Our Board

Michael J. Healy - President

Biography: Excelling for more than a decade in the clean energy industry, Mike has garnered a laudable reputation as a proven leader in the local solar industry. Well-regarded in his field, he has served in executive and advisory positions with ConnectDE Inc., Renewables Forward, the Virginia Advanced Energy Industries Coalition, and was a founding member of Nextility, Inc. Mike has served on the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association (CHESSA) board of directors for more than a decade and currently serves on the executive committee as the treasurer. Through his service he has helped to shape and advance CHESSA and solar policy across Maryland, DC and Virginia. Additionally, Mike serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of New Columbia Solar, a Washington, DC based solar energy company that develops, finances, owns, and operates solar projects located on commercial and industrial properties. New Columbia Solar's portfolio consists of both community solar as well as net metered projects. Founded in 2016, the company has grown to be one of the largest and most comprehensive solar energy companies in the District. As a leader in the DMV solar market specifically, Mike led advocacy efforts for the Clean Energy DC Act 2018 passed by the DC City Council to implement a 100% renewable energy target by 2032. From 2013 - 2016, Mike also served on the National Solar Energy Industry Association as Treasurer for the Executive Committee. Mike has attributed his many successes to the supportive people around him, stating that the solar industry in the DMV requires thorough subject matter expertise across its entire complex supply chain; without experts in engineering, operations, finance, regulation, and real estate, solar projects, quite simply, could not be developed.

Ally Niphakis - Secretary

Biography: Ally Niphakis is an active CHESSA member and a passionate solar policy advocate. In her current role as Manager of SRECTrade’s Account Management Team, she works directly with the firm’s solar developer partners to support their shared clients’ REC certification, issuance, and payment processes. Her work includes educating partners and clients on state renewable energy policies, REC program requirements, and REC market analysis. For the last two years, Ally has led SRECTrade’s policy advocacy in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Her engagement in CHESSA and other solar trade organizations’ policy committees has influenced regulatory changes and program structures in the region. Ally graduated from York College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Biology. She lives in Maryland with her family.

Thad Culley

Thad Culley began working in the renewable energy policy in law school in 2008 as a law clerk for the Oakland-based law firm Keyes & Fox, LLC, which specializes in distributed generation policy and law. After earning his J.D. from Tulane Law School, with a certificate in Environmental Law, Thad joined Keyes & Fox full-time in the fall of 2010 working on both utility-scale and rooftop solar issues at the California Public Utilities Commission on behalf of the firm's clients. Thad opened Keyes & Fox's satellite office in Cary, NC in 2014 and was elected partner in 2016, where he continued to represent both utility-scale, community solar, and rooftop solar interests before PSCs across the country.

In December of 2017, Thad left Keyes & Fox and joined Vote Solar as Southeast Director, expanding the role to cover legislative campaigns and regulatory matters in the Carolinas. Thad helped to coordinate a coalition and to draft legislation that resulted in the unanimous passage of the Energy Freedom Act in South Carolina in 2019. On the regulatory side, Thad helped spearhead a novel legal strategy in Duke Energy rate cases that resulted in a settlement to establish a Climate Risk and Resilience Working Group, the first of its kind in the Southeast. Thad additionally helped spearhead a coalition process on behalf of Vote Solar that led to a net metering settlement with Duke Energy and to defeating an aggressive anti-solar net metering proposal from Dominion Energy South Carolina.

In March 2020, Thad left Vote Solar to join Sunrun's policy team covering the Mid-Atlantic and regulatory efforts in the Southeast. Thad is licensed to practice law in California (inactive), North Carolina, and South Carolina and lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Thad is certified as a Utilities Law specialist by the North Carolina State Bar.

Rick Peters

Biography: Rick Peters is the President & CEO of Solar Energy Services, Inc. Rick has been a member of CHESSA since 2008 and a member of the Board of Directors since 2010. In that time he have served as president of the board for 5 different one-year terms. He has extensive experience in the Maryland legislative and policy world with exposure to our other jurisdictions. He has served and will serve in the interests of the greater industry, but will bring important representation to the board for our Distributed Generation members.

Drew Price

Biography: Drew Price is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hexagon Energy, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hexagon is a Virginia small business that develops both DG and utility scale solar projects. Prior to starting Hexagon, Drew spent 11 years developing energy and climate programs for the world’s major economies. Drew led the creation of market-based carbon reduction programs for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, California, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He also served as a senior advisor to clients, providing guidance on emerging topics such as market oversight, security, system integration, and program development. This experience instilled the importance and challenge of aligning policy goals and program implementation through stakeholder engagement, thoughtful design, and carefully considered deployment. Drew lives in Charlottesville with his wife and three kids. He has deep roots in the region, having lived in Virginia for 24 years with extended family that are multi-generational Marylanders. Drew has a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia. Drew serves on the Solar Hands-on Instructional Network of Excellence (SHINE) Leadership Council, funding and promoting solar job training for local workers, and the Board of Directors of the Charlottesville Renewable Energy Alliance (CvilleREA).