Our Team

The founders of Clean Energy Solutions, Inc., David Dayton and Steve Morgan, have assembled an entrepreneurial and highly engaged team of experts to help you meet all of your organization's needs. Our experience crosses multiple disciplines including financial analysis, program design, stakeholder engagement, greenhouse gas management, and renewable energy financing.

David Dayton, CEO

Mr. Dayton founded Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. in 2000 to advise municipalities, utilities, government agencies, housing organizations and financial organizations on energy efficiency program design and its integration with renewable technologies.

Mr. Dayton has 40 years of experience in the energy and non-profit sectors. In 1968, he founded the non-profit Technical Development Corporation (TDC) and served as its President until 1982. TDC performed many innovative projects in energy conservation, criminal justice and job creation, and set up a number of other corporations in its fields of interest. In 1982, Mr. Dayton founded his second company, Select Energy Services, Inc. (SESI; formerly HEC Inc.) and served as chairman until its acquisition by Northeast Utilities in 1990. As Founder and Director from 1990 until his retirement in 2002, Dave led the company's acquisition program and its development of new energy services in new markets. SESI recommended and installed (and often financed) over a billion dollars worth of energy-efficiency improvements in some of the country's leading institutional, government, and commercial facilities.

Mr. Dayton has also been the chairman or president of many public policy, health, cultural, and community organizations in Massachusetts, and has received several appointments by past governors to advisory boards and state councils.  Mr. Dayton has spoken and published widely on energy efficiency and was on the Energy Task Force of the President's Commission on Environmental Quality, and he served two years as President of the National Association of Energy Service Companies.  Mr. Dayton is considered by many to be a leader in the evolution of the energy services industry.

Mr. Dayton received a B.S.E.E. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Steve Morgan, President

Mr. Morgan has worked closely with local communities to plan and launch comprehensive energy efficiency programs, including Cambridge, Cincinnati and Charlottesville.  He and his colleagues address program design, determine marketing plans, qualify and oversee technical contractors, and assist in arranging financing for their clients.  He speaks and writes regularly on these topics, as well as on compatible utility program incentives and energy performance contracting. 

Prior to joining CESI in the 2007, Mr. Morgan was Vice-President of AMERESCO, where he led the nation's largest energy services company division solely dedicated to serving multifamily buildings. His work at AMERESCO led to over $175 million in energy efficiency investments in the past ten years.

 Mr. Morgan has served as Board Treasurer of the National Association of Energy Services Companies (NAESCO) and is currently serving on the Board of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Mr. Morgan also enjoys a national reputation in electric and gas utility energy efficiency program design and early implementation assistance. He has testified before Congressional Subcommittees on renewable energy issues and has provided energy efficiency consulting services to Fannie Mae, the Ford Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and both public and investor-owned utilities.

Mr. Morgan holds a BA and a Masters in Education degrees from Harvard University as well as a Ph.D in Policy, Planning and Administration from Brandeis University.

Ian Fischer, Vice President of Operations

Mr. Fischer works with nonprofits, local governments, and foundations on the development and delivery of community-based sustainability programs, such as the Energy Alliances.  He has focused on organizational structure, start-up, and strategic planning, financing programs, and energy performance contracting implementation.  Mr. Fischer manages CESI's overall operations and key client engagements.

Mr. Fischer has worked with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) since its inception.  He managed and co-authored GCEA's successful $17 million Better Buildings Grant application.  His work with GCEA includes working with executive staff and the Board on the strategic plan and arranging the GC-Help Residential Loan Program.  He is currently working on the establishment of a nonprofit and small commercial loan program that brings together GCEA, a local CDF, and a national Foundation.

He is also working with the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) on the strategy and organization for delivery of a $20 million Better Buildings grant with a dozen sub-grantee communities.  For the District of Columbia Department of the Environment, as a sub to Urban Atlantic Energy Advisors, he is preparing a market characterization, service delivery model, and operational budget for a commercial PACE financing program.  And for the Local Energy Alliance Program (Charlottesville, VA) he is working with lenders to develop financing options for multi-family housing.

Mr. Fischer's Energy Performance Contracting implementation work includes working with Hamilton County, OH to manage their $4.8 million formula EECBG grant and create an aggregated procurement for energy performance contracting for the County and local jurisdictions.

For the NRDC he analyzed the results of existing and future efficiency programs in meeting New York City's PlaNYC 2030 carbon emissions reduction goals.

Mr. Fischer brings to CESI experience in energy and financial analysis, policy development, community economic development, and GIS design. Previously he worked as a GIS consultant for Pathfinder International and as a senior analyst at the Cadmus Group, concentrating on energy efficiency, water policy issues, and human health risk assessment.

Mr. Fischer holds a BA in Biology from Brown University, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Paul Houlihan, Principal Consultant

Paul Houlihan is Principal Consultant to Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CESI), through which he has provided project management services to the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, The City of Cleveland, and the Better Buildings Programs in Jacksonville Florida and New Orleans. For eleven years prior to joining the CESI team, Mr. Houlihan served first as Senior Manager and later President of The School for Field Studies (SFS), an international field-based, environmental research and community development organization serving indigenous communities in Kenya, Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia and the British West Indies. Under Mr. Houlihan's leadership SFS developed a unique partnership with local communities and regional and national governments to address critical issues of water quality and availability, human and environmental health, subsistence fisheries management, sustainability of public and private protected lands, and the regeneration of rainforests.

Prior to his international work Mr. Houlihan served as vice president and general manager of Conservation Services Group, Inc. (CSG), a leading energy conservation services provider in the residential and small commercial sectors. Mr. Houlihan focused on strategic planning, business development, client negotiations, contract development, and legislative lobbying. He managed the human resources operation, including management of 250 employees, and resolved personnel and customer service issues

Mr. Houlihan's career includes experience as a community organizer in low-income communities, long time directorship of a regional anti-poverty organization, and, since the mid-1970s, substantive involvement in energy conservation programs, including management of federally-funded regional low-income heating assistance programs and comprehensive energy weatherization programs. He led the organizing effort to initiate a major energy materials purchasing cooperative and worked with advocates and regulators to introduce the concept of demand-side management programs within gas and electric utility companies in New England.

Mr. Houlihan has enjoyed a long career in organizational management and administration, including university-level faculty positions in social and economic policy, and experience in international negotiations and community-based program development. Mr. Houlihan possesses a BA in Liberal Arts, and an MA in Urban Sociology from Boston College.

Jacquelyn Dadakis, Consultant

Jacquelyn Dadakis’s work experience includes innovative financing strategies for energy efficiency, community-utility partnerships, and the intersection of energy planning and economic development. 

Ms. Dadakis has worked for Rebuilding Together, a national non-profit with affiliates in over 200 communities in the US, to provide free home repair to low-income homeowners, with a focus on energy efficiency retrofits.  Ms. Dadakis launched Rebuilding Together's response to Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and has remained engaged in the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans, LA, where she currently lives.

Ms. Dadakis has a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Master in City Planning from MIT where she consulted for municipalities and utilities on designing energy efficiency programs for hard to reach communities.   In particular she worked on projects to create new financing and incentive tools to encourage community groups to engage in energy efficiency programs.  She completed a master thesis analyzing the impact of existing Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs and advising the City of New Orleans on the creation of a financing program in the city.  

John Clune, Sr. Project Manager

Mr. Clune is currently involved in the implementation of the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance EECBG program, acting as owner’s agent for county buildings in Hamilton, County, Ohio, as well as CESI’s projects in Wilmington, NC and Charlottesville, VA.  He has also been involved in EECBG strategy development under a CESI contract with the Massachusetts Municipal Association, as well as the development of a Local Energy Assurance Plan for Wilmington, NC.

Mr. Clune brings to CESI many years of experience in the development and implementation of strategies to address energy investment opportunities throughout the United States, particularly in multifamily housing.  Mr. Clune formerly worked for Ameresco, Inc., and EUA Citizens Conservation Services, Inc.  He also worked for the non-profit Citizens Conservation Corporation for almost a decade.  His experience includes oversight of energy studies, measure analysis for savings calculations, project cash flow development, construction management, utility program management, utility consumption and cost analysis, base year development, and monitoring and verification of savings.  Early in his career, Mr. Clune weatherized homes, installed solar and fossil fuel heating equipment and helped to construct passive solar homes.

Mr. Clune holds a BS in Business Management from Westfield State College.

Nora Barger, Program Manager

Joining Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. in November 2010, Ms. Barger brings experience in pilot program development and implementation to her role as Energy Efficiency Coordinator for the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Through this role Ms. Barger has assisted in designing innovative energy efficiency incentives in both the residential and commercial sectors of the towns. As Coordinator, Ms. Barger promotes the programs through a creative marketing plan including partnering with community groups, town staff and local school groups as well as incorporating traditional media outlets. She provides research on energy efficiency measures and best practices; contract negotiation with partners and contractors, as well as public relations services for the programs through public presentations and being the first line of public contact for the energy efficiency programs.Ms. Barger has aided in the overall program design, determined a marketing plan, oversees technical contractors, and supported the partnership between CESI, the Town of Chapel Hill and the Town of Carrboro.

Prior to joining CESI, Ms. Barger served as Director of Public Partnerships at DC Greenworks in Washington, DC. Ms. Barger researched and wrote grant proposals successfully securing funding to expand and create programs and increase the organizational capacity. She managed the Pilot Green Roof Subsidy Program, multi‐year pilot program in Washington, DC funded by the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) to incentivize green roof installation. She provided marketing and outreach to interested property owners throughout DC to promote the subsidy. Additionally, she provided technical assistance, green roof design review, project management support and inspected completed green roofs for proper installation. In conjunction with the subsidy program, Ms. Barger created a comprehensive database of over 100 municipalities through primary research with municipalities including thought leaders in Chicago, Portland, and London to study the efficacy of green roof incentives and inform green roof policy development resulting in a compendium of green roof information for municipalities and other stakeholders interested in green roof implementation.

Ms. Barger holds a Bachelors in American History from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and a Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Carol L. Carver, Director of Administration

Ms. Carver manages accounting, human resources, and IT for CESI, and provides direct support to the senior management of CESI.

Prior to joining CESI in the fall of 2006, Carol was Manager Administrative Services at Select Energy Services, Inc.  In that capacity she was responsible for all aspects of Human Resources, including development and implementation of policies and procedures, hiring and performance reviews, employee relations, and benefits administration.  Carol managed all corporate lines of insurance and the IT department.

Mike Weedall, Senior Associate

Mr. Weedall works with utilities, government agencies and nonprofits to improve program designs and delivery, integrate effective financing programs, incorporate emerging technologies, and undertake cost-effective measurement & verification protocols for building customers.  He has spent twenty-five years leading investor-owned and public utilities in the management of demand side management and renewable programs, most recently as Vice-President for Energy Efficiency at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).  At BPA, and in previous executive positions at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Green Mountain Power, he has achieved a national reputation for excellence in his design and stewardship of successful energy efficiency and renewable programs. 

Mr. Weedall is currently working with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance in its commercial program offerings, focused on the marketing of an effective financing program and on its interface with the local electric and gas utilities and their contractor network.  He also works with his CESI colleagues on expanding the reach of energy performance contracting beyond its traditional client boundaries.

Mr. Weedall has served as President of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Board and as President of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency Board, as well as membership on numerous national electric and gas industry committees and task forces.  He has authored an energy efficiency financing book published by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and served as a featured speaker at dozens of national and regional energy conferences. He is currently a member of the Secretary Of Energy’s Electricity Oversight Committee providing recommendations on the direction of electricity grid of the future.

Mr. Weedall holds a BA from Northeastern University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Arizona.