Jeff is the founding President of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA), General Manager of the Partnership for Advancing the Transition to Hydrogen (PATH), and President of the newly formed Hydrogen Education Foundation. Besides his development of new projects and business ventures, he remains central to the strategic planning and management of these organizations.
Jeff was the founding Executive Director of the Fuel Cell Commercialization Group, the Utility Biomass Energy Commercialization Association, and the Utility PhotoVoltaic Group (now the Solar Electric Power Association). He led the exploratory workshops and relationship building that led to formation of each of these organizations, and then went on to manage them through start-up, development and strategic transition phases.
In addition to establishing and managing jointly funded corporations to develop markets for new energy technologies and products, Jeff has experience in utility management and consulting, the new technologies of electric energy service companies, public policy, and utility regulation.
Jeff was named in 2006 to the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee and has served since 2006 as the Chairman of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy Conversion Initiative Advisory Committee.
Previous roles include positions with the U.S. Department of Energy and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Mr. Serfass holds B.S. and M.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, New York.
Debbi
Smith Vice President 202-457-0868, x321
Debbi serves as Vice
President of Management Operations for the National
Hydrogen Association, and the Legislative Director for the U.S.
Advanced Ceramics Association. She brings over 20 years' experience marketing
hydrogen as a fuel. Debbi was a founding Board Member of the NHA and its Policy
Advisor until she became an employee of TTC and the NHA's Vice President in 1990.
Debbi left full-time employment with TTC in 1994 to become a consultant. In 2003,
she rejoined the TTC staff and brings experience in legislative and government
affairs, public relations and management.
Debbi holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in English (Writing) from Towson State University.
Jerome
Hinkle
Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs
202-457-0868, x307
During 2003 to early 2006, Mr. Hinkle was a senior advisor to U. S. Senator Byron Dorgan as a Brookings Fellow from the Department of Energy. He focused on energy and environmental policy, especially with regard to the various energy bills in the Congress from 2003-2005. He was responsible for helping form and manage the Senate’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, and supporting Senator Dorgan in drafting and negotiating much of the hydrogen legislation in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Besides hydrogen, he worked extensively on other titles of the Act, including Energy Efficiency, Coal, Indian Energy, and Vehicles and Fuels.
During 2006-7, he has made many presentations on these topics to industry groups and the Congress in addition to writing several reports on hydrogen systems, while continuing to write and negotiate legislation on advanced technologies and market development. His legislative work for NHA includes alternative energy, market transition, tax incentives and greenhouse gas legislation in both the Senate and the House.
He served for 28 years at EPA and DoE in various capacities, including prototype engines and alternative fuels, environmental policy, international energy security, oilfield CO2 management, and most recently as the senior economist for the U.S. Naval Petroleum Reserves. His interests include carbon management and renewable energy. His career also includes aerospace engineering and research physics, with a varied education — degrees in mathematics and physics from Miami University and public policy from the University of Michigan, with extensive graduate work in international politics and engineering economics from Stanford, Michigan and the Colorado School of Mines.
Karen is the Managing Director for Technology
Transition Corporation, Ltd., TTC’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Gateshead,
United Kingdom. Karen’s experience as a Vice President for TTC extends
TTC’s expertise in management and technical services for organizations interested
in commercializing alternative energy systems to Europe.
Karen uses her
technical background to plan and conduct workshops globally to educate stakeholders
on the market and technical aspects of hydrogen energy and fuel cells. She also
leads activities to form broad-based consensus documents on policy and technical
issues pertinent to the commercial deployment of hydrogen energy systems. Karen
is the editor of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety Report, the NHA’s
monthly web newsletter that serves to create dialog between hydrogen industry,
code and standards development organizations, code officials, and other stakeholders
for the purpose of achieving common objectives.
Karen serves as the Administrative Manager for the United Kingdom Hydrogen Association, and as Vice President for Technical Operations for the National Hydrogen Association (USA).
Patrick
Serfass
Director, Technology and Communications
202-457-0868, x366
With an engineering degree and experience managing external communications programs, Patrick blends technical knowledge with strong outreach skills for a diverse skill set that has found many applications for TTC's clients. Currently, Patrick balances management of the National Hydrogen Association's Education and Outreach Program with coordination of domestic codes and standards activities, management of the Hydrogen Education Foundation and new business development for TTC and its clients.
He is co-editor of the monthly Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Safety Report and spokesperson for the NHA. Past projects have included facilitating the establishment of new fleets of hydrogen vehicles to Washington, DC, messaging and brand identity workshops, hydrogen safety workshops, vehicle ride and drives, writing for the SEPA Record, the quarterly publication of the Solar Electric Power Association, and developing RFPs for the National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Before coming to TTC, Patrick has designed deep ocean vehicle prototypes, worked in Boston as an architectural engineer and worked for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Policy and International Affairs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Robert Hayden Western U.S. Representative 415-381-7225
Robert Hayden has three decades of experience in public policy, communications and management related to hydrogen, renewable energy and other advanced energy technologies in Washington, DC, and California. He represents both Technology Transition Corporation and the National Hydrogen Association as Western Region Representative and Communications Advisor. He also works with the San Francisco Department of Environment as a transportation program consultant.
Robert has also been a communications advisor to the California Fuel Cell Partnership and chaired the California-EPA task force that prepared the state's Hydrogen Highway marketing and public education programs. His experience includes serving as executive director of two national associations, the Renewable Energy Institute and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas.
Brian Schorr
Operations Manager
202-457-0868, x309
Brian
Schorr is the Program Manager for Technology Transition Corporation (TTC).
He is responsible for the coordination of activities for TTC's clients,
which include the National
Hydrogen Association (NHA), The Hydrogen Education Foundation, and the Partnership
for Advancing the Transition to Hydrogen (PATH). His duties include oversight
of client budgets, producing material for and running Board of Directors and client
committee meetings, updating client information on the Members Only websites,
and serving as the editor for client newsletters.
Prior to joining TTC
in 1999, Brian studied fire history and suppression in the forests of the Lake
Tahoe Basin of California and Nevada. He has also worked for the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) in South Africa.
Brian received a B.S.
degree in Physical & Environmental Geography from Pennsylvania State University
in 1999.
Erika is a certified meetings management professional possessing over 10 years experience in the planning and implementation of educational conferences and workshops. She brings strong contract negotiation, budgeting, marketing and production abilities. She prides herself on excellent organizational, communication and customer service skills.
Christine
serves as Financial Coordinator for TTC and its clients. Her duties include the
management of clients' finances, producing financial reports for TTC and its clients,
and managing the day-today activities of the finance department.
Christine
is currently obtaining a B.A. degree in International Affairs.
André
Cutair Publications Design Coordinator 202-457-0868, x325
André brings both formal design training and years of experience to bear
in his work on web and print publications. He has worked on several websites for
TTC clients, including architecting, developing, and building out the site, complete
with custom imagery and copy.
On the print side, Andre designs and produces
a variety of collateral for TTC clients -- including brochures, bookets, postcards,
and signage -- and has conducted brand identity campaigns as well.
Andre
has a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an
M.S. in Instructional Technology from Towson State University.
Cordelia Pearson
serves as Finance Coordinator for TTC and its clients. Her duties include the
management of clients' finances, producing financial reports for TTC and its clients,
and managing the day-today activities of the finance department.
Before joining TTC, Cordelia worked for seven years at the Giant Food Distribution
Center. She brings her organizational skills and a strong background in customer
and client relations to the TTC team.
Kyle Gibeault
Program Coordinator
202-457-0868, x327
Kyle is a 2006 summa cum laude graduate of Eckerd College with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in International Relations. Most recently, he served as a Program Officer at the Center for a Free Cuba.
Stuart Dilg
Client Relations Professional
202-457-0868, x301
Stuart K. Dilg is TTC’s first Client Relations Professional and will provide supplemental client support in the areas of membership recruitment, research, and communications, in addition to internal operations support and database administration. He will also serve as the first point of contact for incoming calls and greet visitors to our office.
A 2005 graduate of Emory University, Stuart has a B.A. in International Politics, focusing on political economy in developing countries. Upon graduating, he built an expansive base of experience, from working in environmental politics in Santa Barbara to living, writing, and teaching abroad in Turkey.
Geoff provides primary staff support to Hydrogen Education Foundation senior management in administering the H-Prize, a Department of Energy sponsored program that provides incentives for hydrogen technology breakthroughs. In addition, Geoff also provides staff support to the Safety, Codes and Standards as well as the Policy and Government Affairs programs for the National Hydrogen Association.
Geoff started working for TTC in February 2008, and became a full-time member of the staff in September 2008. He earned a B.A. from St. Norbert College, and an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Jeffrey Serfass
Debbi
Smith
Jerome
Hinkle 
Karen
Hall
Patrick
Serfass
Robert Hayden
Brian Schorr
Erika Witherspoon
Christine
Bryant
André
Cutair
Cordelia
Pearson
Kyle Gibeault
Stuart Dilg
Geoffrey Bromaghim
