Here you can meet the people who make up Secure Futures, from our partners and staff to our advisors and interns.
Partners
Anthony Smith, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tony brings over 30 years experience in energy efficiency, solar energy, and community economic development in Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. He served as founding first chairman of the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association; founding Executive Director of the Community Energy Development Corporation in Philadelphia; business consultant in creating the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (which later formed the first energy efficiency utility in the country); Commodity Trading Advisor in energy futures; National Program Leader for USDA in Community-Based Entrepreneurial Development; and founding Executive Director of the Staunton Creative Community Fund, Inc.
He serves as a board member of the Virginia Alternative & Renewable Energy Association (VA-AREA) and a founding member of the Virginia Distributed Solar Alliance. He earned his Masters in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD from the Wharton School of Management, University of Pennsylvania. Email Tony.
Hugh Stoll
Chief Technology Officer
Hugh is a master electrician with over twelve years experience in renewable energy generation (solar photovoltaic and hydroelectric facilities) as well as petroleum industry facilities, controls and automation. Hugh has designed, owned and/or managed several renewable power generation installations in Washington, Virginia and North Carolina. Hugh designed the plant automation system for the nations first variable speed permanent magnet hydroelectric generator – a DOE funded research project.
He brings further capacity in commercial and industrial scale demand side energy management as a designer and installer of energy efficient control systems. Hugh was the owner/operator of an electrical contracting firm in Washington state and now resides in Harrisonburg, Virginia in a home with a 11 kW solar photovoltaic system he designed and installed. He holds a BA from Eastern Mennonite University. Email Hugh.
Eric Hurlocker
Principal at GreeneHurlocker, PLC
Eric Hurlocker is a principal at GreeneHurlocker, PLC in Richmond, where he has practiced since July 2012. With over twenty years of experience in practicing and advising clients in the areas of energy law, commercial transactions and general corporate work, Eric brings a legal perspective to Secure Futures, LLC.
Eric works closely with renewable energy development companies and has appeared on behalf of clients before the Virginia State Corporation Commission. He is a former partner in the Richmond, Virginia offices of Williams Mullen and former senior in-house corporate and energy attorney at PPL Corporation in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and at Virginia Power in Richmond, Virginia.
Matt Ferguson
Counsel at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Matt Ferguson advises clients on the tax aspects of transactions and business activities. He presently concentrates his client service work on finance and governance in energy innovation, infrastructure and the creative sector. His practice includes corporate tax, business governance, corporate finance (including structured finance and securitizations), project finance, mergers and acquisitions and international transactions. He also regularly counsels corporations and their directors on fiduciary duty and corporate governance matters.
Prior to joining Kilpatrick Townsend, Mr. Ferguson was a Principal with CohnReznick, the 10th largest accounting, tax and advisory firm in the United States. At CohnReznick, he established the successful Renewable Energy Practice and served as its National Practice Leader. During that tenure he structured and closed tax equity transactions that generated energy from biomass, geothermal, solar and wind resources. In 2011, Mr. Ferguson was appointed to the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Board of Directors.
Calvin ‘Cal’ Redekop
Partner
Cal brings a lifetime of academic and business leadership experience, including positions as a professor, dean and vice president at numerous American and Canadian colleges and universities, and the successful development of farm equipment and solar companies. Growing up in Montana during the Dust Bowl (1930-1937) instilled in Cal a deep appreciation of the power of nature and faith, addressed in his (2000) publication of Creation and the Environment: An Anabaptist Perspective on a Sustainable World (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies) and Enchantment and Despair: Montana Childhood Stories, 1925 – 1937.
Cal earned a BA in social science from Goshen College, an MA in History and Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in Sociology/Anthropology from the University of Chicago.
Staff
Maggie Davison
Chief Operating Officer
Maggie joined the Secure Future’s team in June 2015 as Administrative Officer. She manages the day-to-day operations, contract administration and human resources. She brings 25 years of experience in business administration, accounting, and human resources with telecommunications, highway construction, and retail businesses.
Maggie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Organizational Development from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. She received an MBA with non-profit specialization from Marylhurst University in Portland, OR. Email Maggie.
Erik Curren
Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer
Erik oversees marketing and public relations outreach for Secure Futures along with new customer acquisition. He brings 25 years experience in corporate communications, including a stint at Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of Hill and Knowlton, the world’s oldest and largest public relations agency. Since 2009, Erik has run the Curren Media Group, a marketing agency focused on the solar power industry. In 2016 he published The Solar Sales Leap, the first ever guide to online marketing for solar energy companies.
Erik also draws from his experience as a local elected official — since 2012 he has served as a city councilman in Staunton, VA — to support the company’s public policy outreach. Email Erik.
Andrew Grigsby
Customer Solutions Manager
Andrew serves as the Customer Solutions Manager for Secure Futures and is based in the company’s Richmond, VA office. Andrew came to Secure Futures in 2017 after stepping down from the Executive Director position at the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), a non-profit headquartered in Charlottesville with a mission to bring clean energy solutions to families, businesses, and communities across Virginia. Prior to joining LEAP in 2015, Andrew spent 14 years as founding principal of the green consulting firm Commonwealth Sustainability Works and 3 years with the Sustainable Communities Initiative of the City of Austin, Texas. Andrew has spent more than 20 years as an entrepreneur, educator, and leader for sustainability and building up his special expertise in the areas of sustainable community development and design, green building, and distributed energy resources and the clean energy revolution.
He is a RESNET Home Energy Rater and he holds NABCEP’s energy-level solar certification. His formal education includes a master’s degree in community and regional planning from The University of Texas and a bachelor’s degree in social theory from Virginia Commonwealth University. Email Andrew.
Sam Stoner
Sustainability Coordinator/Multimedia Coordinator
Sam has been a part of the Secure Futures team since 2016. A majority of his role is to serve as Mary Baldwin University’s Sustainability Coordinator under a sustainability management contract. In this role, Sam oversees the campus recycling program, works with student environmental clubs, and manages the campus’ energy monitoring system. He also serves Secure Futures as the Multimedia Coordinator in which he manages the graphics on the website, develops company videos, and photographs project progress in the field. Sam’s interest in conservation grew out of his experiences at Eastern Mennonite University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Sustainability in 2016. Email Sam.
Andrew Yoder
Technical Manager
Andrew serves as the Technical Manager for Secure Futures, managing the energy production of the installed solar systems, conducting technical and economic analysis for solar feasibility studies, and coordinating the operation and maintenance of installed solar systems. Andrew previously served as an intern with Secure Futures during his senior year of college. A native of Pennsylvania. Andrew graduated from Eastern Mennonite University (VA) in 2016 with a BA in Economics and Environmental Sustainability. Email Andrew.
Karen Madison Smith
Market Analyst
Karen joined Secure Futures in 2017 as Market Analyst, with a focus on conducting market research and supporting inbound marketing. In this capacity she is applying her research skills and graduate education in psychiatric nursing from The Catholic University of America. She also holds a post-graduate degree as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health
Sciences. Email Karen.
Loren Swartzendruber, D. Min
Senior Business Development Associate
(Eastern Mennonite University President Emeritus)
Following several years as a parish pastor following graduation from Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Loren spent 35 years as an administrator in higher education. He served as president of Hesston College (KS) for 10 years and retired in 2016 after 13 years as president of EMU. Loren served as chair of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, as a board member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and on the board of the Evangelical Environmental Network.
Loren was president of EMU in 2010 when the university partnered with Secure Futures to install a 104 Kwh solar array on the roof of the Sadie Hartzler Library. At the time it was the largest commercial solar array in Virginia. Email Loren.
Christie Thalhimer Silverstein
Business Development Associate
Christie serves as the Business Development Associate for Secure Futures in our Richmond, VA office. Her passion for renewable energy and creating a sustainable future led her to join the company in December 2017. Christie’s interest in joining the Secure Futures team grew from her involvement with The Community Foundation of Richmond’s RVA Solar Fund, of which she is a founding member. The RVA Solar Fund is an innovative and collaborative effort to encourage solar energy growth in the Richmond region.
Before her work with Secure Futures, Christie served as the Regional Development Director for five centers with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. During her years in Nashville, TN, she developed her passion for sustainability and healthy living and started her own business as a health & wellness and decluttering coach. Christie is a graduate of Wake Forest University.
Riley Murray
Senior Project Coordinator
Riley joined Secure Futures in November 2017. His primary focus will be overseeing the various components of all the projects at Secure Futures from start to finish. He has extensive experience in industrial engineering, technical project management, facilities maintenance and asset reliability. Riley is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional. He was most recently a Lecturer in Management Science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Previous employers include Hollister Inc, RR Donnelley and General Electric.
Riley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering from Penn State University. He serves on the Augusta County Recycling Committee. He served on the Publicity, and Bid Selection Committees for Solarize Augusta, a cooperative to help homeowners and small businesses purchase solar energy systems at a discount. Riley is a founding member of the Friends of the Middle River water conservation group.
Rachel Smucker
Policy Analyst & Communications Associate
Rachel joined Secure Futures in 2017. Her main responsibilities include assisting with content development for the company website, improving web presence and SEO through social media and other inbound marketing strategies, designing sales collateral, and analyzing key policy issues within the solar market.
Rachel brings several years of experience in marketing and public relations, as well as a passion for positively impacting communities through her professional work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and business from Goshen College.
Joseph Mumaw
Technical Coordinator
Joseph serves as Asset Analysis Intern. His responsibilities include daily monitoring of Secure Futures solar assets, the generation of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), and creating annual reports. A 2018 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, Joseph earned his degree in Economics as well as Environmental Sustainability, and a minor in Spanish.
Advisers
R. Macon Rich
Financial Adviser
Macon provides leadership in the area of financial analysis and management for Secure Futures’ solar projects and for Secure Futures as a corporate entity. He brings considerable experience in family-owned business development, credit analysis for Dominion Bank, financial management as a former Financial Director for a home healthcare agency, and production and logistics experience in the Staunton, VA with Gannett Company and Target. He received his MBA in Finance from Duke University.
Matt Ruscio
Program and Policy Adviser
Matt advises the Company’s program, policy, portfolio, and communications development activities. Matt has over three years of experience in the solar industry, focusing on marketing and sales, business transactions and policy. A native of Virginia, Matt graduated from St. Lawrence University (NY) in 2012 with a BA in Environmental Studies and Government. Matt is currently pursuing a MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business.
Johann Zimmerman
Structural Engineer
Johann provides engineering design services for Secure Futures, LLC in developing dual use raised truss structures and solar panel installation and mounting systems. He has practiced engineering for over 30 years in areas such as structural renovation and alterations; analysis and design for new construction; and projects incorporating sustainable building practices and renewable and alternate energy sources.
His services include existing condition inspections and analysis, construction inspections; analysis and design of structural systems including footings, columns, beams, and floor, wall and roof systems and retaining walls; plan review and value engineering; and Construction Consulting. He has worked extensively in the Central America and the United States. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Virginia.
Amory Fisher
Amory focuses on community engagement strategies that inspire students and their families to support solar through civic engagement. This builds on his history of leadership that began as a student solar advocate in Albemarle County and led to his position as Program Coordinator for Secure Futures, LLC. With both advocacy and industry perspectives, his role as Solar Ambassador will allow him to support the efforts of the next generation of solar leaders. Amory holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning from Virginia Tech.
Interns
Thane Hostetler
Assistant Project Coordinator Intern
Thane serves as Policy Research Intern. His responsibilities include developing a database detailing ordinances relating to solar energy in localities and utilities across Virginia, along with additional policy research projects. A 2018 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, Thane earned his degree in Environmental and Social Sustainability, as well as History.
Nicole Duimstra
Assistant Project Coordinator Intern
Nicole serves as the Assistant Project Coordinator Intern for Secure Futures in our Richmond, VA office. In her role, Nicole assists the marketing team in policy research and content production as well as manages the Virginia Renewable Energy Alliance (VA-REA) through outreach and event coordination.
Nicole’s passion for creating a sustainable future, particularly in the renewable energy industry, began during her time at the University of Virginia. She majored in Global Development Studies in Sustainability and Economics, in which she primarily focused her studies on sustainable policy, business development, and community planning.
