Our Team

Carly Rixham is the Executive Director for American Solar Energy Society (ASES). She is the Publisher of Solar Today magazine. She received her Masters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Colorado at Boulder where she researched microalgae for the production of biofuel. While studying in Boulder, Rixham served as Director of Arts and Sciences at CU Energy. Rixham also was a microbiologist at BioVantage Resources, culturing algae for bio-remediation of nutrients in wastewater. Prior to her renewable energy career, She taught Biology and Ecology at the university and high school levels and worked in software development at Intuit. Rixham captained the University of Denver Pioneers Lacrosse team and coached for the University of Colorado (Go Buffs) Lacrosse Team. She enjoys travel, art, mountain sports, and nature.

Sarah Townes joined the ASES team in 2016 to promote solar energy and sustainability in our beautiful world, and started the Zero Emissions Network Program. Managing the finances for such a positive organization brings great job satisfaction. ASES’s large membership base and non-profit status require full accountability and transparency in all its dealings, financial and social, and it brings her pleasure to work in non-profit accounting in such a high-integrity organization. Outside of ASES, Sarah enjoys singing, teaching singing, and performing, and her latest album is available for sale on iTunes. Favorite recreation includes hiking, relaxing by the fire at the St. Julien, and having fun with her family, both immediate and extended. She finds inspiration daily in her young son and his friends.

Ella Nielsen, Programs Director at the American Solar Energy Society, is committed to assisting with the acceleration of equitable solar adoption and universal sustainable living. She has a bachelor of arts degree in environmental economics with a minor in statistics from St. Lawrence University in Upstate New York. During college, she had the opportunity to intern at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Department under the Weatherization Assistance Program. After college, she worked as a Fiber Engineer at a Telecom Communications company while also serving as the Co-Chair of their Sustainability Employee Resource Group. In her free time, she enjoys climbing, skiing, and hiking around the Rocky Mountains.

Kat Friedrich, editor in chief of Solar Today, is an entrepreneurial journalist who has combined engineering, technology, and writing for over 20 years. In 2012, she co-founded Clean Energy Finance Forum, a news project that Yale University acquired. Later, she co-founded and managed a sister website on innovation in forestry, water, agriculture, and urbanism.
She has written and/or edited for Popular Mechanics, Ars Technica, Supercluster, Offsite Builder, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Renewable Energy World, YouthBuild USA, Yale Center for Business and the Environment, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hoffman Power Consulting, Conservation Services Group, Energy News Network, Microgrid Knowledge, and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Previously, she was an engineer for the Forest Products Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and American Superconductor. Kat has two degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison — a B.S. with distinction in mechanical engineering and an M.S. in science and environmental journalism from the Land Resources Program. She spends her free time learning about functional fitness, snowshoeing and hiking in Wisconsin’s beautiful state and local parks, reading science fiction, and exploring music events.

Sunshine joined ASES in 2017 and serves as Creative Director and Webmaster, ensuring brand guidelines are consistent across all marketing collateral, including Solar Today magazine and ases.org. With more than 22 years in graphic design communication, she has given a unique voice to numerous businesses through her passionate, creative design services including brand identity, print, web, and interactive.

Remi is a Postgraduate Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, specializing in clean energy technologies and power systems operations. He has two degrees in Mechanical Engineering. He received his B.Eng from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria where he designed and implemented PV-powered water pumping systems for the Funaab Communities; His MSc. from CU Boulder, where he applied stochastic optimal control to the operational scheduling of long-duration energy storage systems for his thesis.
Remi has designed and installed PV mini-grids across remote communities in Nigeria and is actively contributing to the renewable energy community by volunteering with ASES, where he curates content for the Solar@Work newsletter. Remi is passionate about LoFi music; enjoys road cycling and snowboarding as hobbies.

Emmanuel is a PhD student at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the University of Wyoming. He is interested in building energy simulation, net zero home designs and rooftop solar for residential and commercial buildings. Originally from Ibadan, Nigeria, he appreciates the experience of all four seasons and especially likes the cold and the windy winters that Wyoming is known for. He enjoys watching soccer, reading novels, biking, and experiencing other cultures through food and documentaries.

Gabe Santiago is an undergraduate on the pre-law track at the University of Maryland, pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Law & Society. He is excited to join the ASES team as the new Social Media Intern. Gabe is committed to environmental activism, serving as Vice President of the American Water Works Association UMD Chapter and as an Ambassador for the Office of Sustainability. In addition to social media communications and graphic design, he has a passion for writing op-eds and memos on energy, environmental policies, and environmental justice issues.

Kajal serves as a Sr. Staff Engineer at Reactivate.

Prior to joining Reactivate, Kajal was a Development Engineer at ICF Resources responsible for designing and detailing commercial, solar PV plant projects for rooftop, carport, and ground mount systems with capacities ranging from 50kW to 500MW. Kajal prepared interconnection plans, permit plans, IFC plans and as-built plants while facilitating the process of utility interconnection and assisting in the application for permits. She has also conducted comprehensive analyses of solar energy production, leveraging site assessments and solar irradiance data to evaluate the feasibility of potential solar projects, among many other things.

Kajal holds a Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering from Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune India, and a Master of Science in Energy Management and Systems Engineering from the New York University. Kajal also has two post-graduate certifications from the University of Texas at Austin in Data Science and Business Analytics and AI and ML: Business Applications. Kajal is also certified in NABCEP and LEED AP BD+C.

Julia Duffy is a dedicated educator with fourteen years of experience and a Bachelors of Science in Organismic Biology, emphasizing Ecology from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. While teaching science in rural Colorado schools, Julia has inspired students to learn about and connect with their environment, sparking their excitement for the natural world around them. Passionate about renewable energy and climate change mitigation, Julia is committed to inspiring future generations to embrace sustainability and environmental stewardship. Outside of her work, Julia enjoys running, mountain biking, hiking, and reading amidst the natural beauty of her home in Durango, Colorado.

For the past 15 years, Jay has been writing renewable energy textbooks, teaching solar, wind and renewable energy at various colleges across the Midwest, and providing consulting and online training to the industry at solarPVtraining.com, he also hosts a number of podcasts including, Solar News Weekly (sponsored by ASES), Solar Noon Tuesdays (a weekly deep dive on solar topics) and When the BioMass hits the Wind Turbine (syndicated through the Pacifica Radio Network and co-hosted by his wife Annie).

Jay and Annie live at Blue Rock Station (www.bluerockstation.com), a sustainable living center that features the first Earthship (a 2,200 sq ft passive solar home constructed out of tires and garbage) built east of the Mississippi, many straw bale buildings, a plastic bottle greenhouse, a solar shower, gardens, milk goats, lots of summer interns, and way too many cats.  In the years since establishing Blue Rock Station, more than 40,000 people have wandered through their living rooms – drawn by the vision of a truly sustainable lifestyle.