Sami was born and raised in Houston, TX and currently works as an Integration and Governance Manager in Shell’s Renewables and Energy Solutions organization, developing renewables projects across the US. Before this role, Sami formed and led a wildly popular startup team within Shell, applying cutting-edge AI, analytics, and self-driving car principles to well navigation — resulting in seven patents.

Sami’s background is in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and he is simultaneously pursuing his MBA from the Yale School of Management, with a focus on sustainability. Outside of work, Sami enjoys chess, gardening, and building home science projects (particularly those with an energy flair!).

Sami is excited to align HREG with the Houston Climate Action Plan and allow HREG to drive home the commitment from the city and keep Houston as the Energy Capital of the World! Sami’s door is always open to answer any questions about being a part of HREG and growing the mission.

Mike Lewis currently holds an Asset Manager position with Caterpillar, helping deploy Energy Storage Solutions to the oil and gas industry. He also is the founder and principal inspector for Klutch City Inspections, performing residential real estate inspections for clients across the Greater Houston Market.

Previously, Mike held positions with Marathon Oil as Project Manager for Digital Oilfield projects in Oklahoma and worked with Honeywell to improve the energy efficiency of the largest engine rebuild depot in the United States Air Force. His passions are around improving energy efficiency of buildings, deploying economical solutions for improving the quality of life for homeowners, and helping industry increase their involvement in renewable energy usage.

He holds an MBA in Energy from University of Oklahoma, a Masters in Engineering from University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University.

Julie has been calling Houston home since 2013, working as a chemical and biological engineer at Dow in hydrocarbons manufacturing and supply chain roles. Over the last year, she realized how strong her interest in clean energy production and environmental sustainability was, and has been expanding her knowledge ever since. Whether it’s listening to her favorite renewable energy and climate change podcasts on her commute to work or asking questions and learning from others, she is passionate about more directly aligning her professional experience towards helping advance renewable technologies.

If you miss her at the next HREG meeting, you will likely find her at the next WRISE event. Julie wishes she had known about HREG sooner and encourages anyone to join our community, even if you don’t exactly fit the renewable energy job mold.

Dave Hanson is a Board Member of HREG. He has been involved with HREG over many decades as HREG has conducted Houston Solar Tours and many other activities to help the public learn about the development and advantages of clean electricity.

He is also the President of the Houston Electric Auto Association where clean electricity fuels many of our vehicles. Dave is retired from a multi-decade career at the NASA Johnson Space Center and appeared on MotorWeek showing JSC’s electric vehicles. Houston needs to be a leader in clean electricity!

Despite currently residing in Beaumont, TX due to his work as a reliability engineer at ExxonMobil, Dylan is committed to encouraging a cleaner, more sustainable future for the city he’s called home since childhood. Dylan joined the HREG organization in late-2019, allowing him to work with like-minded individuals promoting sustainability and renewable energy in America’s energy epicenter, while growing his knowledge in all things renewable energy.

Dylan hopes to return to Houston in the near future, where he can continue to drive HREG’s goals and share his own passion for environmental responsibility and energy independence in his hometown.

I walk and talk the message of going green. It’s easy. Purchase an electric car. I did. Don’t purchase ancient stored solar energy (fossil fuels) but rather purchase recently stored solar energy (wind power) or immediately stored solar energy (photovoltaics). I did! Educate others. I do by leading the monthly solar workshop.

Divyesh Patel brings over 30 years of experience from various business ventures to HREG. He got his start working for his father at a family-owned motel and over the years has been a pioneer in starting up several businesses.

He received his Bachelors in Environmental Science from the Ohio State University and now plans on using all his knowledge to help HREG meet their objectives.

Dori founded Wolfe Energy to share her passion for energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. She has been actively involved in Solarize Houston, now through Solar United Neighbors and Houston Renewable Energy Group.

The Sunnyside Energy team she compiled was recently awarded the opportunity to develop a utility-scale solar farm on a former Houston landfill. Since 2012, she has been working to bring community solar projects to fruition, including a 7 Megawatt array in Strafford, Vermont which came on line in 2017 and three other community-owned solar arrays since then.

Prior to starting Wolfe Energy in 2011, she wrote a novel Only Hope. In 1998 she co-founded groSolar, that grew to be a national renewable energy company. She has dedicated substantial volunteer time to educating students and communities in sustainable practices including developing an elementary school energy curriculum, composing children’s songs about energy, and lecturing on renewable energy. Dori has a BSME degree from Cornell University.