Financing for UESCs: Ensuring the Best Value for the Government  

Tracy Niro is the Utility Program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Tracy is a recognized expert in energy policy, federal utility service contracting, and utility energy service contracts. She also oversees electric and natural gas utility acquisitions for DOE sites nationwide and serves as the chair of the Federal Utility Partnership Working Group. Tracy was a 2009 Presidential Management Fellow, has completed detail assignments to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the International Energy Agency, and was awarded a Fulbright Professional Scholarship to conduct energy research in Australia. Tracy began her career as a staff accountant for an investor-owned utility and has 17 years of experience in the energy industry including past experience leading the DOE FEMP Power Purchase Agreement Program and serving as coordinator for floating offshore wind regulation in Hawaii at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law and is a licensed attorney in the State of California (inactive).

Chandra Shah is a senior project leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. She has been supporting FEMP since 1998--helping agencies purchase off-site renewable energy, implement distributed energy projects, and achieve energy/water goals through utility energy service contracts and other utility partnerships. She is a CEM and holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Deb Vasquez is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory technical lead for the Federal Energy Management Program's utility energy service contract team. She provides technical support, training, and resource development for federal government energy projects that leverage utility industry capabilities and private financing to improve federal government facilities infrastructure.

Phil Voss provides technical assistance for alternative financing programs and projects, supporting the the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program ESPC, UESC, and distributed energy initiatives. His work includes cross-coordination of these initiatives, performance-period support for ESPC projects, training development and delivery, and efforts to advance implementation of energy sales agreements at federal facilities. Phil also has experience managing project technical assistance, strategic energy planning, and representing NREL with a range of federal and non-federal clients. Phil has a B.S. in architectural engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.