into a key part of his work/life balance. As a recent graduate of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Energy Execs program, Mark has seen firsthand how renewable energy can and does change people’s lives. Mark was recently elected as the president of the NREL Energy Execs Alumni Association and is excited about the possibilities this alumni group can provide to the renewable energy industry.

Mark is a graduate of Colorado State University, Pueblo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Mark has been recognized as a Mater Program Manager and is a graduate of the NREL Energy Execs program.

Rob Threlkeld - Manager, Global Renewable Energy Strategies and Portfolio, General Motors Company

Rob currently manages GM’s Global Renewable Energy Strategies and Portfolio of projects and has done so for 8 of his 13 years’ experience at GM. The Global Environmental Compliance and Sustainability Group is responsible for a wide range of support activities for GM Manufacturing Operations. Included are driving Corporate Sustainability Goals, Air/Water Permitting, Industrial Hygiene and Resource Management.    

To date, Rob has successfully implemented or negotiated long term power purchase agreements for over 40MW of renewable energy projects at GM facilities. He is actively engaged in the Solar Energy Industry Association, pioneering GM to join this NGO to demonstrate how large end users can support the deployment of solar. Rob is also actively engaged with other non-profits in the pursuit of driving sustainable living practices both at home and work, taking his vast knowledge on the renewable front beyond just the manufacturing world. Rob graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering and is a member of several professional organizations and holds the following certifications: CEM, BEP, CSDP, and CHMM. 

Shanti Pless - Senior Energy Efficiency Research Engineer, Whole Building Systems Integration Section Supervisor, Advanced Commercial Buildings Research Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Since Shanti joined NREL in 2000, he has worked with the Commercial Building Research Group with a focus on applied research and design processes for net-zero energy commercial buildings. He is currently leading the development of the next round of Advanced Energy Design Guides and managing the Whole Buildings Systems Integration section in the NREL Commercial Buildings Research Group. His recent research has focused on developing an energy performance based design building process for net-zero energy buildings, including documenting best practices for controlling capital costs while reaching net-zero energy goals, and is a recent recipient of a First Place 2013 ASRHAE Technology Award for his applied research in design and operation of NREL’s large scale net zero energy Research Support Facility.