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SKS Team

Experienced. Motivated.
Capable.

SKS is driven by leadership with decades of experience in oil and gas, agriculture, environmental services, logistics, development, finance, and investing.

This core team with extensive knowledge of dairy, livestock, agriculture, and industrial food waste is positioned to deliver results while balancing the goals of all project stakeholders.

Scott Stepenoff

President

Scott leads our overall efforts to source and develop projects, working closely with our strategic partners throughout each project’s lifecycle. He has developed multiple anaerobic digestion facilities and is well versed in all aspects of project development.

Scott is a planner and a big picture thinker who gets to know your situation intimately to best determine the efficacy and potential of a biogas project. His solutions often go beyond RNG outputs, creating other opportunities to monetize the full value of the system’s outputs. Scott’s extensive track record of developing successful waste-to-energy facilities is in his blood, having worked side-by-side with his father for over two decades in the energy, environmental, and agricultural industries.

Dana Kirk, Ph.D., P.E.

Director of Operations & Innovation

As a highly respected authority in manure management, carbon intensity evaluations, and anaerobic digestion technology, Dana works to optimize the performance of each SKS facility. Prior to joining SKS, Dana was instrumental in establishing the Anaerobic Digester Research Center at Michigan State University and led the engineering effort to build and operate the school’s South Campus Anaerobic Digester. Dana is also a sought after consultant for anaerobic digestion projects around the globe, mentoring many who are making their mark in the waste-to-energy marketplace.

Dana’s agricultural foundation allows him to holistically consider how SKS facilities integrate with all aspects of the dairy’s operational program, from bedding and nutrients to permitting and growth potential. The result is a comprehensive project design that optimizes operational efficiency and profitability.

Jesse Neilson, M.S., P.E.

Director of Design & Construction

Jesse is responsible for carrying each SKS facility through the design, permitting, and construction processes. Previously, he founded, owned, and operated the largest industrial wastewater engineering firm in the Western U.S. specializing in high strength wastewater and anaerobic digestion. As an experienced engineer and project manager, Jesse has a 360 degree perspective on every project. His extensive portfolio of anaerobic digester to RNG projects have included some of the largest and most complex facilities in the U.S. Whether he’s designing a 28 million gallon, multi-staged low-rate anaerobic digester or optimizing the use of separators and pumps, Jesse engineers for performance.

Nathan Kennedy

Chief Operating Officer

Nathan leads SKS’s finance and investment activities and has overall responsibility for company operations. His extensive background in advising capital providers, project developers, investors, and asset managers in the renewable energy, real estate, and community development finance sectors have uniquely positioned him for SKS and its partners. Nathan maintains relationships with capital providers and keeps a pulse on federal and state incentive programs, providing insight for determining each project’s preferred financing strategy. From structuring transactions and raising capital to determining the optimal strategy for monetizing environmental attributes, Nathan works to ensure SKS projects deliver attractive returns to project owners and partners.

Maria Barrios Arosemena, M.S.

Project Engineer

Maria brings technical expertise to the SKS team and is responsible for coordinating engineering activities, overseeing construction, and developing operations and maintenance strategies. She holds a masters degree in biosystems engineering from Michigan State University where she concentrated in anaerobic digestion and alternative energy. Leveraging her academic background and experience working with project development firms, Maria develops strategies for building and operating successful anaerobic digestion-to-RNG facilities throughout their full project lifecycle. By design, her role overlaps both the construction and operations phases of the project. This way she is able to ensure the operations team has complete knowledge of every aspect of the project while projects are built with operational efficiency in mind.

Sergio Zepeda

Project Manager

Sergio has extensive experience with all aspects of large RNG production facilities. Prior to joining SKS, Sergio played a critical role in the development, construction, commissioning, and operations of one of the nation’s largest methane digester projects. He has worked with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies, equipping Sergio with the ability to navigate varying challenges companies face to bring their products to fruition. With a diverse background in multiple disciplines, Sergio is a true utility player who brings a can-do attitude to the SKS team. Building and managing operations teams is foundational for Sergio, and his hands-on approach to problem solving makes him invaluable to ensuring SKS projects are successful.

Joe Tesar, M.S.E.E., B.S.M.E

Consulting Engineer

For the past decade, Joe has worked to improve the design and operation of anaerobic digester systems, dealing with problems ranging from feedstock optimization to thermal management. As an experienced, multi-craft engineer, Joe can deliver technical solutions to solve the diverse mechanical, electrical, and analytical problems that inevitably arise during project development. Joe supports the SKS team during the entire development process. This includes the initial development of carbon intensity models for each RNG project, followed by validation that the facility design will meet the requirements set forth by the purchasers of renewable fuels. During construction, Joe provides engineering support to the SKS team, working with subcontractors and vendors to meet budget and schedule goals.