Eric says EVs have changed his life. It is his purpose to teach financial literacy. He is a graduate from Georgia Tech (IE 1981) and made Georgia home forever.  He is a blockchain evangelist. He is working to create non-fungible tokens to crowd fund reforestation projects around the world.

Retired, Proud great grandmother, McIntosh county resident, founder of Save The Sacred Sites alliance, saving sacred Sites is her life long mission. "Earth is the only planet we have the HONOR to call home."  Sharon will provide a welcome at the event and share some Cherokee History.

Nick created a vintage electric bike brand and he loves promoting sustainability.  His passion is for bike lanes and sustainable development. He and his wife love pets and he lives in Savannah.  He is co-emcee of the event with Comm. Echols.

Kwame and his team are helping Georgia residents & businesses own their EV charging & energy, while giving back locally!

Mark and his wife Beth are retired to Tybee Island and both work to better their community. Mark helped get solar thermal and solar PV on the Marine Science Center.  Beth works on the beach clean up team every Sunday night on Tybee's beach.

Chantal has been leading educational programming and camps for 25 years and now serves as Executive Director. She has a great appreciation for the entire coastal ecosystem — and its fragility.  "Education has always been a huge part of my personal mission, it’s the crux of who I am."

Alden provides Energy Consulting to companies seeking to fulfill their Sustainability Goals, including developing solar and wind distributed generation technologies, microgrids and energy efficiency projects. He and his wife have a net zero home and help start "Solar Light for Africa."

Angelia is an environmental sustainability consultant, visiting professor at Clark Atlanta University and a Keep Cobb Beautiful Board member. She has spent 7 years building relationships in construction and ecological arena in downtown Atlanta.

Fred works every day on Sapelo Island, just off the Darien coast.  He was instrumental in helping Commissioner Echols get the solar array installed for the Hog Hammock Gullah Geechee library. He is THE person on Sapelo that people look to to resolve issues.

Commissioner Poole has been a long-time supporter of the Coral Restoration Foundation. He also served on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council for artificial habitats. He currently is on the State of Georgia Marsh and Shore Protection Committee. He has worked for Home Depot and is now the President of Magic Chef Appliances.

Justin joined Chesapeake Utilities Corporation as a Senior Financial Analyst and quickly got promoted to Supervisor of Business Planning over the Florida Division where his duties included strategic planning, forecasting and financial analysis. From there he was tagged to become Chesapeake’s Business Development Manager responsible for all of the companies’ renewable natural gas growth initiatives.

Griffin not only serves on the City Council in the host community for the event, but he serves on the The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. He has traveled the world educating people about the Gullah Geechee people.

Dr. Adam Orford is an assistant professor at the UGA School of Law. He teaches and writes about environmental law, energy law, and the emerging law of climate change. Has has degrees from ASU, Columbia and UC Berkeley.

Rob recently appointed to Gwinnett County’s Sustainability Commission, is currently assisting PeopleReady, a workforce provider of 100MW+ PV installs, build brand and market share. Founder of RSB Consulting - Atlanta, he advises on IRA issues,
and trends in Solar, EV Charging, LED Lighting, Battery Storage, and Sustainability.

Timothy is the Membership and Grassroots Advocacy Director at the Georgia Forestry Association, and works to advance the mission of the organization as the primary advocate for Georgia’s working forest landowners, forest product manufacturers, and forest-based businesses. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources and a Masters of Forest Resources from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Ryan and his team have developed large solar projects all over Georgia. He was instrumental in Georgia getting more megawatts for utility-scale solar. He has degrees from UGA, GA Tech and Emory, and he co-founded the GA Large Scale Solar Assn.  He helped put solar on Sapelo Island as well.

Mayor Johnson comes from a family of public servants, raised by an educator and veteran who instilled in him the importance of serving your community. An amiable change-agent who ran under the platform of "Building a Better Brunswick," Johnson strives to represent the voice of the people.

Jeremiah is the Project Oversight Director at Plant Vogtle, soon the be the largest carbon-free nuclear site in North America. He believes that carbon free nuclear energy is critical for countries to meet their climate goals.

David grew up in McIntosh County and works for Darien Telephone, the event's presenting sponsor.  He is also chair of the McIntosh County Commission.  He loves being on the water and serving his community.

Rusty is a retired attorney and owner of the Waterfront Wine and Gourmet near our event venue.  Most importantly, Rusty was instrumental in getting EV chargers up and running in Darien.  He drives an EV himself and likes helping other see the benefit.

Patrick is President of Trail 17. Georgia Grown Trail 17 is Georgia's newest agritourism highway. Running from Kingsland to Savannah, Georgia, Georgia Grown Trail 17 provides quality products produced right here in Georgia and is the coastal corridor for agritourism experiences. He teaches for Troy University at their Brunswick campus.

Charlie not only owns the Sapelo Sea Farms, the Fish Dock and a number of other enterprises, but he is on the board for AFAC, the American Fishing Advisory Committee. He is working to lower the interaction of fishing gear and Right Whales. He says that environmentalism and commercial should not be mutually exclusive.

Dr. Pulos and his team not only educate the county's school children, but they are saving the schools thousands of dollars per month with the energy upgrades performed on the schools, including solar on the elementary and middle schools.  He is leading our tree planting effort.

 After 24 years in finance at UPS, Elba transitioned to her profession of purpose as a member of the sustainability team. She's also the founder of non-profit ShowMe50. Passionate about the E, S and the G, she serves her many stakeholders with unique skills and passion.

Bryan is the Associate Marine Extension Director for the UGA Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant Program. He is responsible for coordinating Marine Extension activities across the state with academic, management, industry, and community partners. His extension programs specifically focus on marine fisheries, and sustainable tourism with the goal of promoting the economic, cultural & environmental health of Georgia's Coast.

Chris is a leader in the EV Club of the South. His "EV Comparison Handout" is famous in Atlanta as it compares EVs and their features helping consumers decide which EV might work for them. Chris is an expert on product details and will be helping organize our EV Parade to Brunswick after our Friday event.

Michael Bracken serves as the Chairman of the Board of Earth Charter International (ECI), an international organization committed to making the world a more just, sustainable, and peaceful place, through the dissemination and promotion of the ethical principles of the Earth Charter. ECI is based in San Jose, Costa Rica and located on the U.N. Sanctioned campus at the University for Peace and has a U.S. presence in Jacksonville, Florida.

Carl is the Director of Sustainability and Renewable Gas Solutions at Southern Company Gas. In
this role Carl supports the development of renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen sustainability
solutions for Southern Company Gas and its customers. This includes unregulated project development,
RNG interconnections with regulated pipeline assets, RNG procurement, and customer programs.

Chris combines her more than 15 years in sustainability with practical experience in business and strategy. Now, as head of ESG at Independence Point Advisors, an investment bank and advisory firm, she has a unique perspective on the role of investors – both public and private -- in advancing ESG.

Earnest McIntosh Sr. is a fisherman and oyster farmer whose multigenerational seafood company in Harris Neck, Georgia started from crab harvesting processing in the 1980s under his father's leadership into Georgia's only oyster farming enterprise. Now joined by his son and daughter, McIntosh uses traditional and innovative aquaculture practices to produce high-quality wholesale seafood for the public.

Brett served in the Georgia General Assembly representing Snellville, GA. He currently represents the McIntosh County Development Authority in his Government Affairs practice.  He lives on St. Simons Island.

Taylor Ford is the Senior Project Manager for Solar Sun World and is a licensed Class II electrician. He has been with Solar Sun World for 14 years and is a NABCEP certified solar PV installer. He is in charge of all field operations for the company and frequently advises on the company's custom designs and installations. He installed the array on the Marine Science Center on Tybee.

Brock Tobaben, AIA, NCARB is the founder and director of New Brock Architects, a multiple AIA Georgia
design award winning architecture firm based on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. His experience as project architect and lead designer of large commercial projects and custom
residences has focused on achieving a universal appeal and responsibility by utilizing local and passive
techniques always with specificity of place.

David is the Director of Ecological Services at United Consulting, where he has over 25 years of experience conducting wetland, stream and other ecological evaluations. He has extensive knowledge of ecological assessments, endangered species, wetland identification, stream morphology and classification, wetland and stream permitting, wetland and stream mitigation plans, and mitigation monitoring.

Michelle is the UGA Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Agent for McIntosh & Glynn County. As a FACS Agent, Michelle is responsible for providing research-based information surrounding healthy home environments, reducing waste, green cleaning, and water & energy conservation. She finds passion in educating community members to help improve the overall quality of life for individuals and families.

Dr. Takagi is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Oceanography at the College of Coastal Georgia. Her main research interest is in understanding coastal ecosystem dynamics with regards to the effects of water quality on invertebrate marine species such as crabs, worms, and oysters.

Trey works in the sustainability arm of Cox Enterprises called Cox Conserves, as the Innovation and Technology Program Manager. His job is to identify, pilot, and implement new technologies that can help Cox reach its carbon reduction and energy cost savings goals. Prior to Cox he worked at research labs focused on developing new energy related technologies. He has a PhD in chemical engineering from West Virginia University.

Paulo Albuquerque is a Director in Guidehouse’s Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure practice, where he leads several accounts in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic market. Paulo has over 20 years’ experience working with and for premier energy companies delivering strategic and transformative results to his clients. Paulo is focused on innovation & growth opportunities and the changing role of energy providers in the evolving energy ecosystem.

After serving in the military for 22 years, Roger retired as a Naval Officer and returned home. He worked for the Georgia National Guard Youth Challenge Academy Program for 20 years before retiring as the Fort Stewart Campus Director. A strong advocate for education, Roger earned several degrees that include Masters in Education and Public Administration.  He serves on the McIntosh County Commission.

Marqus serves as both the Director of Community and Church Engagement AND Community Pastor at Grace Snellville in the suburbs of Atlanta. He and his wife have been EV drivers for many years, and he loves helping churches explore sustainability.