Steve Atkinson -- Principal Consultant

Steve Atkinson founded The Energy Group in 1996 and serves as President and CEO. He has been actively involved in the development of Master Energy Plans, National Utility Management programs and technical infrastructure to establish various Sites as Control Areas for independent electric operations. He combines advanced information technology with 25 years experience and the expertise of utility management professionals to align business and systems with Client's desired goals.

Prior to founding The Energy Group, Steve served as Manager of Energy Resources, Walt Disney Company, where he was responsible for all of the energy needs throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Before joining the Disney Organization he held a variety of operations and management positions at Florida Power & Light.

For 10 years Steve has functioned as an Associate Director of North Carolina State University's Energy Management Diploma Program, a published author of books and manuals in the power industry, a senior member of the Association of Energy Engineers, a recipient of the Deming Award and is an ISO 9000 Certified Auditor.

Steve is a Graduate of Power Technology Institute, completed graduate work in Statistics at the University of Miami, holds a B.S. degree in Professional Management from Nova University, as well as a degree in Electrical Engineering. Steve also holds a Power Marketers certificate from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and is a Certified Power Coordinator. Steve is an accomplished musician, and serves on a variety of community boards and committees.

Ted Risher -- Sr. Consultant

With over 25 years experience in the telecommunications and computer industries, Ted Risher brings a dual perspective to clients of The Energy Group, both as a customer of energy services as well as a supplier to energy companies. Prior to joining The Energy Group, he served as a Senior Director at AT&T Mobility supporting business customers with their complex wireless data and voice service needs. This support spanned multiple industries including Energy, where Ted provided design and technical support for mission critical telemetry wireless applications.

During his tenure at AT&T, Ted also held positions in Product Management, Customer Services, Network Operations, and Power & Building Infrastructure for both wireless and wire line services. Among other responsibilities, he owned the national processes for the deployment and maintenance of power and network equipment including generators, switch gear, HVAC, and digital cross connect systems.

Since joining The Energy Group, Ted has specialized in assisting clients with their NERC compliance and training needs. The documentation management process that he has developed for gathering and presenting compliance to NERC's reliability standards has proved essential for clients facing audits and spot checks.

Ted earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1977 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1990. He is a Certified Novell Administrator and holds a US patent for an impedance matching circuit utilized in high speed computing.

Joe Stepenovitch -- Sr. Consultant

Joe is an energy executive with over thirty years of industry experience. He has special expertise in generation asset optimization including: transmission operations, fuel forecasting, energy trading, fuel hedging, regulatory testimony, contract negotiations and contract administration. He also possesses a complete understanding of the whole-sale energy market and ability to maximize profit by utilization of various sources of fuel as well as optimal purchasing and selling of power with energy transportation.

Joe is a seasoned expert witness in the industry. He developed a fuel hedging program tolimit price risk for FPL customers and gave compelling testimony before the Florida Public Service Commission winning a successful implementation.

Keenan Atkinson -- Consultant

Keenan has worked with the Energy Group on a part-time basis for many years and has recently joined the Energy Group team full-time. After providing IT consulting and support services throughout the years, he now focuses on providing clients with NERC compliance consulting services.

Keenan earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both Industrial and Systems Engineering and Economics from Georgia Tech and. He focused his studies on systems and operations analysis, with an emphasis on the economic and financial implications of public policy changes.

While at Georgia Tech, Keenan supplemented his studies with some real world experience - helping the school's Office of Information Technology and the Rock-Tenn Company evaluate and improve their day to day operations; increasing productivity while holding down costs. His study of economics and finance compliments his work with systems and operations, helping him see the "big picture" and understand the possibilities and constraints of business strategy implementation.

In his free time, Keenan enjoys weightlifting and learning about nutrition and fitness. He is also a student of the martial arts Hapkido and Jiu Jitsu and enjoys traveling and SCUBA diving.

Jeri Van Assche -- Accounting and Administration