Staff Directory

As a multifamily energy auditor, Phil assists with CEE’s multifamily programs, working to make multifamily buildings of all sizes more efficient.

Phil started as an energy counselor in 2016. Previously, he worked as a senior survey research analyst at Food Perspectives, Inc., a market research taste test company. He holds a BS in geography from the University of Minnesota.

As an energy advisor, Raymond works directly with homeowners to help them understand how their home uses energy by identifying and installing low-and no-cost opportunities and measures to save both energy and money.

Before joining CEE, Raymond worked as a field organizer for U.S. House of Representative Angie Craig. This led to continued government service with the Minnesota Department of Revenue as an internal revenue examiner. He studied at St. Olaf College and majored in political science and American studies with a concentration in environment. 

An innovative leader with a passion for learning about how people learn, Mary enjoys creating learning opportunities that bring value and depth to people's lives. She's worked in diverse technical industries developing learning strategy, product training, and coaching/mentoring content. She enjoys leading teams in order to design, deliver, and manage impactful and engaging learning experiences.

Mary earned a Master's Degree in humanities and a Graduate Certificate in instructional design. She holds the CPTD credential: Certified Professional in Talent Development by the Association for Talent Development.

As a field supervisor, Kira works directly with homeowners to help them understand how their home uses energy by identifying and installing low- and no-cost opportunities and measures to save both energy and money. Kira graduated from Luther College with a BA in English and Environmental Studies. Prior to joining CEE, she worked with the Luther College Center for Sustainable Communities.

Annika works at CEE as an energy counselor. They are a member of the Home Energy Squad, going out into homes throughout the state and working to make sure that they’re running as efficiently and safely as possible. 

Before coming to CEE, they worked as a German teacher at two middle schools after living and working abroad in Germany through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program. 

Although they majored in languages (English with an emphasis in creative writing, German, and Nordic Studies), they were able to live abroad for extended periods of time throughout their studies and were able to learn about the different approaches and perspectives toward conservation efforts around the world.

As a senior auditor trainer, Halla works directly with homeowners to help them understand how their home uses energy by identifying and installing low- and no-cost opportunities and measures to save both energy and money.

Previously, she worked as a canvasser for Clean Water Action on various environmental policy campaigns. She holds her BA in environmental studies with an emphasis in political science from Macalester College. 

As a community program manager, Matthew engages and coordinates with city governments, community organizations, residents, and businesses to support the implementation of community energy projects. 

Prior to this role, Matthew was an energy counselor at CEE, working directly with residents to help them understand how their home uses energy by identifying and installing low- and no-cost opportunities and measures to save both energy and money. He also led home energy visits with Spanish-speaking residents and built partnerships through outreach to better serve Latinx communities in Minnesota.

Matthew graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in environmental studies and minors in Latin American studies and management.

Chris is the president of Center for Energy and Environment. He took over the role in March 2016, making him CEE's second leader since it began work as the City of Minneapolis' Energy Office in 1979.

Under Chris’s leadership, CEE has focused its work on rapidly scaling building decarbonization with an emphasis on energy affordability and equitable outcomes. Chris has led a period of remarkable growth at CEE in technology research, community planning, national consulting, program implementation, energy lending, and public policy advocacy with new program areas in market transformation and workforce development. During Chris’s tenure, CEE’s reach has grown nationally, its budget increased 50%, and its staff roughly tripled.

Chris came to CEE from community-focused energy efficiency nonprofit Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC), based in St. Paul. In addition to overseeing NEC's goal setting, external relations, administration, and finances, he helped expand its program offerings which included residential energy audits, home loans, and the award-winning HOURCAR car-sharing program. The NEC merged with CEE in 2017.

Prior to NEC, Chris was assistant director of the Energy CENTS Coalition, where he had worked previously as an advocate for low-income customers at the Public Utilities Commission and legislature and as an energy efficiency program manager. Before that, he was acting director of the Minnesota Senior Federation, where he coordinated public policy activities and statewide public relations. Chris has a passion for education equity having spent years as a volunteer fundraiser and treasurer of the urban public high school his two kids attended. Chris holds a BA in history from Macalester College in St. Paul and lives with his family in Northeast Minneapolis.

Alex Dumont is originally from New Jersey, and left to attend Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama where he obtained a bachelor's degree in urban environmental studies and a minor in business finance and administration.  Alex joined the Home Energy Squad in January 2023 as a counselor and transitioned to auditor, auditor trainer, and then senior auditor trainer before becoming a field supervisor. Alex enjoys working with the Workforce Development program to teach interns about the role of performing energy audits. Alex carries a Building Performance Analyst certification.

Before joining the Home Energy Squad, Alex worked with the nonprofits GASP and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. He also volunteered with other environmental nonprofits and advocacy groups in Birmingham, such as the Cahaba River Society and the Black Warrior Riverkeeper before moving to Minnesota in 2018. 

Amy is responsible for account payables and various other accounting tasks. 

Amy initially received a degree in Social Work but her passion for creating balance just kept her coming back to accounting.

She has worked many years in the for-profit energy segment but decided to go where her heart led, so the flip to the nonprofit segment felt very natural.

As staff accountant, Amy role includes accounts payable and employee reimbursements.

Amy joined CEE in 2020. She has a bachelor's degree in social work but switched jobs to her true calling in the accounting field, where she has worked for over 15 years.

As an energy engineer, Anirudh collects and analyzes data for various energy efficiency projects.

Prior to CEE, he worked as a design/permitting specialist for a solar company in South Carolina and also worked as an energy engineer (co-op level) in Boston specializing in energy modeling and LEED documentation for commercial buildings. He holds a master’s in sustainable energy systems from State University of New York with emphasis on building thermodynamics and solar designs.

Prior to joining CEE, Rebecca worked for the University of Minnesota, where she led and advanced initiatives to promote equity in purchasing and contracting practices. She has spent her career working in the fields of public procurement, contract compliance, and supplier diversity.

As manager of legislative affairs, Aly Eilers assists with analyzing, advocating, developing, and communicating CEE’s policy positions in policy arenas in the Minnesota Legislature that shape Minnesota’s energy framework.

Aly joined CEE’s policy team after working in the Minnesota State Senate for nearly 10 years as a legislative assistant, committee administrator, and most recently, as a caucus researcher for the Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee, the Environment Finance Committee, and the Environment Policy and Legacy Finance Committee. While working on the Energy Committee, Aly worked on important energy-related policies such as the Minnesota Efficient Technology Accelerator, the Energy Conservation Optimization Act, utility host community transitions, and the Natural Gas Innovation Act.

Aly graduated from Bemidji State University with a degree in political science, international studies and pre-law.

As General Counsel, Ryan is responsible for the legal affairs of the organization, from risk assessment and compliance to contract drafting, execution, and management. He assesses and identifies potential risk that could impact all aspects of the organization, and works to develop, recommend, and implement risk mitigating controls and cost-effective approaches to minimize the organization's risk. He facilitates and oversees contract management best practices and processes that support CEE's operational needs, as well as ensure contracts are in line with CEE's nonprofit mission and goals.

Ryan works in collaboration with leadership and management to address and advise on any legal matter that may arise.

Ryan joined CEE in 2017. Prior to CEE, he worked as in-house counsel and director of operations for a private nonprofit. Ryan attended William Mitchell College of Law and has been a licensed attorney since 2012.

Membership

• Minnesota State Bar Association

As an energy savings specialist, Chidinma develops key energy savings deliverables for market transformation initiatives as part of Minnesota’s Efficient Technology Accelerator (ETA) program.

Prior to joining CEE in 2021, Chidinma worked for the Maryland Energy Administration supporting incentive programs for a variety of clean energy technologies including residential solar, electric vehicle car chargers, and energy storage.

Chidinma holds a BA in applied mathematics and statistics from Macalester College in Saint Paul. 

As scheduling team supervisor, Kiyya is responsible for scheduling program activities and providing administrative support to the Customer Engagement Team within the Residential department. She has worked within administration since starting college in 2015. All 4 years she was working under 3 campus offices using Office, Outlook and even managing some website pages. 

She has also worked in various hospitals as front desk on and off while volunteering in various corporations and within the hospital. Before working at CEE, she worked at Ideal Image as a sales representative. She graduated from Augsburg University with her bachelors in psychology and minor in religion in 2019. 

Erik provides training to building operations and management staff in both the public and private sector to improve building operations and maintenance, increase occupant comfort, and reduce energy consumption. Erik is also involved in sales and client relations for the One-Stop Efficiency Shop small business lighting program.

Erik has worked with CEE since 2001. He has over 23 years of experience working in multifamily and commercial buildings. He has performed assessments on over 3,500 buildings, including lighting and lighting controls in the multifamily and small business sectors to evaluate indoor air quality, moisture intrusion, building operations and maintenance, building controls, commissioning, and retro-commissioning options.

In addition to his work at CEE, Erik serves on the board of directors of NALMCO, the International Association of Lighting Management Companies. His current role is Treasurer/President elect

Certifications

• Certified Lighting Management Professional (CLEP) Association of Energy Engineers
• Certified Lighting Management Consultant (CLMC) NALMCO
• Certified Sustainable Lighting Consultant (CSLC) NALMCO
• Certified Lighting Controls Professional (CLCP) NALMCO
• Certified GUV Management Professional (C-GUVMP) NALMCO
• Certified Multi Family Auditor MN Department of Commerce

Memberships

• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
• Minneapolis Builders Exchange (MBEX)
• Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)
• International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA)
• International Association of Lighting Management Companies (NALMCO)

John previously worked as an engineer in Demand Side Management with Xcel Energy, developing prescriptive savings methodologies and performing custom energy savings analysis. Now at CEE, John performs commercial energy audits and supports research and consulting efforts

John studied mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and he recently obtained EIT certification in pursuit of PE license. 

As a field supervisor, Matthew supports the home energy auditing program by improving program materials, tracking feedback and results, managing the auditing equipment, and following up with homeowners' concerns. Matthew also trains incoming auditors to work directly with homeowners to help them understand how their home uses energy by presenting findings such as insulation levels, infrared scans, air tightness, and mechanical efficiencies.

Prior to CEE, Matthew worked at a local engineering firm where he sampled and processed contaminated soil, groundwater, and vapors for remediation analysis. Matthew also served an AmeriCorps term with Conservation Corps, where he partnered with Mississippi Park Connection in natural resource management such as prairie restoration and maintaining climate study plots.

Matthew has a degree in geological engineering and geology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Jackie works in CEE's Lending Center as post closing specialist assisting with loan services.

She has a long career in the lending industry and is familiar with the many stages of residential lending.