Our Team

Michelle Moore is CEO of Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power through community solar projects that share power, savings, and economic opportunity.

A social entrepreneur and former White House official with roots in rural Georgia, Michelle is a relentless agent for change with a passion for connecting clean energy with economic growth. Her accomplishments range from building the global green building movement to leading the sustainability team for the Obama Administration. Since joining Groundswell in 2015, Michelle has led the organization to deploy a market-based model for equitable community solar that shares power, savings, and opportunity with local families regardless of household income or credit scores.

Prior to joining Groundswell, Michelle served from 2009-2011 as President Obama’s Federal Chief Sustainability Officer.  Her accomplishments included launching the GreenGov initiative, which engaged Federal agencies and the military services to improve energy use, saving up to $11 billion in operating expenses. Michelle also worked with the President’s Jobs Council to launch the Better Buildings Challenge, which implemented $4 billion in public and private investment in building energy efficiency – cutting energy use and creating jobs at no cost to taxpayers.

From 2011 – 2013, Michelle launched and led infrastructure project delivery as Senior Advisor to the White House Office of Management and Budget. Designed to cut red tape and accelerate decision-making on more than $300 billion of job-creating infrastructure projects, this government-wide initiative encompassed regulatory reforms of Federal permitting responsibilities, implementation of collaborative project management systems, and online dashboards designed to improve sustainability, transparency, and speed.

Previously, Michelle served as Senior Vice President of the U.S. Green Building Council, where she worked to make the LEED Green Building Rating System a globally recognized brand with more than 6 billion square feet of registered and certified buildings around the world. During her tenure, USGBC grew from approximately $17 million a year in annual revenues to more than $100 million per year.

Michelle got her start in sustainability in 1997 as Director of eBusiness for Interface Inc., where working for Ray Anderson showed her how to connect people, planet, and profitability; and the pathway to “doing well by doing good.”

Michelle is an honorary Senior Fellow at the Council on Competitiveness, where she brought together leading business and labor organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, the National Association of Manufacturers, Brookings, and Building America’s Future as co-founder of Infrastructure Week. Michelle currently serves as a Board Advisor to the Smithsonian Science Education Center, on the Sustainability Council for PG&E, and as a Senior Advisor to the International WELL Building Institute.

Thanks to Michelle’s grandparents, who worked in the cotton mills to give their families an education, Michelle earned her Bachelor’s in political science from Emory University and Masters of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Michelle’s passion for community power is rooted in her faith and the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Lenwood Coleman, Director of Host Site Operations, contributes his skills in business management and development to the Groundswell operational activities. Bringing more than twenty years’ experience in project delivery, capital budgeting, quality control, and community outreach, Lenwood oversees several programs and initiatives reaching a national audience.  Before joining Groundswell, Lenwood worked in Federal Government services generating and implementing grants and contracts. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, specializing in finance, audiovisual, information management, and safety.

Strongly committed to building wealth and hope through education, training, jobs, and entrepreneurship opportunities, Lenwood has dedicated more than fifteen years to community service in faith-based organizations within the D.C. area.  Providing opportunities for individuals in deprived communities throughout the country, he supports programs geared toward advocacy, personal and workforce development, housing and community outreach.                                                                                                    

Lenwood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Wayland Baptist University, and a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University.

Emily Robichaux serves as Groundswell's Director of Project Finance and Product Development. She coordinates with investors and financial partners to finance community solar projects that deliver both financial return and community impact. Emily also works with Groundswell's customers to design products, systems, and services rooted in transparency and respect. She is committed to finding scalable business solutions that make the clean energy market and products accessible to everyone. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she has lived in D.C. since 2005.

Prior to beginning her full-time role at Groundswell, Emily held a Clean Energy Fellowship with the organization from June 2017 to June 2018. She was a 2016-2017 Net Impact Healthy Food Fellow, providing resiliency consulting services to the DC Central Kitchen, and she was a member of the winning team of the 2017 Columbia University Energy Symposium Case Competition, which focused on virtual power plant market entry.

Emily received her MBA in Sustainability from Bard College and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in French Studies and Government from Smith College. She was honored to have received the 2018 Bard MBA L. Hunter Lovins Award for her work with Groundswell during this time for her commitment to advancing social justice as an essential element of the clean energy transition. Emily also received an American Association of University Women Career Development Grant in support of her graduate studies.

Kristal's background in communication and passion for advocacy for those in need brought her to Groundswell in 2015. Kristal received her BS in Communications and is currently pursing certification in Human Resource Management. As the Operations Manager at Groundswell, Kristal provides support and administration for all Groundswell's programs. Before coming to Groundswell, Kristal directed a childcare center, which allowed her to hone the skills of task management, administration, record-keeping, and budget development, while providing care to children from low income families.

Kristal has served in her local church assembly as a Sunday school teacher, children's choir director, praise team leader and volunteer for special events. While dedicated to serving others, one of Kristal’s greatest joys is being a mom. Even as a working mother, she still finds time to do the things she loves, like sewing clothes and singing—she has performed in stage plays and musicals and has sung at the Kennedy Center with the Maryland State Honors Chorus.

Kristal's desire to make a difference in her community through service, and her belief that everyone has the right to equality, are the foundation of her work at Groundswell.

David Wright, Groundswell’s Associate Director of Host Site Operations, brings a strong grounding in sustainable buildings and green infrastructure to the Groundswell team. With more than twelve years of experience across the green building sector, Dave also brings significant program management experience and technical communication skills to the Groundswell team.

Before coming to Groundswell, Dave advised federal government agencies on energy and water efficiency issues. By authoring sustainability plans for these agencies, Dave’s work strengthened the resilience of federal buildings to the effects of climate change. Dave is an expert in greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting protocols, having developed some of the first GHG emission inventories for the U.S. federal government. Dave also served as a Technical Reviewer for a major World Resources Institute report on GHG emissions accounting in the U.S. public sector.

Dave is committed to the vision of clean energy for all people and sees solar as a vehicle for driving “bottom-up” change toward both a cleaner environment and a more equitable society. Dave holds a BA in environmental studies from Middlebury College. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and a NABCEP PV Associate.

Nina Lobo serves as the Associate Manager of Project Development and Community Engagement, supporting the implementation of Groundswell’s solar installations and cultivating partnerships. She brings a background in civil engineering along with experience in market research and community development.

A recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Nina holds a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an interdisciplinary certificate in Sustainability. In her time at UT, she was a research associate at the UT-LBJ School of Public Affairs and contributed to several studies surrounding clean energy market transformation. She also led a student team in the design, funding, and construction of a literacy center in a South Indian community. As project manager, she emphasized strong team, client, and community relationships, setting the groundwork for a resilient and empowering project experience.

Nina has a love for ecology, communities, and education. She weaves these pieces into her work, bridging communication gaps to strengthen and support all walks of life around her. Outside of work, you can find her hosting jam sessions with friends, teaching math, or playing soccer.

John Goldring III, Associate Manager of Project Management and Data Systems, has been in the solar industry for five years. Working with the Groundswell team, he develops subscriber management systems, implements new software and policies, and institutes efficient and effective business processes to better reach the community.

Prior to working for Groundswell, John served as a consultant for residential solar development with Solar City to bring better energy solutions to areas in DC. During this time, he was able to recognize and identify inconsistencies in how lower income families’ weren’t afforded equal opportunities to join the clean energy economy.

John has a background in computer programming and software implementation and is working towards a Project+ and Itvil v3 certification.

Chris Nichols, Senior Program Manager, has driven innovation in clean energy programs

and policies for more than 30 years, in Federal, non-profit and for-profit organizations.

She brings strong management and energy strategy skills to Groundswell, with vision,

passion and a deep network of similarly devoted clean energy professionals to

accelerate collaborative work for expanded clean energy services.

Chris formerly managed national communications for both EPA and DOE in building the

Energy Star® program. At the US Department of Labor and Department of Energy, she

updated ‘green’ training for YouthBuild and created clean energy workforce credentials

for weatherization and solar workers. She created SunEdison’s “City Tour for Solar” to

advocate municipal-scale community solar investments in 2008. She joined DOE’s

SunShot Initiative in 2011, where she managed DOE’s national Solar Instructors Training

Network and created the “Solar Ready Vets” training program. She served as the

Department of Energy’s Workforce Advisor within Sec. Moniz’ Jobs Strategy Council, and has

also supported NRECA in developing cybersecurity tools for rural cooperative utilities,

increasing grid security and resilience. 

Chris believes in building community. For more than 30 years, she has volunteered in

feeding programs across DC; she has coached youth soccer and baseball, led Girl Scout

troops, and Sunday school programs. Currently she serves on the Boards of the

Potomac RiverKeeper Network, which fights for clean drinking water, and the Prince

Georges Running Club, where she is a certified running coach. She holds a black belt in

tae kwon do, and enjoys participating in marathons and triathlons, gardening,

beekeeping, brewing beer, and aggravating local policymakers to improve jobs, equity

and access for working families. She loves her spouse and their two daughters, who

fondly remind her not to praise her own cooking too much. She holds a BA from Duke

University in English, History and Psychology, and an MBA from the R.H. Smith School

of Business, University of Maryland.

Sydney Pegues works as the Marketing and Communications Fellow for Groundswell. She assists the team with the promotion and release of up-coming Groundswell solar projects. Sydney is passionate about ensuring that all communities become climate resilient, and knows that a key element of that goal is access to renewable energy. 

Sydney’s experience in digital marketing and communications comes from her time working in Agnes Scott College’s Center for Sustainability during her Undergraduate career. It was there she was tasked with creating campus wide sustainability initiatives that were fun and engaging; while figuring out how to market them completely digitally. While Sydney has always enjoyed writing casually, she found her voice and developed her knack for story-telling when she started writing community updates and articles as the Public Health Grassroots Organizing & Communications Intern for Georgia WAND. 

Sydney holds a Public Health degree from Agnes Scott College, and is a Climate Reality Leader through the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. 

Sam Schacht is the Customer Engagement and Support Associate at Groundswell. He is responsible for assisting the team in subscriber recruitment and management, as well as community outreach and engagement. 

Sam recently graduated from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor’s in History and minors in Sustainability, Anthropology, and German. In his time at Rochester, Sam worked on two digital history projects—The Seward Family Digital Archive and Lewis Henry Morgan at 200: A Critical Appreciation—where he contributed original research and transcription as well as assisting the design of three museum exhibits around the City of Rochester. He also served as the President of Grassroots Soccer, a campus organization dedicated to engaging both campus and community in HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness through soccer.

Sam contributes a passion for climate justice and social equity. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, cooking, and all things soccer.