ADVISORY BOARD
GEI has established an Advisory Board comprised of highly experienced executives with significant experience in finance and renewable energy. Board members are trusted advisors who provide strategic and operational support to management on a case-by-case and ongoing basis. Specifically, the Advisory Board works with us on deal flow generation, investor relations, corporate governance, risk management, compliance, and government policy.
GEI is pleased to provide brief biographies for its current Advisory Board members.
John P. DeVillars
Managing Partner
BlueWave Capital LLC
John DeVillars is the Managing Partner of BlueWave Capital LLC. BlueWave develops solar and community-scale wind energy projects in New England and also advises other renewable energy project developers
Prior to founding BlueWave, John was the Executive Vice President of Brownfields Recovery Corporation (“BRC”), a Boston-based real estate investment and development company focused on environmentally impaired properties. From 1994 to 2000, John was the New England Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Under his leadership EPA New England was recognized as a national leader in smart growth, regulatory reform, environmental technology, and brownfields development, winning more awards for successful reform than any other EPA office. Prior to joining the EPA, John served as Secretary of Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and Chief of Operations for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. From 1991 to 1994, he was Director of the Environmental Services Group for Coopers & Lybrand where he initiated and led the firm’s environmental management systems group. He has received numerous awards for his environmental service, including the President’s Award of the Nature Conservancy, given annually for national leadership in environmental affairs.
John holds an MPA from Harvard University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Board of Directors of Clean Harbors, Inc. and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust as well as several other privately held energy and environmental corporations and non-profit organizations. He was a member of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's Energy and Environment Transition Working Group. From 1999 to 2003 Mr. DeVillars held the position of Lecturer in Environmental Policy in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and continues to lecture at MIT, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Kennedy School of Government.
John possesses a deep working knowledge of the renewable energy industry and its participants, challenges, and opportunities, all of which are important to GEI’s project evaluation and due diligence.
Karina Funk, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Winslow Management Company
Karina serves as a Portfolio Manager for Winslow Management Company's flagship Green Growth mutual fund, and conducts equity research with a focus on clean energy, infrastructure, and green building products companies. Winslow is one of the oldest environmentally-focused investment firms in the country and is widely recognized as a pioneer in the rapidly growing field of green investing. Winslow uses a comprehensive portfolio management approach that integrates financial and environmental analysis and its knowledge of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green infrastructure.
Karina has seven years of investment experience with early-stage ventures through large cap public equities and over a decade of work experience in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe as an investment manager, strategy consultant, and engineer.
Prior to joining Winslow, she was a Principal at Charles River Ventures focused on launching their cleantech investment strategy. Prior to that, Karina managed direct investments at the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and launched the first state-sponsored seed-stage equity/debt fund as well as the first venture capital fund focused on renewable energy companies, the Massachusetts Green Energy Fund. Earlier in her career, Karina was a strategy consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and before that she was at Électricité de France, advising their corporate strategy division on the economics of alternative energy technologies.
Karina holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, two Masters degrees in engineering and technology policy from MIT, and a post-graduate diploma from the École Polytechnique in France. She is a CFA charterholder.
David L. Payne
Chairman, President & CEO
Westamerica Bancorporation
David Payne is Chairman, President & CEO of Westamerica Bancorporation, holding company of Westamerica Bank. Westamerica Bancorporation, headquartered in San Rafael, California, has assets of $5.2 billion with 99 branches in 23 Northern and Central California counties. In recognition of his leadership, David was awarded the American Bankers Association's Community Banker of the Year for 2009.
A long time major Westamerica shareholder, David was elected to the board in 1984, became chairman in 1988 and Chief Executive Officer the following year. Since 1988, Westamerica’s dividends per share have risen eleven-fold while capital levels have risen nine-fold. Total assets have quadrupled under David's stewardship, and net income has risen by a multiple of 21. Return on common equity is currently 19%.
In part, the company’s impressive growth over these years reflects a series of successful mergers with smaller banking companies that share Westamerica’s community banking philosophy: John Muir National Bank, Napa Valley Bancorporation, PV Financial, CapitolBank - Sacramento, North Bay Bancorp, ValliCorp Holdings, First Counties Bank, Kerman State Bank, Redwood Empire Bancorp and County Bank.
David came to Westamerica from his family printing, publishing and cable TV business. He brings to GEI a well-diversified and solid bottom-line oriented financial background, strong business, marketing, and investor relations experience, and significant corporate and government contacts.
Stephen P. Yanow
Founder & President
Global Remissions Brokers
Co-founder & Chairman
3CE Technologies, Inc.
Stephen is a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the financial and high tech industries in North America. Currently, he devotes his energy to running two Canadian companies. He is the founder, President, and driving force behind Global Remissions Brokers, North America's most successful marketplace for transferable trade entitlements. As such, he has leveraged a deep understanding of Canadian trade policies and been instrumental in further shaping these policies for Canadian textiles companies for over 25 years. During the last 10 years he has narrowed his focus to understanding and creating solutions for entities involved with the World Customs Organization's Harmonized System.
Stephen also serves as a co-founder and Chairman of 3CE Technologies (previously known as Logical Properties). 3CE provides software for harmonized system (HS) codes for commodity classification systems. The company's proprietary product is 3CE - the Commodity Code Classification Engine - which uses sophisticated artificial intelligence to convert everyday product information into accurate HS Codes. 3CE has been adopted by a variety of prominent government and private sector organizations including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Postal Service, Canada Post, and Statistics Canada. 3CE eliminates commodity-reporting errors, ensures accuracy in duty payments, and facilitates global trade.
Stephen is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. His philanthropic work includes a position on the board of the Linda Elizabeth Hazen Endowment Fund and many other charities both in Montreal, Quebec and Stowe, Vermont.
Stephen brings a wealth of experience in starting and managing successful financial and high tech companies as well as in-depth knowledge of the global business environment.