Technology Managers

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's 12 program areas are led by experts in technology management with capabilities that span our wide range of renewable energy technologies. This site will help you learn more about their crosscutting program-management capabilities, research background, and technology expertise.

		Ron Benioff Technology Manager — Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP) Professional expertise and experience: Management of renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment programs Program collaborations with international, federal, state and local, and business partners Managing and implementing complex international and domestic energy/environmental projects More information on Ron Benioff

		Mary Colvin Technology Manager — Building Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Energy efficiency and renewable energy work in the federal sector. More information on Mary Colvin

		Dick DeBlasio Technology Manager — Distributed Energy and Electric Reliability Professional expertise and experience: Distribution and interconnection R&D Thermal systems integration and thermal storage systems Management of systems integration More information on Dick DeBlasio

		Thomas Foust Technology Manager — Biomass Professional expertise and experience: More than 19 years of research and research management experience, including strategic planning Bioenergy research leader - program development and execution Partnership development, focusing on program management interface with government (DOE) and industrial customers Proposal development, new/expanded research and technology development Technical specialty in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and heat transfer Expertise in biomass fractionation and physical separation More information on Thomas Foust

		Roland L. Hulstrom Technology Manager — Solar Energy Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Module and systems engineering and reliability Resource assessment Solar energy system analyses and trade-off studies Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) project design leadership National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV) planning, designing, and implementation National and international standards for spectral solar radiation PV shipment/growth-rate analyses Early, spacecraft-based automated remote sensing systems (Feature Identification and Location Experiment, FILE) More information on Roland L. Hulstrom

		Gerry Nix Technology Manager — Geothermal and Industrial Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Geothermal research Chemical engineer Energy systems research and testing Industrial experience More information on Gerry Nix

		Terry Penney Technology Manager — Vehicle Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Program and project management Computation Fluid Dynamic modeling of multiphase flows Mechanical engineering with practical problem solving in heat and mass transfer Thermal, fluid, and optical science testing More information on Terry Penney

		Gian Porro Technology Manager — Analytic Studies Professional expertise and experience: Geothermal technologies analysis, including assessment of the competitiveness of geothermal electricity generation. Investigation of demand and fuel price elasticities for incorporation into market penetration models. Analytical and project management support to the Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation (PAE) group at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). More information on Gian Porro

		Brian Smith Technology Manager — Wind and Hydropower Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Project management Test engineer in wind turbine blade research Project leader for advanced wind technology development Involved in design, manufacturing, and wind power plant development, operations, and maintenance Field verification partnerships with industry More information on Brian Smith

		George Sverdrup Technology Manager — Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Professional expertise and experience: Atmospheric chemistry modeling and experimentation Particle technology measurement Characterization of emissions Modeling reactive plume dynamics Alternative motor fuels analysis Hydrogen systems analysis More information on George Sverdrup

		Bob Westby Technology Manager — Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Professional expertise and experience: More than 25 years of experience in the energy field with public-sector experience at the local, state, and federal levels; and the private sector at the corporate level and small-business owner Alternative financing (State of Colorado, Federal Energy Management Program - FEMP, and private-sector energy service companies - ESCO) Sustainability (Sustainable NREL lead) Energy program and line management More information on Bob Westby