Executive Team and Board Members

Kevin Wolf
CEO & Co-Founder
In 2006, Kevin co-founded Wind Harvest International and became its first CEO. He later became the VP of Business Development and then Chief Operations Officer, overseeing the company’s engineering, project development, marketing, sales, and science. He returned to the CEO position in 2019 to take the lead again in raising capital.
From 2015 to 2021, Kevin facilitated the engineering team that developed the Wind Harvester Model 3.1. With his deep knowledge of the technology and markets, he wrote the grants, papers, led the sales and marketing team and developed the relationships and projects in Scotland, Barbados, and California. His science degree, environmental background, consensus-based facilitation expertise, and years of work with the company help in his leadership role with Wind Harvest, where he now leads the capital raising campaign and manages the Company. Kevin graduated with honors from UC Davis in 1980 with a degree in Evolution and Ecology. His summer work as a river guide led him to become the Director of Organizing for Friends of the River through 1990. For the next 15 years, his company, Wolf and Associates was well known for its work in helping organizations be better organized. He now volunteers as the chair for the California Clean Money Action Fund, which works on campaign finance reform. He is the co-chair of the Ocean Iron Fertilization Alliance, which works on increasing phytoplankton health and abundance to feed fish and sequester carbon. He co-founded and lives at N Street Cohousing in Davis, CA.
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Christine Nielson
President, Wind Harvest Pilot Project / Board Member
Between 1987 and 1990, Christine started and directed a non-profit in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, Mexico, working with Triqui women on a project focused on wool weaving and natural dyeing.
She founded Coyuchi, Inc. in 1991. It was the first US company to manufacture and sell quality bedding and bath products made from organic cotton. The business not only pioneered the use of organic cotton but was one of the first to promote Fair Trade- produced fiber and finished products. This contributed significantly to an improved quality of life for farmers in India who grew cotton and supported their biodynamic farming practices. Christine became a founding member of VermiVision, a vermicompost research company that spent 3 years studying and documenting the agricultural benefits of high-quality vermicompost on horticultural crops and turf. Currently, Christine focuses her time on issues related to climate change and voter turnout. She also serves on the boards of several green companies. She has been a long-time investor in and advisor to Wind Harvest International and is currently serving as President of their subsidiary Wind Harvest Pilot Project Inc.
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Cornelius Fitzgerald
Board Member

Cornelius joined Wind Harvest’s management team in 2013. In his previous role as CEO, he led the negotiations with new partners, secured financing, and worked to bring Wind Harvest’s turbines to the commercial market.

He now uses his expertise to align the company’s interest in large-scale projects with Clean Energy Holdings, LLC, and Blair Energy, LLC, where he holds senior-level positions.  Cornelius holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA in sustainable enterprise from the Dominican University of California. He lives in San Anselmo, Calif.
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Leadership Team

Dr. Olamide Ajala
Principal Engineer
Olamide joined Wind Harvest in 2021 and now supervises and coordinates the engineering team.
Mentoring under Dr. Malcolm, she has become the company's second expert on our aeroelastic models. She has over 14 years of engineering experience throughout multiple industries. In 2019, she graduated with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.
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Robert Wheelock
Business and Financial Advisor
Robert has more than 48 years of comprehensive experience in planning, organizing, financing, and managing entrepreneurial businesses in various capacities.
For nearly 10 years, he served as a senior financial executive for a renewable energy company. Rob was a co-founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Corporation and its subsidiaries from 1977 until 1985, where he was responsible for arranging approximately $200 million of private financing for emerging companies. Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. His experience includes dealing with business enterprises engaged in the commercialization of emerging technologies; renewable energy; electronic data processing and information technology.
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Stan Lewandowski
Partner & Corporate Legal Counsel, Pillsbury Law
Stan has advised Wind Harvest on its corporate matters and various transactions since 2014. He is a well-respected corporate partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.
He has invaluable expertise with respect to optimal structuring, different types of financing, operations, development and other strategic transactional issues companies face on a daily basis.
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Robert Loewer
CFO*
Rob brings his MBA, , law degree and Masters in Accounting plus 20+ years of global financial, legal and operational executive experience to Wind Harvest as its “fractional” CFO*.
His experiences including as an Owner, CFO, General Counsel, and as a strategic and financial consultant to early-stage, middle market and Fortune 500 companies is tremendously useful.
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Tom Williams
Special Advisor
Tom Williams is a 20 veteran of entrepreneurial ventures in renewable and distributed energy, and brings over 30 years of experience in management and consulting for clean technologies and projects.
In 1999 Tom joined Continental Capital in Toledo, Ohio—a regional private equity and brokerage firm as an internal consultant for private equity clients and became licensed as General Securities Principal. In 2003 he founded North Coast Wind & Power LLC which specialized in wind and hybrid wind/solar/storage installations. From Sept. 2011 - March 2017, Tom was the CEO of Ventera Wind, Inc. Ventera manufactured a groundbreaking 10 kW wind turbine. Operations were terminated in early 2018 due to a variety of market conditions impacting the entire small wind turbine industry. Tom’s rich experience in all aspects of wind turbine design, manufacturing, installations, sales and maintenance make him an important special advisor to the company. Find his resume at the link below.
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Resume

Team Members

Dr. David Malcolm
Senior Engineer (Consulting)

David had a 40-year career in the field of engineering and design of wind turbines. He began working on vertical axis wind turbines in 1981 with Indal Technologies Inc. in Ontario, Canada, and worked closely...

...with Sandia National Laboratories on the structural dynamics of the Darrieus rotor, authoring several reports and papers on the subject. Shortly after retiring in 2015, he joined Wind Harvest as senior engineer on Model 3.0 of the company’s new cantilevered H-type turbine, bringing with him his extensive experience in critical aspects of design and engineering. He received his BSc in civil engineering from Bristol University in England, a master’s degree in structural engineering from McGill University in Montreal, and his Ph.D. in solid mechanics from the University of Calgary in Alberta. He lives in Seattle, Wash., and is an avid bike rider and skier.

Publications:


On the structural response of two- and three-bladed vertical axis wind turbines
David Malcolm, Wind Energy, August 2019

Validation of a suite of codes for the structural response of vertical axis wind turbines
David Malcolm, December 2017

Wind Harvester v3.1 Design Evaluation – Design for Fatigue
David Malcolm and Antonio Ojeda, Wind Harvest International, February 2017

Wind Harvester v3.1 Design Evaluation – Structural Design Methodology
David Malcolm and Antonio Ojeda, Wind Harvest International, February 2017

Wind Harvester v3.1 Design Evaluation – Extreme Loads
David Malcolm and Antonio Ojeda, Wind Harvest International, February 2017

Wind Harvester v3.1 Design Evaluation – General Turbine Description for US
David Malcolm and Antonio Ojeda, Wind Harvest International, February 2017

Predictions of peak fatigue stresses in a Darrieus rotor wind turbine under turbulent winds
David Malcolm, January 1990
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Mark Chang
Lead Electrical Engineer (Consulting)

Mark is a talented Electrical Engineer. In 2012, he designed and built the controls and electrical system used on the Wind Harvester Model 1.0 and 2.0 turbines installed in Finland. He recently designed and built most of our Model 3.1 turbine controls.

Mark has a mind for complexity, math, and detail. He found his calling in electrical engineering after graduating with an EE degree from UC Davis. He has a wealth of experience in many aspects of controls and electrical projects, making him an excellent asset to Wind Harvest. When Mark isn't moving renewable energy projects forward, he plays the piano and enjoys being in nature.

Experience:


1995- 1999 | Lead Electrical Engineer for Schilling Robotics in Davis, CA

2000 - 2002 | Electronics design engineer for Onix Microsystems (MEMS based fiber optic technology)

2003- 2007 | Responsible Design Engineer for Northrop Grumman Space Technology (formerly TRW Space Systems) in Space Park Redondo Beach CA

2007 - present | Principal Owner, MWC Engineering (specializing in high reliability control systems, high speed, low noise electronic hardware and systems, RF systems and circuits, ESD and lightning protection, and all other areas of electronic product design) Avid electronics hobbyist and electronic technology historian since 1978.
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Omar Garcia
Field and Mechanical Engineer
Omar Garcia began with Wind Harvest as an on-site engineering intern.
During his time with the company, he has grown into a valuable and intuitive engineer, developing intelligent solutions to critical needs for our Model 3.1 and new Model 4.0.
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Jen Hoover
Investor Relations Administrator
Jen provides support for investor relations, communications and more.
She has worked in a number of varied roles within the sustainability sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Textiles, with a focus on environmental aspects of wool production. She has conducted research within wool-producing communities in northern India and founded a small business to support herders and traditional wool artisans in that region. She has also managed the value-added program on an organic farm, turning blemished fruit into gourmet products. The common thread that runs through these endeavors, and her connection with Wind Harvest, is making use of under-valued and untapped resources.
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Dr. Ariana Marshall
Caribbean Resilient Ecosystems Manager (Consulting)

Ariana is our Caribbean Resilient Ecosystems Manager and a Barbados ambassador.

Ariana returned to the island following her advanced studies in Florida to help with its mission to become more sustainable. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Louisville and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in environmental science, management, and policy from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. In 2015, she began working with Wind Harvest, performing an assessment of H-type turbines’ potential on the island and has continued by evaluating wind speeds and advancing Wind Harvest’s projects in the Caribbean. After directing the IADB-MIF funded Green Business Barbados program she founded the Eco-op School where she lives in Barbados.

Publications:

How to Cooperatively Cultivate a Renewable Energy Future
Ariana Marshall, ZME Science, 15 March 2017

Collective Action Research: Policy Effectiveness ~ Coastal Construction Vs Coastal Erosion
Ariana Marshall, 2016

Coastal Construction Trends in Response to Coastal Erosion: An Opportunity for Adaptation
Ariana Marshall, Larry Robinson and Marcia Allen Owens, 2011

Informing Rural Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Strategies through Public Participation Evaluation: Application of the Policy Window Theory
Ariana Marshall and Marcia Allen Owens
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Antonio Ojeda
Chief Engineer (Consulting)
Antonio Ojeda has been instrumental to Wind Harvest since he began consulting for the company in 2014 on the Model 3.0 in Denmark...
...He was involved in securing the strain gauge and field data and soon became proficient with the FEA structural simulation code “Midas NFX” and other engineering tools. The acquired field data validated this sophisticated computer-aided engineering model and the Eole suite of VAWT aeroelastic code brought to the company by Dr. David Malcolm. Antonio became the Lead Engineer on Model 3.1. He designed and made the glass fiber composite transition fairings in his workshop in Spain. He was on site for the installation of the sensors and 3.1’s assembly and installation. Antonio continued with the team as Chief Engineer on the design of 4.0. He is on all 9 pending or granted patents and is the lead inventor on two of them. When he isn’t consulting for Wind Harvest, Antonio is the CEO/Co-Founder of GoAhead Engineering. This startup is focused on inventing and developing hydrogen gas containers that are safe, easy and inexpensive to fill and transport. Antonio received his mechanical engineer degree from the University of Seville in Spain.
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Ionut Munteanu
Mechanical Engineer (Consulting), Evotech Engineering Services
On a shoestring budget, Ionut took on the design and much of the engineering work for the first cantilever and the largest VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) the company had.
Despite lacking an aeroelastic model, he relied on aerodynamic force estimates from Haris. At that time, Wind Harvest had not yet hired Dr. Malcolm or acquired his Eole suite of code. This full-scale prototype reached Technology Readiness Level 6 before Ionut transitioned to a full-time position at Space Applications Services, where he applied his engineering skills to projects for NASA and ESA. In 2021, Ionut returned to Wind Harvest as a consultant, contributing to the design of Model 3.1. He remains a valued member of the engineering team and has played a crucial role in the design and engineering of the Wind Harvester 4.0. Ionut is listed on nine pending or granted patents. Based in Belgium, where his consulting company (Evotech Engineering Services) is located, he continues to work full-time for Space Applications Services. Ionut earned his engineering degree in 2008 from the Aerospace Faculty of Bucharest, Romania. Throughout his career, he has also worked for Airbus and IBM. His main career focuses are mechanical design, static structural analysis, and random vibration.
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Jeff Willis
Production Manager (Consulting)
Jeff started working for Wind Harvest in November 2020 to take on the responsibility of bringing Model 3.1 through the pilot project step...
and organizing the engineering and manufacturing work to complete Model 4.0. He also brings his expertise in patents to help oversee the set of patents the company will be filing with its Model 4.0 turbine. His many years of experience in the wind industry, in manufacturing, patents and management make him an excellent person to organize and coordinate these efforts. Jeff received his Bachelor of Education in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska. He lives in Omaha, NE.
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Lia Perroud
Sales Representative
Lia is a driven sales representative at Wind Harvest, leveraging her expertise in data analysis, website management, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics.
With a passion for expanding the reach of wind energy, Lia is dedicated to introducing Wind Harvesters to new markets and customers. In addition to her sales responsibilities, Lia analyzes wind resources, supports the company's website, and helps in other ways. Her commitment to promoting sustainable energy solutions is reflected in her work and her enthusiasm for helping Wind Harvest succeed.
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