A view from the top
No other energy-focused graduate business program has such a robust and well-developed integration of active executive participation with students’ learning.
The GEM Executive in Residence program creates a collaborative learning environment providing you with access to the deep knowledge and expertise that energy executives have gained throughout their careers.
You'll have in-person access every time you're on-campus as well as during the online session of the quarter through weekly discussion boards. Executives also serve as special project advisors as you complete your projects and coursework. Throughout your time with GEM, you'll have access to seven different executives. Those interactions help you:
- understand the decision-making processes energy leaders utilize not only to run an organization
- know how to identify high-potential performers
- receive career advice to guide your decisions
- build your own executive presence
GEM students have the opportunity to engage with the executives in a multitude of formats including:
- In-person class lectures
- Individual meetings
- Lunches
- Social events
Our executives
We strive for a balanced representation of seasoned leaders across all sectors of the industry to provide students with a well-rounded education.
J.W. Postal
Founder & CEO, WATTMORE
Residence: July - December 2022
J.W. is the founder and CEO of Nikola Power, soon to be WATTMORE, a climate tech software firm focused on energy storage. He has been a driving force behind business development, capital rounds, and industry partnerships.
J.W. has been involved in multiple innovative companies in the renewable energy industry. He founded Nikola Power in 2017 and led the formation of the company through its recent successful Series A round while positioning it for future growth and success. He was also the co-founder of Main Street Power, a pioneer in the distributed generation power purchase agreement space, and an innovator in clean energy finance. While at Main Street Power, J.W. spearheaded the first combined New Market and Investment Tax Credit portfolio in the country. J.W. has also served as Chief Development Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, with Milender White Construction, SunShare, and Clean Energy Collective respectively.
J.W. is a leader in clean energy in Colorado and across the country. He has worked on trailblazing legislation for distributed solar, community solar, and renewable energy finance and has traveled the country developing solar projects in AZ, CA, CO, MA, MN, NJ, NM, SC, and TX. He has been a frequent speaker at industry events around the nation for topics such as clean energy finance, community solar, and now solar + storage and entrepreneurship.
Prior to his work in solar, J.W. had a successful 13-year career in the investment management business with A.G. Edwards and his own fiduciary investment advisory firm. In 1997, with nothing more than a pile of index cards and a telephone, J.W. built a nationally renowned fiduciary advisory practice with hundreds of millions of dollars under management.
J.W. is a graduate of the University of Colorado and has a Master in Public Policy degree from Georgetown University. He is married to his college sweetheart, Jennifer, and they have three amazing kids – Carly, Jackson, and Calvin. J.W. is active in Colorado politics, non-profits, and community work. He currently serves on the board of the Colorado Solar & Storage Association (COSSA), Solar Electric Light Fund (www.SELF.org), Conservation Colorado, and is the 2018 co-chair of the Denver Public School Foundation Gala with his wife. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, cycling, fiction writing, and coaching youth baseball.
Danny Splettstosser
Vice President, Solar Development, Renewable Energy Systems (RES) America
Residence: July - December 2020
Danny Splettstosser is the Vice President of Solar Development for RES. Danny has an unusually diversified professional experience of more than 12 years in the renewable energy industry. Danny has worked on wind energy projects from Oregon to Texas to Nova Scotia, in utility-scale solar from California to Canada to the Carolinas, and distributed solar from the American desert-southwest to Ontario, Canada. Through those technologies and geographies, Danny has held roles in business development, project development, technology evaluation, strategic procurement, and M&A. Truly a jack-of-all-trades, with a policy and liberal arts background, Danny brings a unique set of skills and insights to the projects, markets, and businesses he works on.
Kathleen Staks
Director, External Affairs, Guzman Energy
Residence: January - June 2020
Kathleen Staks is the Director of External Affairs for Guzman Energy. In this role, she leads stakeholder engagement, legislative and regulatory affairs, and strategic communications to help Guzman Energy meet its goal of transitioning communities across the country into a cleaner, more affordable energy future.
Before joining Guzman Energy, Staks served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) under Governor Hickenlooper. She worked to broaden the influence and impact of the CEO, developing and securing bipartisan support for long-term funding for the office while expanding wide-reaching relationships across the energy spectrum. Before joining CEO, Staks served as the assistant director for energy and minerals at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, where she developed and implemented oil and gas and mining policy issues across Colorado in coordination with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, and the Governor’s Office.
In addition to her experience at the State, Staks worked at Great Outdoors Colorado as the program director for Parks and Wildlife and Open Space, coordinating and developing policies and grant programs for the benefit of Coloradans through public and private land protection programs. Kathleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Southern Methodist University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver – Sturm College of Law.
Peter Mueller
EcoVaper Recovery Services
Residence: July - December 2019
Peter Mueller is a petroleum engineer with extensive experience in operations, management, regulatory matters, and entrepreneurial ventures.
He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1978 and worked in drilling, completions, production, marketing, and midstream facilities domestically and internationally, both for major oil companies and independents. He also served as Chairman of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission during the 2000’s.
In 2009, Peter and his son Hans, also a CSM graduate, founded EcoVapor Recovery Systems with a mission to reduce waste of natural gas and flaring in Colorado. EcoVapor continues to grow in multiple states across the US.
Peter enjoys both alpine and Nordic skiing, mountain and road biking, sailing, and traveling internationally. His charitable work is focused on Colorado’s Children’s Hospital and the Denver Rescue Mission.
Yun Lee
Director, US Solar, Panasonic
Residence: January - June 2019
Yun Lee has been in the solar industry since 2006 and is experienced in utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV and solar thermal systems. Mr. Lee has managed the design and implementation of hundreds of systems and previously held senior engineering and management positions at DNV GL and SunEdison.
As Energy Solutions Director for Panasonic CityNOW, Yun is responsible for all PV, storage, and microgrid-related services, including energy consulting, project origination and implementation, operations, and management.
Yun holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a licensed mechanical and electrical professional engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional with the USGBC.
Susan Morrice
Founder & Chairperson, Belize Natural Energy & Director, XJet Worldwide
Residence: October - December 2018
Susan was born and raised in Belfast, Ireland, with an MoD degree in Geology from Trinity College Dublin.
Susan is a founding member of Belize Natural Energy (BNE), International Natural Energy (INE), CHx Capital, and Xjet Worldwide. BNE has become a global oil industry beacon that has made a real difference in the Country of Belize. Through Susan’s gift of exploration and an understanding of the power of untapped human potential, she was able to find oil where it was believed by all of the Majors in the Oil industry that there was none. Not only did Susan and her BNE team find oil in Belize, but they also found it on the first well, which is unheard of. BNE just celebrated ten years of production and over ten million barrels of oil and is the #1 revenue generator in the country.
Susan has applied this same Holistic Educo Business Model to her investment in XJet in Denver, a 7-star service private jet company continually ranked among the best and most elite in Private Aviation services. XJet was also granted the coveted license in the New Dubai Airport, beating all the long-established industry players, and Xjet is rapidly expanding into Europe, including London, and into the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates.
Susan was most recently awarded the “AAPG Presidential Award for Exemplary Service” to recognize her exceptional service to the geoscience profession and AAPG. She is continuously recognized for her contributions, including just this year the Denver Business Journal’s “Top Women in Energy” and the CoBiz Magazine’s “Top Women-Owned Companies.” These are just a few of the numerous acknowledgments and awards that Susan Morrice has received to recognize her contributions worldwide.
John Mork
President & CEO of Energy Corporation of America
Residence: January - June 2018
John Mork, alongside his wife Julie, founded Energy Corporation of America (ECA) in 1972 after serving in various capacities at Union Oil Company (Unocal). Under his leadership, ECA grew from a small conventional Appalachian oil and gas producer to a world leader in unconventional shale development. He is a past Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia.
Mr. Mork was a member of and held various positions with the Young Presidents' Organization. He is currently a member of the Chief Executives Organization, the World Presidents Organization, the University of Southern California’s Engineering School Board of Councilors, and Chairman of the University of Southern California’s Board of Trustees.
Mork holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Southern California and a Doctorate in Humane Letters from USC. He is married to Julie Mork, co-founder of ECA. The Morks have two children: Kyle Mork, current President and CEO of Energy Corporation of America, and Alison Hansen, educator and homemaker.
Peter Duprey
Former President & CEO of Broadwind Energy, Inc.
Residence: October 2017 - March 2018
Peter Duprey is the former President & CEO of Broadwind Energy, Inc., a publicly-traded wind tower and gearing manufacturer in the Midwest United States. Before joining Broadwind, Peter was the President & CEO of Acciona Energy North America, Inc., wind and solar energy project developer and manufacturer of wind turbines.
Peter started his renewable energy career as the Business Development Leader of GE Energy, where he led the purchase of Enron’s wind business for GE. He was also the General Manager of Marketing for GE Wind shortly after it was acquired and focused on developing new markets and the next turbine configuration.
Duprey started his career with PriceWaterhouse with a client focus in financial services and M&A. He then moved to start up Eastman Kodak Credit Corp., which Eastman Kodak later sold to General Electric. He also held senior positions in an internet start-up and M&A and quality positions for GE Capital.
Peter earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Clarkson University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester Simon Business School. He is also a former certified public accountant and a former Board member of the American Wind Energy Association.
Peter is currently a renewable energy consultant and an active angel investor in start-up companies. He is based in Telluride, Colorado.
Gysle Shellum
Retired Energy Executive PDC Energy
Residence: July - December 2017
Gysle Shellum has over 30 years of experience in senior finance roles in public and private energy companies. He has broad expertise in management, capital markets, A & D, and strategic planning. He recently served 8 years as CFO of PDC Energy, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, until his retirement in June 2016. Before PDC, he served as VP of Finance at Crosstex Energy, LP (now EnLink Midstream, LLC) in Dallas, Texas.
Mr. Shellum is a member of the Board of Directors at Chaparral Energy in Oklahoma City; he is an at-large director on the Independent Petroleum Association of America and serves on the Advisory Council of the University of Colorado, Denver Global Energy Management Graduate Program.
Mr. Shellum began his career in public accounting after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA in accounting.
Julie Blunden
Founder, Julie Blunden Consulting
Residence: January - June 2017
Julie Blunden serves as Board Chair CalCEF Catalyst and Board Member of CalCEF Ventures, and the founder of Julie Blunden Consulting. She works with boards, investors, and allies to accelerate a clean energy future using her deep experience in strategy, market design and development, financial markets, and communications.
Ms. Blunden has served in executive roles at SunPower, SunEdison, Green Mountain Energy, and KEMA Xenergy and Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director of ClimateWorks Foundation. She draws on her three decades of experience growing companies and markets in the power industry to support her clients and friends.
Theresa Madden
CFO & Executive Vice President, Xcel Energy
Residence: October 2016 - March 2017
Theresa Madden is an accomplished, results-oriented, highly respected leader of all finance functions as CFO, with over 30 years of experience at a Fortune 300 regulated electric and gas utility. She has significant corporate governance experience working with the Board, including Audit and Finance Committees. Theresa is qualified to serve on audit committees as a financial expert, with extensive experience in risk, strategy, and financial areas. She has strong strategic, communications, and consensus-building skills.
Teresa Madden recently retired as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Xcel Energy. She led the financial function, including the controller's office, treasury, tax, audit, financial performance and controls, risk management, investor relations, and business development. Previously she was vice president and controller, and before that, vice president of finance for Customer and Field Operations.
Madden started her career with the company in 1979, held various positions with Public Service Company of Colorado, and served as corporate controller of New Century Energies.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at Colorado State University and a Master of Business Administration degree at Regis University.
Madden is a Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is also a current member of the board of trustees of the Public Education & Business Coalition in Denver, Colo., and a former member of the YWCA board of Boulder, Colo.
Dave Ellerbroek
Senior Vice President, AECOM
Residence: July 2016 - December 2016
David Ellerbroek is a Senior Vice President and serves as the Regional Business Line Leader for the Environmental Business Line for AECOM. Previously, he served as Area Manager for AECOM in Denver during the historic merger of AECOM and URS. He is responsible for strategic coordination of environmental services for AECOM offices throughout the Gulf Southwest Region with approximately 800 staff. AECOM has business lines focusing on water, transportation, buildings and places, environment, and natural resources. Dave joined AECOM from MWH Global where he was the Global Market Sector Leader for Upstream Oil and Gas. Dave brings over 25 years of experience in the engineering business, across several market sectors including infrastructure, water, oil & gas, and mining.
He enjoys working with clients on multidisciplinary projects and has a bachelor’s degree in Geophysics from the University of Colorado, an MS in Environmental Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Colorado State University. He spent two years in Australia working as a research scientist for CSIRO’s Mine Remediation and Reclamation Program evaluating water and chemical movement in the mining environment.
William (Bill) Waldheim
Director, Board Member, Enbridge Energy Company, Inc.; Retired
President of DCP Midstream Partners
Residence: April 2016 - September 2016
Bill Waldheim is the former president and board member of DCP Midstream Partners, LP (DPM) and has over 35 years of experience in the energy industry. While at DPM, Bill was responsible for expanding the partnership’s asset base and earnings and interacting with DPM’s stakeholders in the banking and investment community.
Before joining DPM, Bill was the president of the Marketing and Logistics business unit for DCP Midstream, LLC. He was responsible for marketing over 6Bcf/d of natural gas, 450mbpd of NGLs, and 20mbpd of crude oil and was a leading member of DCP’s Risk Management Committee. While head of the M&L business unit, Bill lead the effort to expand DCP’s NGL infrastructure under a $2.25 billion pipeline expansion program.
Before this role from 2007-2009, Bill was vice president of DCP’s Gathering and Processing business unit managing commercial and operational aspects for the Northern and Mid Continent commercial areas. Prior to 2007, Bill held numerous leadership positions at DCP Midstream, including VP of G&P Commercial and VP of Marketing and Logistics. And prior to joining DCP in 1999, Bill served in various leadership roles at Union Pacific Resources.
Bill attended the University of Arizona, where he earned a bachelor’s of science in public accountancy, was formerly a CPA, and earned an advanced degree from Harvard’s Advanced Management Program. He has served on the boards of Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain Inc. and the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. He is a former board member of the Propane Education Research Council. Bill was born and raised in Milwaukee, is married to Kathryn, and has two sons Chris and Scott.
