Congratulations to the 2026 Fellows who have made significant contributions in the fields of energy management, energy efficiency, sustainability, and alternative energy. Your dedication and impact are truly commendable!
2026 Fellows
Alain Aoun is a multidisciplinary expert and entrepreneur with an exceptional academic background and over 20 years of experience in construction, energy, and digital transformation. He holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, a diploma in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, several master's degrees in Industrial Computing, Electrical Engineering, and Renewable Energies, and a Ph.D. in Engineering.
A visionary and innovator, Alain is the founder and director of several companies, including two startups focused on integrating emerging technologies in construction, energy, hydrogen, and digital fields while addressing sustainability and efficiency challenges.
Bethany Giordano has been a Certified Energy Manager for 20 years and a Certified Energy Auditor for 14 years. However, her passion for promoting energy efficiency and environmental sustainability began with her first Toyota co-op in 1999. Bethany holds an M.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Louisville (UofL) Speed Engineering School and UofL Business School, respectively. Her career spans 24 years of energy management, water stewardship, and environmental leadership.
She began her career with Toyota Motor Manufacturing KY (TMMK) in 2002 and spent the first two decades working as a water and energy specialist on the energy management team and as an environmental leader on many projects and activities.
Dr. Roland. R. Clarke
Dr. Roland R. Clarke is a distinguished energy professional with deep engineering, economics and policy expertise. He is notably skilled in financial stress testing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. He has over four decades of experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, utility demand side management (DSM), integrated resource planning (IRP) and utility regulation. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Clarke Energy Associates and the CEO of Clarke Energy Inc., roles he has held since 2008.
At present, he is a Technical Project Manager for an Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Reuse project for Barbados.
Robert (Bob) Berninger is the Director of Plant Operations, Energy and Engineering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). In his 20 years with MSKCC, Bob has held various positions, progressing from Energy Manager — overseeing and implementing energy conservation projects — to Plant Operations Manager, and currently Director of Plant Operations, Energy & Engineering, managing the day-to-day operations of the HVAC systems and staff, overseeing energy management systems and energy budgets, and exploring and implementing energy conservation measures. Prior to this position, he was Assistant Manager of the Physical Plant at Columbia University.
Sharon Nolen
Sharon Nolen has an extensive background in energy efficiency and sustainability in the chemicals industry, collaborating with government, academia, and industry to move energy goals forward. Sharon recently retired from Eastman after 36 years as an Eastman Fellow and program manager for Global Natural Resource Management. Throughout her tenure at Eastman, Sharon played a pivotal role in driving energy efficiency and sustainability improvements, earning Eastman many awards, including the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award for eight consecutive years, ACC Exceptional Merit Energy Efficiency Awards, the Department of Energy Better Projects and Practice Awards. In 2024, Sharon was named by the US Department of Energy Secretary to serve as Chair of the newly established Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee. She also served on the inaugural Industrial Advisory Board for the cross-sectoral National Alliance for Water Innovation.
Having started in the engineering field in 1976, John was benchmarking facilities energy use and costs back in the late 1980s, long before the practice became widespread. A CEM and AEE member since the mid-90s, John actually holds CEP Certificate #2, being among the very first Certified Energy Procurement Professionals. In the late 90s, John was a leader on the New York City scene, aggregating both gas and electric at several facilities as utility deregulation began to take hold.
A long-term Plant & Energy Manager, John has held senior leadership roles with both Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Crothall Healthcare/Mount Sinai Health System.
Previous AEE Fellows
eric oliver
Cañón de Christy
Elizabeth Dutrow
Donald B. Edwards
Al Qahtani
Kanchana Marasinghe
Saqib Sajjad
Alejandro Bellini
Timothy D. Unruh
Duane Warren
Ian Boylan
Esteban Beck
josue lewis
Richard Gorze
Dr. José Samuel Monterroso
Peter Garforth
Carlos Salas
Hossam Kasab
antonio miranda
Dr. Dusan Petras
Terence Rollins
Asit Patel
james vals
Juan Puskar
György Sitku
Tomas Lanzilotta
Marc Masó Varés
Alberto Ramos Millán
Esteban San
russell koehler
darren cooper
Andrés Penner
bobby estornino
tim blanco
jason beneker
ricardo feustel
Roberto N. Amundsen
Ayyaz Khan
Tabaré Pagliano Baserga
cary smith
juan avina
Dr. Fotouh Al Ragom
graham croman
Andrés Hejnar
catalina luthin
Dr.Bruce Colburn
marca sankey
jon feldman
Guillermo Fleming
ben paul gilmore
andres kozak
david wolcott
larry bueno
kaiser khan
A. Stevens Krug
charles marshall
prem mehrotra
Tomas Mort
Jeffrey Myrdek
Don Penn
Tomás Tolán
Denis Enberg
garen ewbank
sala de bruce
terry irwin
miguel lanton
Juan Masiello
Guillermo Stein
adam wade
Guillermo más joven
Guillermo Allemon
Kevin Vidmar
charlie barksdale
david eberly
Sarfraz Dairkee
ricardo lubinski
david piatek
graham parker
Pedro Rumsey
scott dunning
Dr.Warren Heffington
james yokota
Dr. Eric A. Woodroof
pablo allen
Teodoro Birren
alfonso cabrera
Federico Goldner
Juan Mench
George "Buster Barksdale"
greg galvin
Esteban Hamstra
Barry Benator
Dale LeBlanc
Tomas McGeachen
John "Jack" McGowan
miguel parker
doug pearson
Arun Jhaveri
doctor leonard chow
marca roche
Setty boggarma
steven parker
keith willis
Jeff considera
T. Kenneth España
stevenheinz
Ken Kogut
Doctor Wayne Turner
Al Thumann
Dr. Barney Capehart
Requisitos para ser miembro de Fellows
Individuals must be in a good standing member for the last 10 (or more) consecutive years and have received one of the following AEE recognitions: AEE Hall of Fame; AEE International Award Winner; AEE Legends in Energy.
The application must highlight significant contributions to AEE, which is a primary criterion. This includes roles such as chapter officer, multi-year conference speaker or session chair, a certification board member, member of the AEE Global Leadership team, significant volunteer efforts within AEE or the local chapter, etc. Additionally, candidates should detail their substantial contributions to the industry, such as books authored, patents granted, awards received by other organizations, or individual accomplishments.
Cómo aplicar
Candidates will submit an application along with a refundable application fee of $200. Applications are open January 1-July 31, 2026.
Revisión de compañeros
Se revisará la elegibilidad de todas las solicitudes completadas, tal como se define en el Artículo IV de los Estatutos de Membresía de AEE. Los compañeros miembros recibirán una placa especial y un prendedor de solapa que marcarán su nuevo estatus.
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