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 … [Read more...]

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. … [Read more...]

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. … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

Abe is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Natel. In addition to helping set technical direction, Abe also contributes to a range of technical areas, especially hydraulic design, design, and testing for fish safety, and balance of system design. Abe earned undergraduate and master's 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 … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]