The Black Rock Solar Installation Crew: Tom Thompson, Mike Small, Jeremy Walker, Eli Lyon, Dave Lasky, Dustin Christiansen, Scott Stephenson, Wakan Wiki Blindman (Photo Credit: Marnee Benson 2011)

Patrick (Paddy) McCully – Executive Director

Patrick McCully is originally from Newtownards, Northern Ireland. He joins BRS from International Rivers, where he spent 17 years (six of them as Executive Director) working to protect rivers around the world from destructive dams and to promote human rights and sustainable water and energy practices. Before coming to the United States in 1993, he worked with environmental non-profits in the UK and Uruguay. Paddy is on the advisory boards of two Indian non-profits and was formerly on the steering committee of the UN Environment Program’s Dams and Development Project. His book Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams, described by prize-winning Indian author Arundhati Roy as a “dazzling book,” has been translated into five languages.

Marnee Benson – Deputy Director

Marnee joined Black Rock Solar in 2009 as an environmental journalist and project manager who had recently organized a worldwide sailing expedition and global warming lecture series. While growing up in New Mexico, Marnee played tennis in the high-desert sun, ripped it up at local ski resorts, and rode bikes with her friends. She’s lived in Reno for more than ten years, after stops in Jackson Hole and southern California– where she played beach volleyball and studied math at San Diego State University. Marnee traded in her tennis racket and bikinis for carabiners and climbing shoes when she hit the Sierra Nevada, and she recently graduated from UNR with two master’s degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Policy. She organized the Tour de Nez bike race for three years and sailed with Greenpeace International before turning her attention full-time to Black Rock Solar. In her spare time, Marnee counts her lucky stars for being able to work with the Holland Project and March Fourth Marching Band.

Tom Thompson- Construction Manager

A licensed electrician in Nevada and California with over 30 years of experience in the electrical industry, Tom has been involved with wiring on all types of construction projects from small tenant improvements to multimillion dollar electrical contracts. He has been an electrical construction supervisor for over 20 years and joined Black Rock Solar in January 2011.

Rosalie Barnes- Education & Special Projects

Rosalie has worked with Black Rock Solar since 2009. Rosalie also works with Black Rock City LLC in Community Relations, focusing on Nevada issues and the 2012-2016 Environmental Assessment with the Bureau of Land Management. Rosalie earned a double Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Michelle Ochoa - Operations Manager

Michelle is delighted to join the Black Rock Solar team.  Originally a Bay Area native, Michelle’s career began at the young age of 16 when her first job was working as a bank teller.  After graduating from U.C.S.B. with a Bachelors’ in Latin American & Iberian Studies, she dabbled in sales, marketing  and high- tech public relations.  In 2002, she found herself running away with a touring Cirque du Soleil show where she began an illustrious career in box office management.  Michelle has managed box offices for the Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, SF Asian American Film Festival and Frameline Film Festival.   In addition, she has been a proud member of the Department of Public Works for the Burning Man Project for almost ten years.  For the past five years, she has worked as DPW Purchasing Manager and as one of the lead managers of the Playa Restoration team for Burning Man.  Michelle is most proud of once having to add extra pages into one of her passports to make room for more stamps.

Holly Canon – Administrative Assistant, Reno Office

Holly joined Black Rock Solar in 2011 as Administrative Assistant with a wide and varied background in Interior Design and Project Management in the green building industry. After growing up in Mammoth Lakes, California, Holly decided that Reno offered the best of both proximity to the mountains and conveniences of city living and has lived in Reno for over 10 years.  Her attention quickly turned to the interests of the high desert after attending and working for the Department of Public Works for the annual Burning Man Event.  It was while working for DPW when she first heard of Black Rock Solar through their initial installation at the 2007 Burning Man event. Holly is glad that things have come full circle and to join the Black Rock Solar team.

Diana Dorman -  Policy and Education Assistant

Diana joined the Black Rock Solar team in the summer of 2011 as the first ever intern.  After a successful 3-month internship she was hired on as the Policy and Education Assistant, working on educational programs and issues concerning the Nevada Legislature and Public Utilities Commission. Originally from Northern Nevada, Diana grew up in Winnemucca where she swam, danced and volleyballed her way through high school.  She chose to stay in Nevada for college and is currently studying at the University of Nevada, Reno, pursuing dual degrees in International Affairs and Environmental Science with minors in Italian Studies and Renewable Energy. Diana loves to ski, hike, and swim all around the Sierra Nevada. She is an avid traveler and studied for a year in Italy. One of her proudest moments was being able to claim she had been to every habitable continent.

Board of Directors

Marian Goodell

Ms. Goodell holds a BA in Creative Writing from Goucher College in Baltimore and an MFA in photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  She worked in sales, public relations, and project management before arriving at Burning Man in 1995.  As Director of Business and Communications for Black Rock City, LLC, Ms. Goodell oversees year-round media relations, print production, and writing of a 90,000+ member newsletter, as well as management of accounting, legal, government relations and administrative processes.  In 2003 she added oversight of the event’s pre- and post-production team known as the DPW, or Department of Public Works.  Her supervision of technology infrastructure for the organization has included an internal extranet, several thousand page web site, multiple blogs, and moderated participant-submitted image gallery.  Ms. Goodell is actively involved with the Burning Man Regional Network that she developed in 1997, working with over 160 individuals in 125 locations worldwide to support local communities, inspire civic participation, and engage people through Burning Man’s ethics and values.  Marian is a founding board member of the Black Rock Arts Foundation and currently sits on the Advisory Board.  Other interests include overseas travel, becoming a skilled motorcycle rider and volunteer work with cats.

David Shearer, President

Dr. David Shearer is co-founder and CEO of Full Circle Solutions, a green technology start-up developing biochar products for global agricultural and carbon sequestration applications. Prior to launching Full Circle Solutions, Dr. Shearer was Chief Scientist at California Environmental Associates where he worked in the next generation transportation, energy, carbon mitigation, and information technology space. In addition to his private sector activities, Dr. Shearer has directed groundbreaking work in both public policy and philanthropic investment for climate change mitigation and he sits on several non-profit and educational boards.

Matt Cheney- Vice President

Mr. Cheney is the former CEO of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures one of the largest developers and owner-operators of photovoltaic solar power systems in the US. Mr. Cheney has more than twenty-five years in the fields of civil engineering, energy, and environment, including experience with the U.S. Agency for International Development in South America, the National Rural Electric Co-op Association’s International Programs, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Utility PhotoVoltaic Group, now the Solar Electric Power Association.

Jerry Snyder- Secretary

Mr. Snyder is a Partner in the Reno office of Holland and Hart. Jerry practices in all areas of commercial and intellectual property litigation at both trial and appellate levels. He has represented a wide range of clients, including individual property owners, contractors, banks, insurance companies, publicly traded and pre-public companies, and the buyers and sellers of real and personal property.

Gianluca Signorelli-Treasurer

Dan Porras

Dan is the Communications Officer for The Christensen Fund, a private foundation working with indigenous peoples to protect the diversity and resilience of life on Earth.  Dan has founded a record label and a nationally touring band; worked internationally as an environmental journalist; and built a practice around sustainable investing.  He was the Vice President of Sustainability for Better Energy Systems, where he crafted brand and CSR strategy for Solio, the most successful solar charger in the world.  Dan is the founder of Planetwize LLC, and the creator of Actiontrax.org, an online music store that supports nonprofit groups through music sales. He has an MS in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics, and has completed graduate work at the Monterey Institute and NYU’s school of journalism. When he’s not working, Dan enjoys mountain biking, drumming and backcountry skiing.