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Welcome to our two newest external board members! We have appointed Todd Black, a former Unitil executive, and VJ Strehl, a retired finance and energy executive to our board of directors. Chief Counsel and Director of Development Steve Hinchman has also been appointed to chair the board.
Todd Black brings more than 30 years of start-up and executive-level energy and utility industry experience to ReVision Energy’s board. In addition to his role on ReVision’s board, Black serves as chair of the board of directors for Normandeau Associates, Inc.; vice chairman of the executive advisory board of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economic; board trustee of the UNH alumni association; and board member on the UNH Foundation.
Previously, Black held several executive roles at energy companies, including senior vice president of external affairs and customer relations for Unitil, president of Usource, New England region manager of business and market development for Southern Company, and vice president of services delivery for EnergyUSA. Black earned a MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNH. He has also completed executive education programs at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He is based in Dover, New Hampshire.
VJ Strehl is a retired finance and energy industry executive. Currently, Strehl volunteers for the Conservation Law Foundation, Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, and New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Previously, Strehl served as a co-founder for NextGen Capital, deputy director of the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity at Southern Methodist University, vice president of business development for the energy sector at Capgemini, and held several leadership positions at several finance and energy companies including TXU Energy, Aquila Energy, Merrill Lynch, and Bankers Trust. Strehl earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College. Strehl is based in New Castle, New Hampshire.
“Keeping the good ship ReVision Energy strong and steady through the turbulence of transitioning society to clean energy is an extraordinary challenge,” says co-founder Phil Coupe. “That’s why we are strengthening the company’s board of directors by welcoming two new members with extensive energy and utility industry experience. Both VJ Strehl and Todd Black are committed to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy combined with hyper-efficient, zero emission electric technology. We are confident that bringing VJ and Todd’s extensive knowledge of the traditional energy sector to the board will help ReVision Energy advance its mission to make life better by building our just and equitable electric future.”
Phil continues, “While it may seem counterintuitive to add gas and utility industry experience to a renewable energy company’s board, we think that their deep understanding of energy markets will help us better understand and respond to the challenges we are currently facing with regard to utility interconnection delays and myriad other roadblocks to deploying solar, heat pumps, battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations. As we scale our 100% employee-owned B Corp, we are buoyed by the fact that VJ and Todd are adding their formidable talent, passion, and expertise to the energy transition.”
After a unanimous board vote, Steve Hinchman was appointed as chair of the board. Hinchman drafted the first solar Power Purchase Agreement in Maine, helped create ReVision’s financing and investment program for municipal and nonprofit solar projects, led the project development and financing team for the last decade, and served as chief counsel overseeing legal and regulatory compliance. In addition to his role as chair of the board of directors, Hinchman serves as ReVision’s senior counsel and is focused on developing financing solutions to scale low-income solar development. Hinchman earned his J.D. from Vermont Law School. He is based in Maine.
