Introducing the 2026 AEE Fellows

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!

阿兰·奥恩

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. He has led large-scale projects across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Africa, and currently serves as Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO) of META WATT, a company at the forefront of advanced technology integration in the energy and industrial sectors. He is also a partner at ENEO CT, an official AEE Training Partner, and an affiliated researcher at CNIMI–UQTR, a leading centre for smart industrial solutions.

Alain combines technical expertise with sharp business acumen, and his ability to anticipate trends and lead high-impact projects has made him an influential figure in his field. He is an active member of several international boards and committees, including AEE and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), contributing to global energy and sustainability policy. He holds 11 AEE certificates and is a certified AEE trainer, sharing his knowledge with professionals and companies aiming to enhance their energy performance.

Passionate about personal development and knowledge sharing, Alain is a speaker, public orator, and career coach guiding young professionals toward fulfilling careers. A prolific writer, he has authored several books and scientific publications on topics such as smart grids, blockchain, and digital transformation, and continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of professionals.

Bethany Giordano

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. In 2020, Bethany transferred to Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) Joining the Facilities Standards and Specifications Team. Here she focused on renewal of facility equipment and standards enhancements. Bethany was promoted to project management in 2023 when she became a part of the Regulatory Affairs and Environmental Sustainability Group. As a Carbon Neutrality Consultant at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA), she focuses on Carbon Neutrality for all TMNA Sites by 2035 along with other Environmental Sustainability Initiatives.

Bethany is passionate about local volunteering, professional mentoring, living nature positive, respect for people, and encouraging youth to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). She currently serves on the Board of the Council for Women in Energy and Environmental Leadership (CWEEL) and is the Sponsorships and Fundraising Committee Chair. Bethany has her AEE CEM (2006) and her CEA (2012) as well as the Energy Advocate Certificate. She is a Lifetime AEE member and a Legend in Energy having received both the Region 3 (2011) and International (2012) Young Professional Energy Engineer of the Year Award. Bethany’s diligent pursuit of energy awareness, environmental respect, and AEE networking has earned her recognition as an AEE Fellow.

John Barton

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. In 2024, John led the Mount Sinai team as they won AEE’s International Energy Project of the Year, and John was awarded the newly created “Energy Champion” award by the New York City Chapter of AEE. John continues to maintain CEM, CEP, and CBCP certifications and is grateful to be counted among AEE’s Fellows.

Robert Berninger

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.

He holds a B.E. in Marine Engineering from SUNY Maritime College. Robert is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), and a Certified Sustainable Development Professional (CSDP). He also holds a United States Coast Guard Chief Engineer’s Steam and First-Class Engineer Motor License. He is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and a past President of the New York City Chapter of AEE. Bob was named International Energy Manager of the Year in 2016 by the Association of Energy Engineers, and was also named a Trailblazer in Clean Energy by City & State New York in 2024.

Dr. Roland R. Clarke, PhD, SMIEEE

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.

Throughout his career, Roland has been instrumental in shaping energy policy and infrastructure across the Caribbean and the Americas. Recently, as a Renewable Energy Financing Expert for the World Bank, he was embedded with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). His work helped catalyze the launch of the Resilient Renewable Energy Infrastructure Investment Facility (RREIIF) at the ECCB. This initiative mobilized substantial private-sector financing for regional grid modernization, battery energy storage, and renewable integration across the Eastern Caribbean.Roland’s advisory roles have directly influenced the strategic transformation of national state owned energy enterprises and utilities. For Barbados, his work as part of a wider international consulting team, was pivotal in the amalgamation of the three state owned oil and gas enterprises to create the Barbados National Energy Company (BNEC). The BNEC was designed to support the implementation of the national policy of 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. He was also deeply instrumental in the modernization of Barbados’ power sector through the passage of a new Electric Light and Power Act (ELPA) in 2015. This act repealed and replaced the original ELPA of 1899. Following this seminal work, he drafted a comprehensive and compliant operating license to govern the local electric utility under the new ELPA.

As a Certified RETScreen Expert (CRE) and trainer, Roland specializes in the technoeconomic, financial, and greenhouse gas reduction modeling and analysis of clean energy projects. He has taught many workshops across the Caribbean and was retained by the World Bank to teach workshops in China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. He has authored two pivotal books on Green Building Procurement for Public Managers that were commissioned and published by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), Belize and posted online by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).During the late 1990s, he served at Northeast Utilities (NU) in the role of planning and evaluation of customer focused resource acquisition demand side management (DSM) programs. He also employed industry leading utility generation production cost software for integrated resource planning (IRP) for compliance submission to state utility regulators. He modeled and simulated long range avoided costs for various energy efficiency load shapes for the entire Northeast Power Pool (now ISO New England). These avoided costs were used as key inputs to the benefit cost analysis of the DSM programs for Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P), Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) and Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH). He also collaborated in region wide utility consortia to undertake market transformation research to guide the optimal exit of the resource based DSM programs and evolve them into new programs that were based on market dynamics. He represented Northeast Utilities on the regional wide pioneering Design Light Consortium (DLC). Today, the DLC has evolved into the premier trusted source of vetted LED fixtures, horticultural lighting, and network lighting controls (NLC) that meet strict performance and quality standards for electric utility DSM programs across the United States and Canada.

Dr. Clarke earned the Ph.D. in Energy Management and Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He also earned an M.Sc. in Alternative Energy for Developing Countries, Mechanical Engineering from the University of Reading, UK, and a B.Sc. in Natural Sciences (physics, chemistry and mathematics) from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.His outstanding contributions to the field have been widely recognized by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), which named him the Energy Engineer of the Year for Latin America Region in 2019 and inducted him as an AEE Legend in Energy in 2023. He is also an AEE Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP).Dr. Clarke is a Senior Member of the IEEE (SMIEEE), including membership in the Power Engineering Society (PES). Alongside his professional endeavors, he actively dedicates time to mentoring young engineering professionals globally. Together with his recent AEE mentee from Mexico, they led the founding of the AEE Mexico City Chapter in March 2026.

莎朗·诺伦

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.

Sharon has authored numerous publications and shared her expertise through many conference presentations. She was named the 2019 International Energy Manager of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers and received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Energy and Sustainability Award in 2020. Sharon is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager. A dedicated advocate for energy efficiency and sustainability, Sharon continues her commitment to driving meaningful change through creative solutions and responsible practices.