Leadership Team
Proven business and industry leaders for today’s growing solar market
Kinect Solar’s Leadership Team
We’re proud to have solar experts leading everything we do at Kinect Solar. Our years of solar industry experience allow us to engineer the best services and solutions for today’s solar businesses.
Lauren founded Kinect Solar in 2015 when she saw the need for a strong secondary market in the solar industry. She leads with a focus on values and her unique blend of technical understanding, business development, and sales acumen.
Prior to Kinect Solar, Lauren served as Director at Xzerta Energy Group as well as Clean Edison, LLC. She holds a BS in Finance and Economics from Trinity University.
Listen to Lauren in this podcast episode
Tom Athan
Co-CEO
Tom has spent his 30+ year career creating, building, and operating successful businesses in complicated new markets. After two decades on Wall Street, where he was a key player in creating the fixed-income credit derivatives market, Tom co-founded and was CEO of Altus Power, Inc., one of the first solar independent power producers in the United States (NYSE:AMPS).
Prior to Kinect Solar, Tom also served as CRO at Ally Leasing, and CFO at LongBall Capital & Insurance Services, which he also co-founded. He holds an MBA from Fordham University and a BS in Finance from Villanova University.
Matthew Saunders
President
Matthew has more than 20 years of experience in solar equipment sales, distribution, and manufacturing. Prior to Kinect Solar, Matthew directed multiple sales divisions at Canadian Solar, where he led his team to record year-over-year growth with more than 1GW of equipment sold in 2022.
Matthew holds both an M.Sc in Engineering and a B.Eng in General Engineering from the University of Leicester.
Brendan O’Connell
Chief Financial Officer
Brendan brings over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting. Before joining Kinect Solar, Brendan spent nearly 15 years as a fractional CFO, helping small businesses scale and successfully exit. Prior to that, he served as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at 7 for All Mankind, where he built and led the FP&A team following the brand’s acquisition by VF Corporation.
A licensed CPA, Brendan holds an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business and a BBA in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame.
Nikole Newman
Chief Revenue Officer
Nikole has more than 16 years of experience in the tech industry, spanning multiple countries and cultures. With her focus on strategic enterprise sales and strategy; business development and managed service solutions; and marketing, Nikole has contributed significantly to organizational growth and innovation at each of the organizations she has served.
John Laverty
Chief Commercial Officer
John’s strong technical aptitude and background in construction management has enabled John to sell innovative energy solutions across a diverse prospect profile.
Prior to Kinect Solar, John managed division sales for Solar World, LLC. He holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Fadi Fayed
VP of Operations
Fadi is a cross-functional leader with a results-driven approach. He has more than 15 years of experience in B2B and B2C logistics, with expertise in scaling operations, process optimization, and strategic planning.
Fadi is known for creating action plans that support business growth and operational excellence, as well as successful customer acquisition and market expansion.
Rhonda Blum
Chief of Staff & Founder
Rhonda has optimized business efficiency for multiple organizations, with a strong focus on building company cultures with positive values. She has more than 15 years of experience in solar throughout the US.
Rhonda is committed to increasing environmental consciousness in solar and holds a BS in Criminal Justice from California Coast University.
Melissa Orr
Co-Board Chair
Melissa has built and sold three companies, served as a “hired gun” executive, and now invests, serves on boards, and helps business leaders and entrepreneurs realize their dreams. In addition to Kinect Solar, she currently serves on the boards of SpringBoard and Prosum. She has previously been a board member at Curl Cult, One Services, HATCHBEAUTY Brands, and BrightCurrent.
Melissa holds a BFA in Communications and Business from Emporia State University and is a graduate of the Birthing of Giants Entrepreneurial Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.