Twice named “Connecticut’s Environmental Hero,” Brian F. Keane is president of SmartPower.
A former advisor to the late Senator Paul Tsongas (D-MA) and congressional aide to Representative Les Aspin (D-WI), Keane has an extensive background in management, political organizing and communications. Keane was one of the architects of The Concord Coalition, a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the federal budget deficit. He was also the founding executive director of Economic Security 2000 (ES 2000), the nation's first nonpartisan, grass-roots organization dedicated to saving and reforming Social Security. Keane’s testimony before the U.S. Congress helped make ES 2000 a recognized national leader in the debate on Social Security reform. Former presidents Clinton and Bush both recognized ES 2000 as a valuable resource in the discussion on Social Security.
At SmartPower, Keane combines his passion for the environment with a marketer’s commitment to creating compelling messages that resonate with the general population – not just the converted. As such, Keane is a much sought-after interview and presenter on clean energy and energy efficiency. He has spoken extensively across the nation, internationally and with local and national media.
With operations coast to coast, SmartPower has become the clean energy industry’s leading marketing organization. For their efforts, Keane and SmartPower have been recognized with numerous awards, including the coveted Green Power Pilot Award presented by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy; four Gold Awards from the Service Industry Advertising Awards (SIAA); and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Circle Award. In 2005 Keane was recognized as one of Connecticut’s “Outstanding Forty Under 40.” And in the summer of 2009, Keane was offered a senior-level presidential appointment to the US Department of Energy – an opportunity he turned down in order to stay at SmartPower.
Keane is a 1989 graduate of The American University in Washington, DC, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science. The tenth in a family of eleven children, Keane served as the chairman of his eldest brother’s successful campaign for the Boston City Council and his brother’s subsequent race for the U.S. Congress in Massachusetts’ eighth congressional district in 1998. Keane was briefly a candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate in 2002.
Keane serves as the president of the American University Alumni Association and sits on the board of directors of the Vermont-based Clean Energy Group. He is also a member of the Solar Foundation’s board of directors.
Keane and his wife, Kate Sawyer Keane, live in Arlington, VA, with their three children.
Lyn Rosoff, Deputy Director and Director of Marketing
Lyn Rosoff serves as Deputy Director of the organization, responsible for the management of all programs and services. Lyn also serves as the Director of Marketing and leads consumer research, message development and program design. Lyn is a veteran advertising and marketing professional with over 25 years of consumer marketing and communications experience, as well as 12 years experience in the renewable energy field.
Prior to joining SmartPower, Lyn ran a marketing consultancy for 12 years, focused on non-profit organizations. Many of her clients came from the renewable energy sector, including The Pew Charitable Trust, The John Merck Fund and Mass Energy.
Ms. Rosoff’s professional background includes 18 years at Arnold Worldwide, where she served as Senior Vice President, marketing director for the launch of a dot com, and partner in Booming, an online membership organization. She has served as a frequent instructor for the Advertising Club of Greater Boston, having taught courses that include “How to Get the Most Out of the Client/Agency Relationship." She also chaired the Ad Club’s Public Service Committee.
Lyn currently sits on the Board of Directors of United Way of Mass Bay and is past chair of the board of the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Jonathan Edwards has been leading programs and fundraising for SmartPower since he joined the staff in 2002. Edwards was responsible for launching SmartPower's signature initiative, the 20% by 2010 campaign, in both Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and works with foundations to secure grants for SmartPower programs. Currently Edwards leads the Western Mass Saves Campaign and the stakeholder outreach for Arizona SmartPower.
In 2004 Edwards was nominated to chair the Service Working Group at the Connecticut Department of Public Utility. This groundbreaking committee designed the Alternative Transitional Standard Offer (ATSO), now known as the CT Clean Energy Options program. This program is now one of the leading residential clean energy switching programs in the nation.
Edwards has significant experience in both non-profit management and organizational design, having served previously as the founding Executive Director of the Retirement Security Alliance in Washington, DC, and one of the founding staff persons and regional directors for The Concord Coalition, a deficit watchdog group. Edwards has also served on the campaign staffs of the Paul Tsongas presidential campaign as well as for Congressman John Olver (D-MA).
Jonathan is a graduate of Skidmore College and holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts. In 2004, Edwards was elected to the Whately, MA, Board of Selectmen, where he still serves.
Jessica Bergman joined the SmartPower team as the Outreach Coordinator for the Western Mass Saves program. The project aims to teach young adults in the Western Massachusetts Electric Company service area how to reduce their energy usage and become energy conscious consumers.
Jessica is a recent graduate of Boston University, with a degree in communication studies. She has a long history of involvement in the nonprofit sector. Ms. Bergman has worked with the Special Olympics of Massachusetts for the past seven years as a member of the management team, planning their annual fundraiser. Jessica began as the youngest member of the team and is now event director for a new collegiate fundraiser. She also spent a year interning for the Sierra Club and recently finished an internship at the Massachusetts State House.
Antonia “Toni” Bouchard is the State Director for Arizona SmartPower, whose mission is to help Arizona residents make smart energy choices.
Prior to joining SmartPower, Toni was the Renewable Energy Advisor for Arizona Public Service, Arizona’s largest and longest-serving utility. Toni was responsible for strategic outreach to businesses, academic institutions and governmental entities, promoting renewable energy education and policy development. In this role, Toni oversaw the external affairs and stakeholder relations related to APS’s utility-scale renewable energy projects, including the Solana Generating Station, a 280 MW solar project. Toni was also responsible for several strategic initiatives in support of APS’s commitment to renewable energy development. Toni participated in the design of the Community Power Project – Flagstaff Pilot, which will test an innovative approach to providing customers the virtual benefits of solar on their rooftops at no cost.
Prior to joining APS in December 2007, Toni was the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC). She was responsible for all outreach, brand development and marketing strategy for Efficiency Vermont, an award-winning statewide energy efficiency utility. Toni also provided strategic marketing consulting to utilities, regulators and government entities in New England and Canada. Before joining VEIC, Toni was the president and cofounder of an environmental geotechnical services firm in New York State.
Toni received her B.A. at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, and her Master’s at the State University of New York in Potsdam, New York. In 2003, Toni earned a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University in New York.
As Communications Manager, Marissa N. Newhall leads SmartPower’s social media efforts and spreads word of the organization’s many projects and programs. Marissa also oversees SmartPower's award-winning America's Greenest Campus campaign, an energy efficiency initiative that encourages college students around the country to reduce their carbon footprints.
Prior to joining SmartPower, Marissa spent three years at the Style section of The Washington Post, where she helped launch and maintain the widely read Reliable Source blog. She also penned feature stories, helped with coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign and President Obama’s January 2009 inauguration, and wrote a weekly celebrity gossip column.
Marissa’s background is steeped in journalism and media management. She spent a year as editor in chief of American University’s award-winning college newspaper, The Eagle, and during college was a frequent freelance contributor to the Current newspapers in Washington, D.C. She has held reporting internships with USA Today and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Marissa graduated from American University in 2007 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Visual Media and International Relations.
Brian Wright administers all finance, business planning and budgeting, human resources, administration and information technology functions for SmartPower. Wright also provides strategic direction, leadership and management for SmartPower's project work, with a specific focus on the coordination and execution of our Energy Efficiency campaigns.
Prior to joining SmartPower, Wright was the Director of Finance for the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA), as well as its Director of Member Services. In the latter role Wright was responsible for developing a grassroots network of 50,000 healthcare advocates. Wright also served as Chief of Staff for the Boston City Council from 1994 to 2000.
Wright has been active in local, statewide and national politics for the past 20 years. He earned his MBA from Boston College and his BS from Northeastern University.
