Staff and Board
Pecan Street employees represent the future of the energy, water and technology industries.
Data scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers, coders, city planners, lawyers, engineers and consumer product experts. Our staff can be reached at 512-782-9213 or at first initial last name @pecanstreet.org (jdoe@pecanstreet.org).
Dr. Anissa Rodriguez Dickerman
CEO
Dr. Anissa Rodriguez Dickerman is chief executive officer for Pecan Street, where she works closely with our board of directors and senior leadership team to lead resource and partnership development, guide strategy, and ensure the delivery of programs that achieve measurable results at the intersection of climate solutions, technology innovation, and social justice. She has more than 20 years of experience in non-profit leadership, resource development, social impact research, and working at the nexus of big data and place-based social justice. She will apply her equity-centered research and policy approaches from the education sector to help design an equitable climate transition.
Her business development efforts have yielded over $750M in state and federally-funded grants. Anissa has held various senior positions in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, including chief program officer, executive vice president, chief strategy officer, and chief of staff. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Education degree from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning from the University of Texas at Austin with a graduate portfolio in Mexican-American studies.
Fisayo Fadelu
Chief Financial Officer & General Counsel
Fisayo is Pecan Street’s CFO and general counsel. Prior to joining the organization, she worked for Smith International (a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd.) where she led teams on Sarbanes Oxley compliance projects in U.S. and international locations. Prior to that, Fisayo worked with the Audit and Assurance Services group at the Ernst & Young’s Houston office where she supervised audit projects for public companies. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Baylor University, a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management from Harvard University. She’s a certified public accountant (CPA), a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US), and is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. She also holds certificates in Environmental Policy and International Development and in Green Building and Community Sustainability, both from Harvard University.
Scott Hinson
Chief Technology Officer
Scott is the Chief Technology Officer at Pecan Street, where he leads the Pecan Street Lab and directs research efforts to study the grid and climate impacts for integrating renewable technologies, electric vehicles, and software enabled smart devices that will modernize and decarbonize the electric and transportation sectors. Prior to Pecan Street, Scott worked at a thin film CIGS solar module manufacturer where he led module packaging, performance, certification and reliability efforts. Scott has also worked in the military, medical, consumer and oil industries developing power supplies, precision measurement equipment and inductive heating technologies. Scott received his B.S.E.E. from The University of Texas at Austin with undergraduate specializations in both communications systems and power distribution. Scott was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Engineering Award for “transforming the world’s understanding of consumer and community electricity usage” by the the IEEE Power Engineering Society Central Texas Chapter. He is also a contributing author to Transmission & Distribution World Magazine.
Akuakem (AK) Defang
Database Administrator
As database administrator, AK optimizes the performance, security and availability of Pecan Street’s various data assets. Before joining Pecan Street, he was database administrator for Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) in Rochester, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Buea, Cameroon. His graduate degree in agribusiness from Waikato University in New Zealand focused on data-centric green agriculture policies.
Josey Fatzinger
Executive Assistant
Josey joined Pecan Street in 2018 and supports all staff with various project management needs, including scheduling, purchasing and interfacing with our volunteer research participants. Her experience coordinating volunteers in non-profit environments is a key asset for the team. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Cross-Cultural Sociology and has worked with international refugees, older adults, children, and individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Rachel Jenkins
Director of Operations
Rachel is the director of operations for Pecan Street. Rachel joined Pecan Street in 2012 and has served as the research programs coordinator helping to expand the organizations volunteer research network and as programs manager and lab manager, overseeing Pecan Street’s research programs. She received her B.A. in anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Pecan Street, Rachel worked as a legal assistant and served as a property manager in the greater Austin area.
Kiba
Chief Morale Officer
In Japanese, Kiba means fang. At Pecan Street, it means a happy staff. Kiba joined Pecan Street shortly after his birth and, as CMO, ensures that all Pecan Street employees feel good about their day. He specializes in cuteness and cuddling and lives with his human, Pecan Street’s Luis Peña.
Cavan Merski
Data Analyst
Cavan is a Data Analyst at Pecan Street where he turns our data into insights through analysis and reporting. Previously he worked at the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability where he led their greenhouse gas accounting efforts and helped develop their latest Climate and Equity Plan. Prior to that he was a semiconductor test engineer at Samsung and received his BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Steve Mock
Director of Data and Information Services
As data manager, Steve designs and implements the software and data infrastructure for all Pecan Street research. Prior to joining Pecan Street, he spent about 20 years working for academic supercomputing centers developing, designing, and implementing full stack software solutions in a variety of languages and technologies, and leading large, complex infrastructure projects in different domains. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UC San Diego.
Luis Peña
DevOps Engineer
Luis helps keeps Pecan Street’s various research and database systems up and running. He joined Pecan Street in 2019, after working as an IT support technician for a managed service provider. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Texas State University.
Colin Rowan
Director of Strategy & Communication
Colin has more than 20 years of experience in corporate, political and cause communication and has managed Pecan Street’s communication activity since the organization’s founding. He’s worked for PR firms, candidates and an international non-profit organization and now runs an independent consulting firm. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in political communication from The University of Texas at Austin.
Richard Smith
Master Electrician
Richard is a licensed master electrician with over 24 years experience in electrical construction and service. Richard owned his own electrical contracting business for 13 years. In 2012, he decided to leave construction and focus his attention on electricity research and renewable energy.
Bart Bohn
Director of Special Projects
Bart helped launch two non-profit startups that focused on underserved communities and teaches entrepreneurial finance at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. A partner at ATP, he focuses on deep tech innovations and programs to address climate change, healthcare, and the future of work.
Pecan Street is governed by a board of directors.
Mitch Jacobson
Board Chair
Independent Board Director
Mitch served as Executive Director at the University of Texas at Austin with responsibilities for leading the Austin Technology Incubator, the UT Austin LaunchPad and the SW I-Corps Node. Prior to UT Austin, Mitch served in executive roles at Dell Technologies and Tech Data Corp. He serves on the boards of Inspire Semiconductor, Inc. and Vitro Technology Corporation and the advisory boards of NACD, the Austin Community College Foundation, CleanTX, EcoRise, Texas Alternatives Foundation, and the Westlake High School Business Incubator and Innovation Fund.
Cora L. Hilliard
Board Treasurer
Hilliard Resources
Cora Hilliard is an expert in leadership, strategy development, executive development, management systems, group processes and learning. Her clients include emerging and adapting companies, public and not-for-profit organizations, and colleges and universities. She serves on The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors and the UT School of Nursing Advisory Council.
Jimmy Flannigan
Board Secretary
Austin Convention Center Enterprises Inc.
Jimmy is president of Austin Convention Enterprises, overseeing the city-owned downtown convention hotel and served four years on the Austin City Council (District 6). He is vice chair of the Capital Area Economic Development District Board and serves on the boards of a variety of community non-profits covering affordable housing, domestic violence, and disrupting the cycle of poverty.
Michael Breen
ARCOS LLC
Michael was a founding executive at multiple energy- and utility-related technology startups, most recently CEO of a Utility data company that was acquired by ARCOS. He has worked for some of the largest energy companies including, Siemens and Shell, as an early advisor to understanding the energy transition and the impact of energy storage.
Dr. Todd Cowen
DeFrees Hydraulics Laboratory, Cornell University
Dr. Cowen’s research interests are in environmental fluid mechanics, renewable energy and sustainability. He pairs laboratory-based research with full-scale observational field campaigns to understand the physics of natural and anthropogenic flows in the environment.
Liz Ramsay Dalton
Founder/Partner, Mission Strategies
Liz is a founder and partner at Mission Strategies and Executive Director of the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub. Liz has spent her career developing strategies and partnerships at the intersection of clean energy technology, policy and finance. She previously served as an executive political appointee in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Dr. Paul A. Navrátil
Director of Strategic Technologies at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)
Paul is the Director of Strategic Technologies TACC, a Senior Research Scientist, and faculty for the Plan II interdisciplinary honors program at the University of Texas at Austin. He leads a team tasked with imagining the scientific workflows of 2030 and beyond, encompassing hardware, software, data, analysis and UI/UX needs, developing TACC strategy to address those needs, and implementing transformative projects to achieve that vision.
Rajiv Shah
Octopus Energy Group
As head of North American Policy and Markets for the Octopus Energy Group, Rajiv leads regulatory efforts in support of the company’s expansion efforts in North America. He served as Counsel for Energy, the Environment and Agriculture to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and as Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs at FreeWire Technologies. Prior to FreeWire, Rajiv was Assistant Secretary for the Environment in the New York Governor’s Office and Assistant Attorney General in New York’s Criminal Prosecution Bureau.
Callie Taylor
Opportunity Austin
Callie is VP of Economic Development, which promotes economic development throughout the five-county Austin region. Her responsibilities include promoting the Austin region as the premier destination for companies considering a relocation or expansion and guiding them through the site selection process.
Suzanne Russo
Special Adviser to the Board
Resources for the Future
Suzanne focuses on equitability in the climate transition. Prior to joining RFF, Suzanne was CEO at Pecan Street Inc. where she expanded Pecan Street’s focus to include transit and agriculture and founded the Center for Race, Energy & Climate Justice.