MEET OUR TEAM
Lee Barken, CPA, LEED-AP is the Chief Community Officer at CollectiveSun, LLC. He has broad industry experience in renewable energy project finance and energy policy analysis. He is dedicated to helping nonprofits and mission driven organizations develop economically viable clean energy projects. Lee writes and speaks on the topics of renewable energy project finance, social entrepreneurship, and community financing and plays an active role on the board of directors of Cleantech San Diego. Lee received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from San Diego State University where he graduated with honors and academic distinction.
Craig A. Nelson, VP of Finance at Collective Sun, is a seasoned finance executive, funding over $1 billion in commercial loans over 25 years of commercial banking experience at Union Bank, Torrey Pines Bank, and BNP Paribas/Bank of the West. In addition to forming Comerica Bank’s Technology & Life Science practice in San Diego, he served as CFO of the United States Green Chamber of Commerce. Currently serving on several nonprofit boards, he is the past chairman of the American Lung Association, San Diego State University Athletic Foundation and was chairman of the City of Solana Beach Budget & Finance Commission.
Matthew Brennan is the VP of Sales at CollectiveSun®, LLC where he manages all aspects of installer and customer relationships, sales and project development. Matt has extensive experience in commercial solar sales, nonprofit solar financing and project management. Prior to CollectiveSun, he worked as an industrial engineer for a network equipment manufacturer, a sales engineer for electronic equipment manufacturers and an operations manager for an industry-leading mechanical engineering magazine. Matt enjoys working with nonprofit executives and solar professionals alike to help bring clean energy to the nation’s nonprofits and forward the decarbonization of the grid. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
Nicole Withrow is Director of Sales for CollectiveSun®, LLC, and she brings with her over 25 years in the tertiary sector from Los Angeles, California to the rural Midwest. She is an experienced sales manager, contract administrator, and fulfillment coordinator. Nicole is dedicated to developing strong relationships with contractors and nonprofits in her role at CollectiveSun by empowering them with resources and providing the support they require as they navigate their journey to solar. She believes passionately that: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children.” A proud mother of two amazing adult children, Nicole hails from an organic hobby farm in the rural Midwest in the heart of Amish country.
Sam Blanchard is the Project Coordinator at CollectiveSun®, LLC, assisting with operational and administrative needs. She has experience working for local and international nonprofit organizations, and she is dedicated to innovation and new ideas. Sam is passionate about improving processes and making sure everything runs smoothly, which is much needed in the ever-changing world of solar! Sam is also an alumni of the Journalism and Media Studies program at San Diego State University, and she works as a freelance content editor for several online publications. In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with her dog, Bindi, and finding new shows to binge-watch.
Rosana Francescato is Lead Writer and Analyst at CollectiveSun®, LLC. A seasoned communications professional with over a decade of experience in clean energy, Rosana led communications at two startups and a nonprofit before joining CollectiveSun. She has written extensively for publications like CleanTechnica, PV Magazine, Solar Power World, PV Solar Report, and Energy Central. Rosana’s passion for accelerating our transition to clean energy in a way that includes everyone led her to serve on the boards of several clean energy nonprofits and to volunteer installing solar with GRID Alternatives — where she was the top individual fundraiser at the Bay Area Solarthon for ten years in a row. She has a BA in English from Earlham College.
Jens Herzog, Advisor at CollectiveSun®, LLC, is a former leading sales executive at SunTechnics Energy Systems Inc. (Conergy AG) who has sold many MWs of PV systems in California. He built the Sales Department for Conergy in the U.S. and sold the first residential and commercial solar systems for them. Among his clients were national grocery chain, a non-profit food bank, and other commercial entities in the U.S. Jens was instrumental in establishing the German American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco and consulted and advised leading German solar companies on the renewable energy markets in the U.S. He is a German lawyer.
Dr. Philipp Herzog, Advisor at CollectiveSun®, LLC, is an experienced management consultant to leading international clients in areas such as strategy, finance, and development of emerging PV technologies. His prior clients include Bayer AG, Škoda Auto a.s., and Evonik Industries. Philipp holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Münster, Germany, and has developed Sunforce’s unique multi-layer software tool that can analyze renewable energy projects from various perspectives to provide different investor types and stakeholders (e.g. tax equity investors or sponsor equity investor) with specific information (return, payback, risk etc.) relating to their investment.
