About

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Our Team

Dan Burgess, Director

Dan Burgess was appointed as the Director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office by Governor Janet Mills in March of 2019. Prior to his return to his home state of Maine, Burgess spent eight years working in leadership roles at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Burgess has a business degree from the University of Maine and a Masters in Public Administration from Northeastern University. As Director, Burgess serves on the Board of the Efficiency Maine Trust, and also serves on the Board of the National Association of State Energy Officials.

Celina Cunningham, Deputy Director

celina.cunningham@maine.gov
(207) 530-0366

Celina Cunningham is the Deputy Director of the Governor’s Energy Office in Maine, where she leads the renewable energy and markets team. She has nearly two decades of experience leading on energy, climate, and natural resource issues in the public and private sector, including at the U.S. Department of the Interior and as staff at the U.S. House of Representatives. She earned her B.A. from The Colorado College and is currently obtaining a Master in Business Administration from the University of Maine.

Lisa J. Smith, Senior Planner

lisa.j.smith@maine.gov
(207) 557-4439

Lisa Smith has served as Senior Planner for the Maine Governor’s Energy Office since 2012. She has performed various roles for the office, including federal grant project management and administration; energy planning and policy analysis; facilitation of and participation in numerous advisory boards and working groups on energy issues such as heat pumps, electric vehicles, biomass, and delivered fuels; and monitoring legislative and regulatory activity. She also maintains the heating fuel price database and is the primary contact on delivered fuels issues. Lisa’s educational background is in energy and environmental science, policy and economics.

Ethan Tremblay, Policy and Markets Program Manager

ethan.tremblay@maine.gov
(207) 530-2603

Ethan Tremblay serves as Policy and Markets Program Manager for the Governor's Energy Office, focusing on a variety of renewable energy and grid modernization policy initiatives. Before joining the office he worked in the private sector providing energy efficiency program administrators and utilities with program evaluation, customer analytics, and data management services. Ethan earned his Master of Science in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine.

Stephanie Watson, Maine Offshore Wind Program Manager

stephanie.watson@maine.gov
(207) 620-4379

Stephanie Watson serves as the Maine Offshore Wind Program Manager in the Governor’s Energy Office. Stephanie grew up on Mount Desert Island and earned graduate degrees in Ecology and Environmental Science and in Information Science and Engineering from the University of Maine. She has spent the last 20 years working in both the public and private sectors – focusing on coalition building projects on energy, data systems, economic development, and the environment along the U.S. Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

Ross Anthony, Buildings and Efficiency Analyst

ross.anthony@maine.gov
(207) 629-8449

Ross Anthony serves as the Buildings and Energy Efficiency Analyst for the Maine Governor’s Energy Office. In his previous role, Ross was a consultant for energy industry projects for commercial, industrial, and residential energy efficiency and market assessments, demand side management, climate change mitigation, and energy savings potential at the state and federal level for public and private clients. Ross was born and raised in Evansville, IN and holds a BSc in economics from the University of Evansville (Evansville, IN) and a MSc in resource economics and policy from the University of Maine (Orono, ME).

Caroline Colan, Legislative Liaison and Energy Policy Analyst

caroline.colan@maine.gov
(207) 530-7368

Caroline Colan serves as the Legislative Liaison and Energy Policy Analyst for the Governor’s Energy Office. Prior to joining the office, she worked for Senator Angus King of Maine where she assisted and advised his work on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and on energy and climate policy more broadly, drafted energy legislation, and engaged with Maine constituents on these topics. Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Middlebury College.

Steven McDermott, Operations and Special Projects Administrator

steven.mcdermott@maine.gov
207-629-8505

Steven McDermott serves as Operations and Special Projects Administrator for the Governor's Energy Office. In this role, he supports GEO’s operational needs, including finance, grant management, and human resources, and assists other projects. Steven has over a decade of experience working for and partnering with Maine nonprofit and government agencies. Prior to GEO, Steven led a range of statewide initiatives that addressed Maine’s affordable housing challenges, including the implementation of Maine's first statewide recovery residence program, managing programs to shelter Maine people during the COVID-19 pandemic, and developing several supportive housing initiatives.

Gwyneth Roberts, Energy Policy Analyst

gwyneth.roberts@maine.gov
207-530-6200

Gwyneth Roberts serves as an Energy Policy Analyst for the Governor's Energy Office, providing program coordination and project management for the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative and other policy areas. This includes work on the federally funded offshore wind roadmap for the State of Maine and other efforts related to offshore wind, with a specific emphasis on economic development opportunities in clean energy industries. In her previous role, she worked in private energy consulting providing regulatory monitoring, market research, and financial analysis. Gwyneth holds degrees in applied mathematics and climate sciences from the University of Maine.

Tagwongo Obomsawin, Clean Energy Partnership Program Manager

tagwongo.obomsawin@maine.gov
207-707-2001

Tagwongo Obomsawin is the Clean Energy Partnership Program Manager for the Governor's Energy Office. Prior to joining the office, she worked for several years in Maine's renewable energy industry and with small businesses focused on decarbonization, electrification, and local economic development. Tagwongo grew up in Farmington, Maine and earned her Master's in Business Administration from Bard College, and Bachelor's in Economics from the University of Maine.

Claire Swingle, Energy Policy Analyst

claire.swingle@maine.gov
207-530-7376

Claire Swingle serves as an Energy Policy Analyst for the Maine Governor’s Energy Office. In this role, she coordinates and supports the office’s efforts related to energy markets, grid modernization and power sector transformation that’s needed to meet Maine’s clean energy and climate objectives. Previously, Claire has managed a number of climate change mitigation projects both domestically and internationally. She was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado and holds a B.A. in political economy from Williams College and a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of the Environment.

Allie Rand, Energy Policy Analyst

allie.rand@maine.gov
207-816-0765

Allie Rand serves as an Energy Policy Analyst for the Governor's Energy Office. Allie grew up in Raymond, Maine and holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment. Before joining the GEO, Allie worked in the private sector at a community solar development company, where she focused on utility coordination and data management.

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STATEMENT - The Governor’s Energy Office does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability, race, color, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, ancestry, or national origin in admission to, access to, or operation of its services, programs, or activities*.

THE FOOTNOTE - *This notice is provided under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 12131 et. seq), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 2000d et. seq), the Age Discrimination Act as amended (42 U.S.C. § 6101 et. seq.), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 3789d), the Victims of Crime Act (42 U.S.C. § 10601 et. seq.), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681 et. seq.) and the Maine Human Rights Act (5 M.R.S. § 4551, et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Contact Us

The Governor's Energy Office may be contacted using the form below.

Maine.gov