GIA SCHNEIDER

CEO, Co-Founder

Gia Schneider is a co-founder and the CEO of Natel Energy. Gia holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from MIT and has 20 years of experience in the energy industry. While in the utility practice at Accenture, she provided strategic solutions around asset management to major energy companies. After Accenture, she worked at Constellation Energy on optimizing generation asset value. Gia left Constellation in 2004 to help start the energy trading desk at Credit Suisse; and in 2005, she started the carbon emissions trading desk at Credit Suisse, growing it to a profitable business in its first year. Gia co-founded Natel in 2009 with her brother, Abe Schneider, motivated by the theme of climate change driving changes in water patterns and focused on the opportunity for innovative hydropower solutions to be force multipliers for positive change given hydro's position at the energy-water nexus.

Gia is passionate about finding economically viable solutions to mitigate climate change, foster sustainable development and produce inexpensive renewable energy. In her spare time, she can be found surfing, kiting, and cooking with friends and family.

ABE SCHNEIDER

CTO, Co-Founder

Abe is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Natel. He is named on multiple linear hydroEngine patents, and brings 13 years of experience to bear on Natel’s engineering activities. In addition to broader program management, Abe also directly contributes on a wide range of technical areas, including product specification, system architecture, computational fluid dynamics, structural design and analysis, and manufacturing supply chain development.

Abe earned undergraduate and masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and gained experience with large firms like The Timken Company and innovative startups such as Makani Power, now part of Alphabet (Google X). At Timken, he worked as a Senior Engineer in Advanced Product Development, developing innovative gear reducers, hybrid vehicle drivetrains, and micro-scale energy harvesting systems to power intelligent bearings. At Makani, he managed a group of engineers broadly responsible for their aero-mechanical systems. Additionally, Abe has provided independent consulting services on two small hydropower refurbishment projects in the Northeast US.

In his spare time, Abe enjoys the outdoors, particularly surfing and kitesurfing, climbing, and flyfishing, with his wife and friends.

ANDREA WUTTKE

CFO

Andrea is responsible for all finance and administration functions for Natel Energy and its wholly owned subsidiary Upstream. She has more than 15 years of global experience in finance, management, complex M&A transactions, and capital markets, and also has extensive experience with growing businesses from a humble beginning to more than $1 billion in revenue. As Managing Director at Canadian Solar, she led corporate and project finance, corporate development activities, and raised funds from a variety of sources. Additionally, she was the valuation lead to prepare Canadian Solar's asset-based IPO. She accomplished significant equity investor engagements selling more than 400 MW of solar assets which resulted in billion-dollar revenues. Previously, Andrea served as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank RREEF Infrastructure in London where she started the Renewable Energy Investment group. She started her post Ph.D. career at J.P. Morgan in London, New York, and Frankfurt, executing $80 billion M&A transactions, including the two largest banking mergers in U.S. history.

Andrea obtained her Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University and was awarded a Siemens Ph.D. fellowship. She holds a Master's in Economics and Political Science from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany.

Besides work, Andrea has made expeditions to the U.S. weather station in Antarctica, traveled in Patagonia, the Sahara Desert on horseback, and summited Mt. Whitney and Mt. Shasta most recently. She advised the Council of Economic Advisors at the White House and the OECD Board and is engaged with the Downtown Streets Team in Palo Alto.

Dorothy Sosnowski

VP, Project Development

Dorothy leads the Natel hydro commercial team worldwide, including turbine sales and  project development efforts. Dorothy comes to Natel with over 18 years of experience in electric utilities and renewable energy. Prior to joining Natel, she led solar project development and acquisitions in the western U.S. with NextEra Energy Resources’ distributed generation team and start-up Smart Energy Capital (acquired by NextEra). Dorothy also spent ten years at Portland General Electric in a variety of roles, including divestitures, integrated resource planning, renewables procurement and solar project development. Dorothy has an M.B.A. in finance and general management from the University of Virginia and a B.A. from Tulane University.

Marshall Moutenot

Upstream Tech Lead

Marshall is the Managing Director of Upstream Tech and a co-founder, overseeing the product development, growth and partnerships. Prior to co-founding Upstream Tech, he worked in a number of early- and late-stage technical companies that have collectively raised over $100M USD in venture capital. He was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy and has served on panels for the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Marshall holds a BA in Computer Science from Tufts University.

DAVE SHELDON

VP Accounting & Administration

Dave manages finance and administration functions for Natel. He has 25 years experience in finance and operations for both public and privately held technology and energy companies, with extensive experience with growing businesses from $10 to $200 million in revenue. As CFO for emerging companies, he has managed finance, administration, IT, legal and corporate development activities, raised funds from a variety of sources, and established a foreign subsidiary to support manufacturing and back office functions. He managed strategic partnerships and international sales through distributors for 40 countries. Earlier, Dave held progressively responsible finance, corporate development and general management positions for publicly reporting energy and technology companies including Gulf Oil Corporation, Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates, Triad Systems and Epicor (formerly Activant).

Dave received his BS in Economics from MIT, an MBA from Stanford, and began his career in the San Francisco office of KPMG. Dave was awarded a patent for a system that optimizes supply chains with predictive models combining demographic and demand data.

DANA NGUYEN

Office Manager

Dana is Natel’s office manager. Prior to Natel, Dana worked in finance for a healthcare management consulting firm. Dana received her BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University. She is interested in learning about the development of social, healthcare and environmental policies.

Linda Womak

Controller

Gregor Cadman

Director, Engineering

Alex Conn

Testing and Mechanical Technician

Alex is a testing and mechanical technician at Natel. He spends his time fabricating and assembling hydroEngine machinery, as well as running and maintaining Natel’s various hydraulic and fatigue testing equipment. He has experience operating both manual and CNC machine tools, welding, and repairing electronic components. Prior to Natel, Alex worked as a bicycle mechanic.

In his free time Alex enjoys building and flying quadcopters, watching documentary films, reading nonfiction books, and mountain biking.

Alex Wickersham

Technician Team Lead / Manufacturing Engineer

Alex leads the prototyping technician team at Natel’s Alameda, CA headquarters, building and testing new turbine hardware. He is also working on the hardware manufacturing effort for commercial production as well as ISO certification for the company. Alex holds a BSME from UC Santa Barbara where he gained a passion for environmental preservation and renewable energy technology. Prior to joining Natel, Alex spent 10 years at Makani Power, building and testing Energy Kites in California, Hawaii, and Norway.

Outside of work, Alex enjoys camping with his family, backyard gardening and entertaining, and restoring vintage VW campers.

ANDY BAUMGARTNER

Software Developer, Multimedia Designer

Andy is a Software Developer and Multimedia Designer at Natel. Currently he splits his time between developing hydro turbine analysis and controls software, and designing graphics, animations, videos, and websites.

Andy received a BA in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, and has worked as a web developer, graphic designer, photographer, and video editor.

While not at Natel Andy enjoys working on personal projects which combine his interest in photography, art, and computer science. He also enjoys watching and listening to audio-books, podcasts, YouTube videos and films.

Bobby Stone

Field Technician

Bobby is a Field Technician helping to commission new hydro-turbine systems at physical site installations as well as bring up prototype systems at Natel HQ in Alameda, CA. For 4 years previous to starting at Natel he worked at Makani, an Alphabet company, as an engineer filling various roles including designing, building, and testing flight electronics hardware on prototype 600kW electric energy kites. He helped to commission flying energy kite systems in Alameda, Southern California, Hawaii, and in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. 2 years prior he worked as a prototyping facilities and electronics technician at Makani.

In his free time he works on (and sometimes drives) an OEM 2000 Ford Ranger EV he converted from NiMH to Lithium Ion batteries. He also makes art and music and likes going on night hikes in the Oakland redwoods.

CHRIS BECHTEL

Mechanical Technician

As a technician for Natel, Chris draws from experience in a broad range of fields including the building trades, motion picture production and the automotive industry. He is excited to be working in clean energy.

Chris is an East Bay native and, before joining Natel, maintained his own workshop in Alameda for 10 years where he performed general fabrication and prototyping for a variety of clients including designers and scientists.

Chris enjoys eating out, cycling, motorcycling, dreaming up mechanical design projects, and rescuing stray cats.

Ian Gagnon

Mechanical Engineer

Ian is a Mechanical Engineer at Natel working on test equipment design. Prior to joining Natel he completed his master's degree at the University of New Hampshire in mechanical engineering where he designed the support infrastructure for a tidal turbine as a part of the Living Bridge Project. In his free time Ian enjoys cooking and spending time outside, especially skiing.

JOANNA NOBLE

Mechanical Engineer

Joanna is a mechanical engineer at Natel, interested in machine design and manufacturing. She has designed and fabricated a variety of tools used for hydroEngine assembly and component testing.

Joanna has an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley. Before joining Natel, she worked on structural design and fabrication at Makani Power, an airborne wind turbine company. She has also researched 3D ultrasound techniques, repaired hospital equipment in Tanzania, and explored the use of 3D printed tools for injection molding.

Outside of work, Joanna enjoys reading novels, listening to public radio podcasts, and climbing.

Johannes Santen

Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Johannes is a mechanical engineer at Natel working on testing, control systems, and mechanical design. Prior to joining Natel he spent five years working at a startup, building a high-compression ratio, liquid tolerant natural gas compressor and gaining experience with taking a new technology from concept to field operation.

Johannes holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

Outside of work, he enjoys building an riding his bikes, photography, and eating delicious food.

Jun Furuta

Mechanical Engineer

Jun provides fabrication and testing support for hydroEngine development. Prior to Natel, he developed and implemented efficient commercial HVAC programs for utilities and was also a museum exhibit designer. He has a BSME from UC Berkeley and trained at Laney College on the operation of manual and CNC machine tools.

Jun is interested in machine design and climate change issues, and outside of work, he enjoys traveling with his family, making things with cardboard, and dabbling in film making.

Kelsey Seto

Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Kelsey works as a mechanical engineer at Natel and her primary interests surround mechanical design and design for manufacturing. Prior to joining the Natel, she carried out research in alternative energy sources in Douglas Hart's lab at MIT where she completed both her B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering as well as a minor in architecture.

Outside of work, she participates on a gymnastics team and enjoys planning and building her own hardware/electronics projects.

Miguel Mejia

Mechanical Technician

Miguel is a Mechanical technician at Natel with a focus on Milling and CNC Machining.  He currently attends Laney College for Machine Technology and Industrial Maintenance.  Prior to Natel Miguel worked as a bicycle mechanic.

In his free time Miguel enjoys cycling.

Onur Talu

Mechanical Engineer

Onur is a Jr. Engineer at Natel, whose primary focus is mechanical design and design for manufacturing. He graduated from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. At Olin, he found a passion for alternative energy generation and storage, and designed the chassis and suspension geometry subsystems for his Formula SAE Electric team.

In his free time, Onur likes to read and explore cities on foot. He also loves trying out new recipes, particularly Turkish ones, and cooking large meals for his friends.

Peter Ascoli

Mechanical Engineer

Peter is a mechanical engineer at Natel working on power train and composite structures. He is primarily interested in mechanical design. Peter brings with him experience in composite structures for aerospace applications.

Peter has a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

Outside of work you will find Peter enjoying photography and/or hiking.

RODRIGO LINARES

Lead Engineer

Rodrigo holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar and a master’s in Manufacturing from MIT. He has a broad set of previous experiences in industries ranging from oil and gas to electronics manufacturing to medical devices. He specializes in design for manufacturing and assembly and development of stochastic models for systems design.

Within the company Rodrigo help build cost models for different hydropower technologies, has designed and constructed several test benches for key system components and has built numerical models for assembly and manufacturing. At Natel, Rodrigo’s main role has been the development of the drive-axle system; structure and power take-off systems, and the tolerance stack up management for the system.

Rodrigo also enjoys bread baking, beer brewing, mountaineering and doing statistical analyses on traffic and political elections.

Sterling Watson

Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Sterling is a mechanical engineer at Natel, interested in mechanical and system design for sustainable energy technologies. Prior to joining Natel, she was a graduate student at MIT focusing on village-scale, solar-powered desalination system design and optimization for the developing world. Sterling earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.

WILL SHIELDS

Program Manager

Will is a Program Manager for Natel's product development team. His focus is building out technical programs that deliver critical infrastructure to both Natel's engineering efforts and hydroEngine installations. Prior to joining the company, Will launched several R&D programs at Google [x], with projects that ranged from wearable headsets to passenger ferry services. He is a co-inventor of a floating photovoltaic power generation system, holds a long list of certifications relevant to large hardware projects, and brings enthusiasm for adventuring the unknown.

Outside of work, Will enjoys learning to speak Norwegian, shaping surfboards in his garage, and spending time with family and friends.

Adam Smith

Director, Project Engineering

Adam is a project engineer at Natel, focused on project diligence, interconnection, and construction design. Prior to joining Natel, Adam was lead electrical engineer for the distributed generation solar group at NextEra Energy Resources. He has spent 12 years as a senior engineer in the solar industry on many sides of the table - EPC contractor, developer, and owner. Adam’s expertise includes solar design, electrical engineering, grid interconnection, electrical code compliance and production modeling, and he has a portfolio of over 600 projects totaling over 300 MW.
Adam holds a M.S. in Engineering from the Building Systems Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College.

BEN WARD

Project Development

At Natel Ben works on the Commercial team in project development and customer support. After several years of service in the US Navy, Ben graduated from Johnson & Wales University. He also holds a solar installation NABCEP certification. Previously Ben focused on the build out and launch of critically acclaimed Bay Area restaurants, emphasizing the use of renewables and sustainable practices.

Dan Panko

Business Development, North America

Dan is a member of Natel Energy's OEM sales group. He comes to Natel with 10 years of experience in sales and business development in renewable energy. He is focused on building strategic partnerships, educating customers on Natel's technology, and assessing site feasibility.

Prior to Natel, Dan worked for a non-profit in Haiti providing shelter and sanitation solutions after the 2010 earthquake, provided market analytics to grow solar integrators with Repower, and led a technical sales team at CivicSolar.

Dan received a BA in Economics from the University of Vermont.
In his spare time, Dan can be found sailing, flyfishing, tinkering with old engines, and going for long bike rides with his partner, Amy.

EMRAT NUR (TATIANA) MARZAN

Hydro Assessments

Tatiana supports Natel’s Business Development team through the provision of GIS-based analysis and related research of prospective project sites and the ecosystem service endowments associated with these sites. She also uses her background in civil engineering to support our development team on one-off projects. She graduated with an MS in Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and earned bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. In her free time, she enjoys good food, books and travelling.

JESSICA PENROD

Project Development

Jessica Penrod is the Western US project developer and builds strategic partnerships for Natel Energy. The Western market is primarily in partnership with irrigation districts and government water agencies. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Oregon and a Master of Science in Energy Systems Management from the University of San Francisco.

In her free time, she can be found exploring oceans and the water as Captain Jess and working with organizations to bring awareness to plastic pollution and ways to manage the damaging elements of plastics in the ocean. She is passionate about sharing her respect of water, and helping others understand the importance of conservation and conscious living.

JIN ZHAO

Civil Engineer

Jin works as an Civil/Environmental Engineer. Jin graduated from UC Berkeley with a M.S. degree in environmental engineering in 2015. He holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from University of Michigan, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Joseph Head

Director, Project Engineering

Joe is a project engineer at Natel, tasked with the field installation of the hydro engine at sites across North America. He started his career flying around Alaska in helicopters, prospecting for uranium. He later went to work for Nerco Minerals, where he ran computer simulations to optimize ore extraction, designed containment systems for toxic materials and supervised an engineering team at the Cripple Creek gold mine. After earning his Masters, he switched from mining to telecommunications. While working for US Cellular, he managed the design and construction of numerous wireless broadcast and switching facilities. Following that, he worked for NextEra Energy designing and building commercial-scale PV solar projects. He has a BS in Geological Engineering and a Masters in Satellite Communications. He is a Professional Civil Engineer registered in Colorado.

MICHAEL SPOLUM

Business Development, S & SE Asia

Michael leads Natel Energy’s business development efforts in South and Southeast Asia, which currently includes sales and pipeline development in Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from St. Olaf College and a Master’s Degree in International Development Policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Michael brings 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur, development consultant and project developer in geographies spanning mainland Southeast Asia on issues and projects related to rural electrification, infrastructure and agricultural development, sustainable natural resource management and the water-energy-agriculture nexus.

Michael is passionate about people and the limitless potential of the human spirit to help create of a more equitable and compassionate world. A Colorado native, he enjoys slow-cooked food, star-filled skies, deep breaths of crisp mountain air and long hikes with his wife and family.

Alden Keefe Sampson

Technical Director

Alden is Upstream Tech’s Technical Lead and a co-founder of the company. After working at several software technology companies including Crashlytics, Twitter, and Drift, Alden co-founded Upstream Tech to apply advanced data analysis to our planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. Awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy, Alden focuses on large-scale data processing pipelines and machine learning to derive environmental measurements from satellite data and large geospatial datasets. Alden holds a BA in Computer Science from Tufts University. He is based in Syracuse, NY where he can often be found enjoying the outdoors with his dog.

Abby Smith

Growth & Partnerships

Abby is part of the Growth and Partnerships team, where she leverages her background in environmental management to work with clients in the agriculture space. Previously, Abby managed an agroforestry system at the Yale Landscape Lab, worked as a research communications fellow at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), and consulted companies on supply chain sustainability. Abby holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and is always up for a nature walk or trip to the farmers market.

Amadou Crookes

Software Engineer

Amadou is a Software Engineer at Upstream Tech focusing on backend data ingestion pipelines and machine learning. Prior to this role, Amadou worked at Google, and then co-founded and was CTO for a company that raised over $1M to build a music social network. He was awarded The Boston Globe’s 25 under 25 for that work. Amadou holds a BS in Computer Science from Tufts University. Amadou is based in Brooklyn, NY where he loves to surf and make pasta.

Camilla Mahon

Software Engineer

Carolyn duPont

Growth & Partnerships

Carolyn is a member of the Growth & Partnerships team at Upstream Tech, helping lead growth strategy in agricultural planning, conservation property monitoring, and other conservation work. Prior to this role, Carolyn was a Senior Director at Quantified Ventures developing financial transactions in the agriculture, resilience, and forestry space. She also served on the venture capital team at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center investing in early-stage water and energy companies. She currently serves on the boards of The Trust for Public Land in Massachusetts, the Conservation Law Foundation finance committee, and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. Carolyn holds an MBA from MIT, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA from Stanford University. She spends as much time as possible outdoors hiking, biking, and exploring with her family.

Dan Katz

Software Engineer

Dan is a Software Engineer at Upstream Tech focusing on user interface development and data processing. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Tufts University. Dan is based in Cambridge, MA, where you can find him running along the Charles River and eating waffles.

David Lambl

Software Engineer

David is a Software Engineer focused on machine learning algorithms used to extract information from large geospatial datasets and satellite images. Previously, David worked in quantitative finance building statistical investment models for currencies and fixed income at Putnam Investments. He has also held positions at the TransMarket Group and NIBC Bank. David holds a Masters in Engineering from Cornell and a BSc in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Luxembourg and from London School of Economics. David lives in the Boston area but is often found in the mountains climbing or skiing.

Eliza Hale

Software Engineer

Eliza is a Software Engineer at Upstream Tech. In her previous lives, she worked at Facebook as a Data Scientist, and on film sets in LA as a Production Assistant. Eliza holds a BA in Applied Math and Earth and Planetary Science from Harvard where she did research on the relationship between weather and violent conflict in East Africa. Eliza is based in San Francisco and is most likely to be found on her bike, surf board, or in a climbing harness.

Emily DuBois

Software Engineer

Emily is a Software Engineer focused on Upstream Tech’s online geospatial tools. Previously, she worked on map design and hosting platforms at Mapbox, behavioral design and marketing at Opower, and coral geometry research at Northwestern University, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum. Emily holds a BA in Environmental Science from Northwestern University. She lives in Austin, Texas where she enjoys local food and long runs.

Fiona Hopkins

Software Engineer

Fiona is a Software Engineer at Upstream Tech working on the web frontend. She previously led webapp development for the City of Boston’s Digital team. Before that, she built tools for mobile developers at Twitter and was frontend tech lead for Blogger.com at Google. Fiona has an ScB and an ScM in Computer Science from Brown University. She lives in Cambridge, MA. When she’s not coding, Fiona is probably crocheting, soldering, cutting things with a laser, or coding, but for much smaller computers.

Jessica Norriss

Growth & Partnerships

Jessie is a member of Upstream Tech’s Growth and Partnerships team and leads our efforts in Property Monitoring and Wetlands evaluations. In this role, she brings her experience working with stakeholders in water and environmental management from land trusts to engineering operations. Previously, Jessie worked at the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife in wetlands conservation, and at Stantec (formerly MWH) as an environmental engineer evaluating green infrastructure and climate change resilience in the US and Latin America. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for Living Observatory, a Massachusetts-based non-profit focused on wetland restoration. Jessie holds an MS in Water Resource Engineering and Environmental Policy from Tufts University, and a BA in Geography from the University of Texas. Jessie is based in Cambridge, MA, but is often found looking for warmer weather outside of the city.

Kevin Altamirano

Machine Learning Engineer

Kevin is a Machine Learning Engineer at Upstream Tech focused on backend engineering and machine learning. Prior to joining Upstream Tech, he worked on several early stage startups developing production-grade predictive models using large datasets. Kevin holds a Masters in Science from Columbia University and a BSc in Mathematics from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Kevin lives in Denver, Colorado. In his spare time Kevin is most likely to be found riding his bike around the city, perfecting his mole recipe or recording music in his home studio.

Kristi Peyton

Growth & Partnerships

Lori Pelech

Growth & Partnerships

Paige Curtis

Product Manager

Sam Neubardt

Software Engineer

Sam is a Software Engineer at Upstream Tech focusing on data processing and machine learning. He’s previously worked on online video delivery systems at Brightcove, and mobile application performance analytics at Crashlytics, Twitter, and Google. Sam holds a BS in Computer Science from the City College of New York. You can find him walking around Philadelphia, PA.