Gary Dorris, PhD

CEO & President

Dr. Gary Dorris is a trailblazer in the realm of renewable energy and recognized as a visionary expert with over two decades of pioneering solutions for energy risk management and portfolio planning. As the founder and CEO of Ascend Analytics, he has spearheaded the organic growth of the company into a prominent provider of cutting-edge quantitative software solutions for energy portfolio management and data infrastructure. With an exceptional understanding of applied economics and finance as a Ph.D. from Cornell University and his remarkable track record spanning more than twenty years, Dr. Dorris has consistently worked at the forefront of innovation in the field of renewable energy and battery storage. His groundbreaking analytical innovations have paved the way for the development of over a dozen proprietary software applications, utilized by a vast network of over 300 energy and renewable resource companies.  Dr. Dorris holds a PhD in applied economics and finance from Cornell University, a BS in mechanical engineering, and a BA in economics with magna cum laude distinction, also from Cornell University.

Brent Nelson, PhD

Managing Director of Markets & Strategy

Dr. Nelson leads the forecasting practice at Ascend Analytics and is a renowned expert in new market dynamics, storage and renewable project valuation, resource planning, and renewable integration. Prior to joining Ascend, Dr. Nelson was an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northern Arizona University, while also holding a collaborative appointment with the directorate of Scientific Computing and Energy Analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He also worked for the US Department of Energy from 2014-2016, focusing on technology research and development programs for energy efficiency and demand side management. Dr. Nelson holds PhD and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor ‘s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Brandon Mauch, PhD

Director of Resource Planning Analytics

Dr. Brandon Mauch leads a team of analysts at Ascend in providing modeling support for resources planning. He is currently managing work for NorthWestern Energy and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Prior to joining Ascend, Brandon was a Senior Program Manager for CLEAResult Consulting where he managed utility energy efficiency and demand response programs for Midwestern utilities. Before that, he was a Utility Regulation Engineer for the Iowa Utilities Board where he worked on regional energy policy issues, resource planning and rate cases for Iowa’s investor-owned utilities. Brandon holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University where his research focused on wind power forecasting and risk assessment of wind forecasts. He also holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas.

Adam Hise

Managing Director of Storage Risk Solutions

Mr. Hise leads the development and commercialization of insurance-backed revenue risk transfer offerings for clean energy assets. Mr. Hise founded and led the EnSurance team at Ascend, developing novel risk shifting products to advance storage and renewable energy deployment. Prior to Ascend, Mr. Hise held management roles at Scout Clean Energy and provided strategy consulting with emerging renewable tech businesses. Mr. Hise holds an M.S. in Environmental Science & Engineering from UNC, Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Michael Fisher, PhD

Director of Valuation Services Portfolio Analytics

Dr. Fisher leads the Ascend Portfolio Analytics team and has spent the last 15 years of his career in the energy industry, most recently as Duquesne Light’s head of business development where he grew a development platform for the utility’s unregulated businesses. Dr. Fisher has a deep understanding of what developers and project finance professionals need across the project lifecycle. His doctoral research at Carnegie Mellon explored the technical, economic, and emissions impacts of distributed storage, where he created a battery optimization model that explored how storage behaves when responding to retail and wholesale value streams. Dr. Fisher holds a Ph.D. in energy policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in economics and BAS in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rahm Orenstein

Managing Director of Ascend Energy Exchange

Mr. Orenstein leads Ascend Energy Exchange, an analytics-based marketplace that enables Ascend customers to buy and sell high quality energy storage and renewable energy projects effectively. Prior to Ascend, Mr. Orenstein spent 15 years holding executive positions in the renewable energy industry, including as CEO of Sunflower Sustainable Investment, Ltd (TASE: SNFL), a global developer and IPP of renewable energy and energy storage; VP Business Development – Energy Storage and VP Business Development – Americas, at Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA), a global developer and IPP of renewable energy and energy storage.

Mr. Orenstein holds an MBA from Reichman University and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tel Aviv University.

Carley Dolch

Managing Director of Energy Risk Solutions

Ms. Dolch is the Managing Director of Energy Risk Solutions for Ascend Analytics, where she leads portfolio risk management, resource planning, and reliability analysis. Ms. Dolch brings to Ascend Analytics over 15 years of energy market experience, including optimizing reliability and financial margins, settlements, and bringing to market innovative software analytics that assist companies to best manage increasingly complex market conditions. Prior to Ascend, Ms. Dolch was a business development leader at Integ Consulting, a leading software firm specializing in generation solutions for utilities. Her achievements included the expansion into international markets, and the establishment of a substantial market share in the private equity sector.  Ms. Dolch earned her BS from Rutgers University.

Zach Brode

Director of Analytics  & Strategy

Zach Brode leads resource planning, portfolio management, and valuation projects. He also manages the development of PowerSIMM. Zach joined Ascend after completing his M.A. in Economics at the University of British Columbia. At Ascend, Zach works with utility clients to model energy systems in support of capacity planning and resource assessment and valuation. He also has experience with avoided cost analysis and new resource power procurement analysis.

Mr. Brode joined Ascend after completing his M.A. in economics at the University of British Columbia, and his B.A. in economics and mathematics at Wheaton College.

Mike Huisenga

Managing Director of Business Development

Prior to joining Ascend Analytics, Mr. Huisenga was a Senior Vice President and Energy District Business Line Leader with WSP USA, a Top 5 ranked design firm by Engineering News Record (ENR), spending 15 years in roles covering sustainability services, renewable energy, and management. Mr. Huisenga experience also includes leading Product Strategy for Spruce Power, a Residential Solar & Battery Storage Asset Management firm. Mr. Huisenga earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Caroline Zechter

Director of Community Solar

Ms. Zechter applies her extensive expertise in ISO wholesale market and utility retail forecasting to ensure successful deployment the Ascend Analytics MI Retail products. She leads a team of analysts that models retail rates and community solar bill credits across the country, serving customers across the distributed energy resources space.

Additionally, Ms. Zechter leverages her 5+ years of experience modeling the NY Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) market to oversee the deployment of Ascend’s VDER battery dispatch tool.

Robert Lafaso

Director of Forecasting & Valuation

Robert LaFaso leads Ascend Analytics’ Market Intelligence (AscendMI) day-to-day practice area, which encompasses the development of long-term supply-stack, market-price, and project-economics forecasts. His work influences Ascend‘s software suite, as AscendMI forecasts drive the analytics behind PowerSIMM and BatterySIMM. Mr. LaFaso conducted the Valuation Due Diligence for many significant M&A transactions, including the multi-gigawatt portfolios behind TerraGen’s sale to Masdar and Origis Energy’s sale to Antin Infrastructure Partners. Mr. LaFaso holds a B.S. in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Wyoming and a M.S. in Engineering Management from the Colorado School of Mines.

Shalom Goffri, PhD

VP of Valuation & Portfolio Management, PowerSIMM

Dr. Shalom Goffri brings extensive expertise in power markets, power asset valuation, procurement strategy, decarbon-ization, and due diligence to Ascend Analytics. He advises private and public sector clients on clean energy business strategy, technology and market assessments, policy analysis, and M&A. His knowledge spans wholesale markets, community solar, and distributed resources.

Before joining Ascend, Dr. Goffri led the power markets team at Guidehouse's Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure practice, focusing on M&A due diligence and strategy projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. He has developed detailed cost, performance, and financial models for clean energy systems and analyzed the levelized cost of energy across various global regions and technologies.

Dr. Goffri also has a background in research, having worked at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   

Carlos Blanco, PhD

Managing Director, Portfolio & Risk Management

Dr. Carlos Blanco provides expertise to Ascend's clients in analytic modeling, forecasting, optimization, and simulation, while also advancing software products and services. An internationally recognized expert in energy risk management and climate change risk, he advises global clients on risk policy development. His expertise in risk management and climate risk has made him a sought-after trainer and presenter. Before Ascend, Dr. Blanco co-founded Black Swan Risk Advisors and served as VP of Risk Solutions at Financial Engineering Associates. He has published over 150 articles and taught finance at UC Berkeley, specializing in risk management and market risk models.  Dr. Blanco holds a PhD in finance from Universidad Complutense, Madrid, where he was awarded magna cum laude distinction. He also has a masters degree in investments and international economics from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Tapas Peshin, PhD

Manager of Energy Engineering & Analytics

Dr. Peshin leads the Smartbidder Analyst team providing quantitative analysis and client support to optimize battery energy storage and renewable energy resource bidding in live operations in Wholesale Electricity Markets. Previously, Dr. Peshin worked as a Schneider Fellow with Rocky Mountain Institute, Shultz Energy Fellow with California Air Resources Board and as a Senior Operations Research Analyst with PCI Energy Solutions. At PCI, Dr. Peshin worked extensively with utilities facilitating their membership in the Western EIM. He holds a PhD in Energy Science & Engineering from Stanford University, a Master's in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from Panjab University.

Orlando Vilar, PhD

Senior Energy Analyst

Dr. Vilar serves as a member of the Ascend Analytics' PowerSIMM team. Dr. Vilar joined Ascend in 2023 and has 10 years of experience in energy markets (eight in Brazil, two in the US) - focusing on power portfolio and risk management. Prior to joining Ascend Analytics, he worked at Wood Mackenzie's Energy Management (US) and taught Introductory Finance at Sao Paulo Business School. Dr. Vilar also worked as intelligence and risk director in Brazil, developing risk policies and tools, and thermal and solar assets modeling/valuation. Dr. Vilar holds a PhD in finance and an MSc in economics and finance from the Sao Paulo School of Economics.

Paul Eory

Director , Utilities & Corporates

Mr. Paul Eory, Director, Utilities & Corporates, brings more than 12 years of energy sector expertise to Ascend and leads Ascend Analytics Resource Planning group. Mr. Eory started his career at Bay City Electric Light & Power, where he managed energy efficiency programs and later joined Lansing Board of Water & Light as the modeler for their integrated resource plan. Prior to Ascend, Mr. Eory spent 8 years leading IRPs, FP&A, rate setting, and strategic planning initiatives at the largest municipal utility in Michigan. Additionally, he spent a year on the Board of Directors for American Public Power Association’s R&D Program, DEED, supporting municipal utilities with research, pilot projects, and education to improve the operations and services of public power utilities.  Mr. Eory earned his B.B.A. in International Business & Economics from Saginaw Valley State University.

Santiago Saravia

Senior Energy Analyst

Mr. Saravia serves as a senior renewable energy analyst on the storage products team, where he leads valuation efforts for dozens of storage projects across deregulated U.S. power markets, including project finance and M&A support for over 5GW of hybrid and standalone projects in Texas and California. Mr. Saravia is an expert on location-specific Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives for renewable and storage projects, having developed maps to identify current and future eligibility.  Mr. Saravia earned his bachelor‘s degree in environmental Analysis and Economics from Pomona College.

Paul Saferstein

Senior Advisor for Data Centers

Paul Saferstein, CFA has over 25 years of experience as a data centers, telecom, and utilities investor at AllianceBernstein, Morgan Stanley, ACQ, and other hedge funds. Most recently, Paul was a contract Chief Strategy Officer for Standard Power, where he spearheaded its AI hyperscale data center strategy. Previously, Paul was a portfolio manager at First New York, where he focused on global capital markets and digital infrastructure, utilities, and crypto industries.  Mr. Saferstein graduated Cornell University with a BA in Asian Studies and holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. He studied at the Stanford Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan, lived in Tokyo, and is fluent in Japanese.

Ben Anderson

Manager of Resource Planning

Ben Anderson, Senior Energy Analyst, provides modeling support and analysis for integrated resource planning and forecasting. Prior to joining Ascend in early 2023, Mr. Anderson worked with Colorado Energy office to model pathways for the state to reach 100% clean energy by 2040 and he did portfolio management for various developers. In addition, Mr. Anderson spent five years as a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), focusing on wind energy and microgrid modeling.  Mr. Anderson holds an M.A. and B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.

Martin Chown

Senior Energy Analyst

Mr. Martin Chown works as an Energy Analyst on the SmartBidder team, helping Ascend deliver expertise in energy markets, optimization techniques, and battery technology to its clients. His role focuses on developing advanced bidding strategies and analyzing electricity market fundamentals to strengthen SmartBidder's competitive positioning.
 
Before joining Ascend full-time, Mr. Chown earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2022 and interned with Ascend’s BatterySimm team, where he developed novel techniques for simulating real-time electricity prices. He then pursued a Master of Science in electrochemistry from the University of Oregon, specializing in optimizing lithium-ion and zinc batteries. During his time at Sila Nano, he contributed to multiple electrolyte patents.

Charu Samantula

Energy Analyst II

Charu Samantula is an Energy Analyst at Ascend Analytics, where she applies her background in climate modeling and sustainability to analyze power market dynamics and support data-driven clean energy planning. With a master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, her research focused on uncertainty in downscaled climate data and its role in multi-sector decision-making.

Anthony Boukarim

Director of Resource Planning & Power Procurement

Mr. Boukarim, Director of Resource Planning and Power Procurement, leads Ascend’s RFO services supporting load serving entities procure resources to meet their energy and capacity needs. He manages multiple resource planning efforts (IRPs, RFO administration, asset valuations, decarbonization studies) for clients across the US. Mr. Boukarim provides consulting expertise for utilities and CCAs for renewable integration, reliability, and risk management. His portfolio of clients in California and the broader west includes Clean Power Alliance, San Jose Clean Energy, San Diego Community Power, Peninsula Clean Energy, Grant County Public Utility District, and Arizona Corporation Commission, among others.

Prior to joining Ascend, Mr. Boukarim worked at Arthur D. Little/McKinsey & Co as a management consultant in their Energy & Utilities Practice. Mr. Boukarim has also worked as a research analyst in energy topics for Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.  

In addition to five years of international experience in the energy sector, he holds a master’s degree in Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut.

‍Joseph Chavez

Director of Analytics

Mr. Chavez, Director of Analytics, brings over 15 years of experience across financial and power markets analysis including energy system production cost and capacity expansion modeling with an emphasis on grid decarbonization and strategy. His knowledge spans North American and European wholesale markets and policy and he brings with him a breadth of project development and operations experience.
 
Prior to joining Ascend, Mr. Chavez was an Associate Director on the power markets team at Guidehouse where he focused on project and VPPA valuation, revenue maximization, and supported efforts by the US government to decarbonize its operations. Before Guidehouse, Mr. Chavez led the team responsible for producing Hitachi Energy’s North American Power Reference Case and also spent time working in market analysis and strategy for Enel Green Power and OCI Solar Power. His early career years were spent at NREL and BlackRock.

Devdatt Maganty

Senior Manager, Portfolio Management

Devdatt Maganty, Senior Manager, Portfolio Management, manages Ascend Analytics' Portfolio Management group. Mr. Maganty joined Ascend in 2023, bringing more than nine years of experience in energy markets, trading, and portfolio risk management. At Ascend Analytics, he works with CCA, generator and retailer clients on their risk management needs as well as analytics reporting.

Prior to joining Ascend Analytics, Mr. Maganty worked at Wood Mackenzie for their Energy Management group where he worked with retailers and generation clients in managing their portfolios and trading on their behalf for two years. For the six and a half years prior, he worked for Customized Energy Solutions specializing in risk management and contract pricing along with consulting on market entry and regulatory compliance. Mr. Maganty is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and a certified Energy Risk Professional. He holds an M.S. in financial analysis from Temple University, an M.S.E. in materials science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from BITS Pilani, Dubai.