Paul Scharfenberger

CEO

As CEO, Paul is responsible for developing and overseeing the Colorado Clean Energy Fund’s strategic plan and day-to-day tactical operations. Paul combines a unique and extensive background in traditional finance, operations management, and energy management that spans more than 20 years. Paul began his career in investment banking before consciously transitioning to the energy field where he was able to combine his financial acumen with his passion for energy management and sustainability.

Paul’s transition into the energy field began in 2008 when he worked in the Commercialization and Deployment and Project Finance divisions of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). After several years at NREL, Paul transitioned to the Colorado Energy Office where he would remain for the next seven years of his career, ultimately becoming its Chief Operating Officer. While at the Energy Office, Paul developed various public private partnerships that deployed >$150M towards various clean energy projects. Most notably, Paul was the lead author of multiple pieces of legislation that enabled Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) in Colorado and he Chaired the Board of Directors that created and launched the highly successful Colorado C-PACE program.

After leaving the public sector in July 2018, Paul became the Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized energy management and sustainability firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado where he oversaw the financial, accounting, and operational facets of the organization. However, after approximately one year with that firm, Paul enthusiastically accepted the role of Executive Director of the Colorado Clean Energy Fund.

In addition to a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance from Fairfield University in Connecticut, Paul holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in Finance and a Master of Science (MS) with a focus in energy policy, markets, and technologies from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Dave Harris

COO

As CCEF’s Chief Operating Officer, Dave helps to drive the organization’s strategic planning, staff, operations, and workflow. Dave brings over a decade of experience managing and guiding teams, and building businesses and products from the ground up. Dave is passionate about making an immediate impact in the fight against climate change.

Prior to joining CCEF in late 2021, Dave was the Director of Operations for Rockies Venture Club (RVC), the longest running Angel investor group in the U.S. and a nonprofit centered on furthering economic development across the Rocky Mountain region. Dave helped to lead and raise nearly 200 funding rounds, totaling over $50M. Dave is also a Managing Partner of the Rockies Venture Fund, a seed-stage venture capital fund and a venture partner with Spock Ventures, a Colorado-based venture capital fund. Dave has served as an active Board Member for nonprofit and for profit organizations, like the Biz Girls CEO Accelerator and TiLT.

Dave worked with several dozen companies as a collaborative start-up consultant specializing in capital strategy and fund raising, business development, and marketing. He also worked across international finance and project management at Thomson Reuters and Lipper, covering the financial markets for Latin America, Europe, and Canada.

Dave is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and he enjoys climbing 14ers, backpacking, fly fishing, and cooking; often all simultaneously, while still answering emails.

Heather Braithwaite

CIO

Heather is CCEF’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO). Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay and it’s surrounding rivers and bays, Heather became deeply connected to nature. That connection created her drive to protect the environment through capital deployment for clean energy projects for over a decade.

Heather helped create many on and off-bill financing programs for various stakeholders across the country and helped deploy millions of dollars into projects across all clean energy technologies and sectors. Heather understands the sense of urgency surrounding climate change and the importance capital plays in achieving climate goals.

Heathers personal commitment to her mission is unwavering as she is a “climate change fighter”!

Emily Richardson

Program Manager

In addition to her work in D.C., Emily has completed consulting projects for the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) of Connecticut, Schneider Electric, and Portland General Electric, assisting each organization with goals related to clean energy deployment and carbon reduction strategies.

Emily earned a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin, and holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, where she specialized in Business and Energy Systems.

Outside of work, Emily most enjoys summiting 14ers, music concerts, baking, and spending time with her beloved pup, Abbygail (also a 14ers enthusiast).

Katharine Rushton

Commercial Business Director

As CCEF’s Commercial Business Director, Katharine advances the adoption of clean energy technologies by connecting project developers with appropriate finance solutions.

Katharine has been involved in the clean energy sector since 2003, working as a building energy analyst and in multiple roles in the solar energy industry. Katharine has extensive experience providing consulting services to municipalities, special districts and commercial entities to help overcome the financial and technical barriers to implementing clean energy solutions and recognizes that building relationships with project stakeholders by listening to their goals, understanding the barriers and offering financially viable solutions is the key to transitioning to a clean energy future.
 
Katharine has earned certifications from the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NACEP) and holds an MBA in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency from the Beuth University of Applied Science in Berlin, Germany. 

Maryam Aïda Tidjani

Clean Energy Specialist

Aïda supports commercial Clean Energy projects at CCEF as a Clean Energy Specialist. Before joining CCEF, Aïda worked for the Clean Energy Credit Union specializing in Clean Energy loans and projects. She has been involved with Clean Energy and sustainability since the beginning of r career.

Aïda graduated with a degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability from Colorado State University where she served as a research fellow for both the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education and the Africa Center for Sustainability. Outside of work you'll find Aïda at the movies, travelling, going to concerts, discovering new cuisines and volunteering in the community.

Allie Madden

Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

Allie spearheads CCEF’s digital media and marketing efforts, external communications, and community engagement. As an expert in nonprofit marketing, Allie leverages social media, newsletters, webinars and more to showcase the organization’s products and programs across stakeholder groups. She believes that clean energy is the future, and CCEF’s work is fundamental in driving clean energy adoption statewide.

Prior to joining CCEF, Allie led the marketing team at the Chef Ann Foundation, a national nonprofit making healthy, climate-friendly school food accessible to K-12 students across the U.S. She received an M.A. in Journalism with a Graduate Certificate in Environment, Science, & Policy from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in Mass Communication and English writing from Colorado Mesa University.

When she’s not on her laptop, Allie enjoys practicing yoga, cooking, writing, and spending quality time with her husband and two daughters.

Jeff King

Senior Business Development Manager

Jeff manages CCEF's Residential programs, including the long-running Colorado RENU program. Prior to joining CCEF, Jeff was the Senior Finance Programs Manager at the Colorado Energy Office where he helped to create Colorado RENU and he managed all elements of the successful program. Jeff also served as Board Chair of the Colorado New Energy Improvement District, which governs Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing in Colorado. Earlier in his career, Jeff was International Business Manager, Asia-Pacific for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

Nabeeha Kazmi

Residential Business Development Associate

Nabeeha supports CCEF’s residential programming, specifically the RENU Loan program in which she drives program management and business development efforts. Growing up, Nabeeha has always been interested in Clean energy and environmental science, participating in research trips to Oklahoma and Austin, TX. Prior to joining CCEF, she consulted for Start-ups, Fortune 500 companies & Private Equity firms focusing on M&A and organizational development. 

A graduate of the UT School Systems, Nabeeha holds degrees in Political Science and Business. Outside of work, you can find her playing sand volleyball, trying out new food, or volunteering as the PR Director for Panache, a non-profit based in Texas.