Our Team

Lenwood Coleman,Chief Program Officer, 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.

Lily Donge is the Program Director of Corporate Innovation for Communities, at Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power through community solar projects that share power, savings, and economic opportunity. She believes that to advance and scale renewable energy, the market must ground in the communities where the clean energy transformation is taking place. Through her project on Communities + Corporates, she is unlocking innovative solutions for frontline communities by leveraging the rapid corporate support of climate change and renewable energy. 

Lily has a global background. She is originally from Vietnam, grew up in the Philippines, and is a French and recent U.S. citizen. She founded Mai Ly, a sustainability consulting service, and PIKO (Planning Innovative Kommunities and Opportunities), a non-profit to serve native Hawai’ians. She serves as Senior Fellow to the Renewables Energy Buyers’ Alliance (REBA).

With over 20 years of experience in sustainability and cleantech investments, she came from Rocky Mountain Institute where she led the Business Renewables Center (BRC) which spun off to REBA. By building a collaborative network of corporations, renewable developers, and service providers, she managed to support businesses to add 15 GW of wind and solar on to the grid within 5 years. Previously, Lily served as Ernst & Young’s Global Cleantech KnowledgeLeader and Manager of Environment and Climate Change at Calvert Investments. She oversaw energy and climate change due diligence, and led the indigenous peoples’ rights and sacred sites criteria. She developed the sustainable investment processes for the Calvert Sustainability Index, Global Alternative Energy Fund, the Global Water Fund, and the first fund strategy on green bonds. She has also worked in the Institutions and Governance Program at the World Resources Institute, in private investment at Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette and in equity research at WI Carr in Southeast Asia. 

Lily has been called on several times as an independent expert to Congress and to review sustainability practices by companies. She has served in over a dozen boards, advisory councils, steering committees, and independent panels on topics related to sustainable finance and energy. 

Lily has an MBA from the Yale School of Management and an MA in International Development Economics from Yale University and a BA in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College.

John Goldring III, Creative Technology, 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.

Teara Harris is a Community Building Associate at Groundswell who uses her skills as an outreach specialist to build up people in traditionally underserved communities. She is highly motivated to bring about change and unity while connecting people in her community with the resources they need.  

Harris is a Georgia native, born and raised in LaGrange. She endured many hardships in life that slowly laid the foundation for who she is today — a passionate advocate for those who have no voice in the community and those struggling to improve their lives in one way or another.

Harris has extensive experience in the Human Resources industry, working for large corporations like DeVry University, Seoyon E-Hwa Interior Systems Manufacturing, and Yasufuku USA. This expertise is intertwined with her service as a Workforce Specialist highlighting her commitment to disadvantaged individuals in need of guidance, support, and resources. 

Education and preparation have always been of utmost importance to Harris. She is a graduate of Bauder College and studied at DeVry University. She is also OSHA certified and a SHRM Workforce Development board member. She has also pursued extensive leadership training that led to her AIDT Certification in Leadership Development I and II and a certification in Emotional Intelligence. 

In addition to her work in the Human Resources industry, Harris is the founder of Communities of Tomorrow, a non-profit organization with the mission to provide community outreach and workforce development. She also actively works in the political arena in Troup and Meriwether Counties in Georgia. She has partnered with Commissioner Shirley Hines from Meriwether County to provide West Central Georgia with the Entrepreneur Rural Workshop and additional resources to help women expand or start their own business. She has also partnered with Hogansville City Council Member Toni Stribling throughout her campaign and, after that, in various projects to improve and advance Hogansville. 

Teara Harris is an unstoppable force in her community — she never takes no for an answer and works overtime to accomplish everything she sets out to do. 

Alicia Hill is the Associate Editor at Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power through community solar projects that share power, savings, and economic opportunity. She works with Groundswell's communications team to share Groundswell’s story and progress toward creating community solar projects and the impact that those projects have on communities. Alicia believes that stories matter and sharing those stories helps communities grow.

Alicia has served as a journalist, reporting for The LaGrange Daily News, The Valley Times-News, LaGrange Living Magazine, Hometown Headlines, and The Rome News-Tribune. She was recognized by the Georgia Press Association in 2019 and the Associated Press in 2018. While serving as a journalist, Alicia had the opportunity to work with major stakeholders in the sustainability sector as they worked to establish projects that would make a major impact on the region while serving as a template for projects across the country and around the world. 

Alicia is an active member of the Kiwanis Club of LaGrange, and she is a participant in the 2020-2021 Class of Leadership Troup, a leadership program organized by the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce.

Alicia studied Communication at Berry College, where she also wrote for the Campus Carrier.

Jennifer began her career in the private sector before making an intentional career pivot to protect our earth’s resources and its inhabitants after witnessing the massive scale of environmental degradation and the associated inequalities taking place around the globe as a SCUBA diver. She is excited to support clean energy delivered equitably.

Dr. Elvis Moleka has more than 15 years of progressive experience in finance, risk management, data and quantitative analytics, performing complex model validation analyses, and creating executive summaries of findings. As a Data Scientist, he leverages statistical analysis and econometrics knowledge to promote model development and data management solutions.

He is a member of the New York Institute of Finance. He has worked with major Wall Street Banks and held many leadership positions such as Lead Quantitative Analyst at RiskSpan, Senior Economist at Fannie Mae, Lecturer in Statistics and Head of Teaching Fellows at University of Warwick, Research Economist at University of Bath, Director of Economic and Policy Development at BACDU INC USA. He is now serving as Groundswell’s Data Science and Research Fellow.

He instructed courses in Economics, Econometrics, Monetary Economics, Quantitative Finance, and statistics at University of Warwick, University of Bath, London Metropolitan University and University of Buea, and he oversaw the creation of many MBA courses. He has graduated over 15,000+ students during his more than 20 years’ tenure in academia. He is an accredited Higher Education Lecturer and member of the UK Higher Education Academy. He obtained a Diploma in Human Resource Management in 2014. He is also a Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP). He is currently pursuing Chief Risk Officer Accreditation.

Dr. Moleka is also a course creator and a technical writer. He has designed many professional development courses, such proven leadership laws, business strategies and resume writing skills, sold out to thousands of students across the globe. In particular, numerous staff of small start-up businesses including medium sized corporations have used his training programs to solve their urgent needs and build high performing teams. Companies have also used his leadership training programs as a tool for greater productivity for their employees.

He is also the author of “33 Pillars to Having your Ph.D. Degree.” This is a course he developed from his Ph.D. experience that led him to finish his Doctorate Degree in less than 3 years. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Leka Research Institute, LLC, which helps businesses solve their urgent needs by narrowing in on the key elements of quantitative finance, enterprise risk management, research methodologies, policy research, and economic modeling. 

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (with Distinction) from University of Bath, an MSc in Business Economics and Finance (with Merit) from London Metropolitan Business School and a BSc. in Economics (with Honors) from the University of Buea. His Ph.D. thesis, titled “Inflation Dynamics and Monetary Policy Rules” examined the effectiveness of monetary policy in the African economies. He understands the ins and outs of central bank’s operations such as the transmission mechanism of monetary policy to the wider economy. Additionally, he is Winners Church’s Assistant Head of Department for the Men’s Fellowship, where he is known for his strong leadership skills that have brought the best from all the men. He is married and blessed with a beautiful daughter. 

Michelle Moore is CEO of Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power through community solar projects that share power, savings, and economic opportunity. Her passion for community power is rooted in her faith and the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

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 as a senior executive with USGBC 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 led Federal Sustainability as President Obama’s Federal Environmental Executive from 2009-2011.  Her accomplishments included launching the GreenGov initiative through Executive Order 13514, 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 eliminate delays 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, accountability, 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. in her hometown of LaGrange GA, where working for Ray Anderson showed her how to connect people, planet, and profitability; and the pathway to “doing well by doing good.” She currently serves as a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the American Flood Coalition and on the Board of Directors of THI Studio.

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 is married to Linwood Boswell, a local music mainstay, father of three, and community real estate agent in Richmond VA.

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.

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 Operations and Customer Support Associate 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. 

In her role as Groundswell's Chief Financial Officer, Emily Robichaux manages the organization's finances, advances community solar market transformation through values-based project finance, and leads the development and delivery of Groundswell's subscriber management services. Highlights of her work include leading project finance research for LIFT Solar Everywhere, a three-year DOE-funded research project led by Groundswell; developing Groundswell's proprietary SharePower subscriber management platform that leverages Human-Centered Design to put the "community" back in community solar; and directing Groundswell's engagement with the DC Department of Energy and Environment to deliver clean energy savings to more than 3,000 local households. 

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. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she has lived in D.C. since 2005.

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.

Nicole Sonderegger contributes to new business development and program management as Solar Program Operations Manager at Groundswell. Nicole brings three years of experience serving low-income communities, as well as corporate and governmental clients. She also brings a passion for empowering underserved communities and leveraging business acumen to build sustainable and scalable solutions for a more equitable and greener future. 

Prior to Groundswell, Nicole worked for La Cocina VA, where she helped train and place underserved adults into gainful employment. She also worked for Oracle, where she supported federal agencies in modernizing their IT systems. 

Originally from Costa Rica, Nicole is a native Spanish speaker and a lover of nature and the outdoors. She holds a master’s degree in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics, in addition to dual bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

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.