Our Leadership
William J. (John) Berger
Chairman, President and CEOMr. Berger founded Sunnova in 2012 and has since then served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board. With more than two decades of experience in the electric power industry, Mr. Berger is an energy entrepreneur who has always supported free market competition, consumer choice and the advancement of energy technology to power energy independence. Before Sunnova, Mr. Berger served as Founder and Chief Executive Officer at SunCap Financial, a residential solar service provider. He also founded Standard Renewable Energy, a provider and installer of renewable energy and energy-efficient products and services. Mr. Berger received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering.
Robert L. Lane
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerRobert L. Lane joined Sunnova Energy Corporation in May 2019 as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and was elected as one of Sunnova Energy International Inc.'s executive officers on July 10, 2019. Prior to joining Sunnova, Mr. Lane served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Spark Energy, Inc., a publicly traded retail energy services company, from June 2016 to April 2019. Mr. Lane previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Emerge Energy Services GP, LLC, the general partner of Emerge Energy Services LP, from November 2012 to June 2015. Prior to joining Emerge, Mr. Lane was an investment banker and equity research analyst covering the energy industry. Mr. Lane is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Lane received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University. He also received a Certificate in the Accountancy Program from the B.T. Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston.
Michael Grasso
Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue OfficerMr. Grasso has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer since May 2021, prior to which he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer from April 2018 to May 2021, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer from January 2018 to April 2018. Mr. Grasso previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of Sunrun Inc., a publicly traded provider of residential solar electricity, from 2014 to 2017 and as Chief Marketing Officer of TXU Energy Retail Company LLC, a provider of residential, commercial, and industrial electricity, from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Grasso held various executive and brand management roles at the United Services Automobile Association from 2007 to 2008 and at AT&T Inc. from 1992 to 2007. Mr. Grasso brings to Sunnova more than two decades of marketing experience with companies in the energy, financial services, internet, video, and telecommunications industries. Mr. Grasso received his Master of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from Washington University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and Applied Statistics from St. Mary’s University.
Chris Hayden
Executive Vice President, Chief Technology OfficerMr. Hayden has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer since May 2021, prior to which he served as Sunnova’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer since joining Sunnova in April 2016. Prior to joining Sunnova, Mr. Hayden served as Chief Information Officer at Stream Energy from March 2014 to March 2016, Sr. Director of Information Technology at Stream Energy from November 2013 to February 2014, and in technology leadership roles at TXU Energy Retail Company LLC from May 2009 to November 2013. He also served in leadership roles at professional service and technology firms Ernst & Young LLP and Capgemini from January 1997 to May 2009. Mr. Hayden brings to Sunnova over 24 years of experience leading firms in technology, consulting, and energy services. Mr. Hayden received his Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in Management Information Systems and Marketing from Texas Tech University.
Kris Hillstrand
Executive Vice President, International and DirectMr. Hillstrand has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer since December 2021, prior to which he served as Executive Vice President, Co-Chief Operating Officer from May 2021 to December 2021. Mr. Hillstrand served as Executive Vice President of Technology and Service Operations from April 2018 to May 2021, and as Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Customer Operations from December 2015 to April 2018. Mr. Hillstrand previously served in various partner and officer roles at professional service and technology firms, including Accenture plc, Deloitte LLP, Science Applications International Corporation and HCL Technologies Limited, as Senior Vice President—Operations of TXU Energy Retail Company LLC, a provider of residential, commercial, and industrial electricity, from 2006 to 2009, and as Chief Information Officer of TXU from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Hillstrand brings to Sunnova over 28 years of experience leading firms in technology, power generation and energy services. Mr. Hillstrand received both his Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance and his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (cum laude) from the University of Connecticut.
Kelsey Hultberg
Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and SustainabilityMrs. Hultberg has served as Sunnova's Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Sustainability since April 2022 and Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff from May 2021, prior to which she served as Vice President, Chief of Staff from March 2021, Chief of Staff from February 2019 to March 2021, and Director of Executive Communications and Strategy from July 2018 to February 2019. Mrs. Hultberg serves as the Chair of Sunnova's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee and is a founding committee member of Sunnova's Women Leadership Network and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. She previously worked for The Black Sheep Agency, a cause-based marketing and branding agency from July 2015 to July 2017 and has served in various public relations and communications roles in the public, private, and higher education sectors. Mrs. Hultberg serves on the board of directors for the Renewable Energy Alliance - Houston (REAL- Houston), the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator, and Combined Arms, a veteran transition non-profit. Mrs. Hultberg received her Master of Arts Liberal Studies degree from Dartmouth College and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont.
Jackson Lynch
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources OfficerMr. Lynch has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) since May 2023. Mr. Lynch brings to Sunnova nearly 30 years of experience in various HR leadership roles, having served as the CHRO at multiple public and private companies. Prior to joining Sunnova, Mr. Lynch served as Senior Vice Presidentand CHRO of RentPath from 2016 to 2021, Vice President and CHRO of Blueline Rental from 2015 to 2016, and Senior Vice President and CHRO of Clearwater Paper Corporation from 2013-2015. Mr. Lynch has also served in HR roles at Nestlé and PepsiCo, and he has also run his own consulting firm, 90Consulting, where he advised boards of directors and senior management on issues related to executive compensation, organizational redesign, and M&A integration. Mr. Lynch received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Western Washington University.
Paul S. Mathews
Executive Vice President, Service and Supply ChainMr. Mathews has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President, Service and Supply Chain since he joined Sunnova on January 31, 2023. Mr. Mathews has previously served in multiple leadership positions at United Parcel Service, Inc. from 2004 to 2022, including as President of Engineering from 2020 to 2022, Americas Region Vice President of Engineering from 2019 to 2020, and as Asia Pacific Director of Engineering from 2015 to 2019. Mr. Mathews brings almost two decades of operational and logistics engineering and service experience to Sunnova. Mr. Mathews received his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Meghan Nutting
Executive Vice President, Government and Regulatory AffairsMrs. Nutting has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs since May 2021, prior to which she served as Executive Vice President, Policy and Communications from April 2018 to May 2021, and as Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs from May 2015 to April 2018. Since 2014, Mrs. Nutting has also served as the Founder and President of Altitude Strategies Consulting, a consulting agency for both for-profit companies and non-profit organizations on energy-related policy issues. Mrs. Nutting previously served as the Director of Policy and Electric Markets at SolarCity Corporation, a publicly traded provider of solar energy services, from 2009 to 2014. Mrs. Nutting has also served in various legislative, policy and management positions in both the public and private sectors. Mrs. Nutting received her Master of Public Affairs degree from Princeton University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Cornell University.
David Searle
Executive Vice President, General CounselMr. Searle has served as Sunnova’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel since he joined Sunnova in February 2023. Previously, between February 2021 and December 2022, Mr. Searle held leadership roles at Tesla, Inc., including as Acting Head of Legal and Corporate Secretary and also as Deputy General Counsel & Senior Director, Compliance. Mr. Searle served as Vice President, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer – International at Walmart, Inc. from May 2019 to February 2021, and as Chief Compliance Officer & Associate General Counsel of Bristow Group Inc. from December 2014 to May 2019. Mr. Searle brings nearly 20 years of legal experience to Sunnova, having served as the general counsel or in other executive legal roles in both public and private companies, and as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice. Mr. Searle received his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University.
Meet the Driving Force Behind the Solar Revolution
Lighting the path toward a brighter, cleaner future in the energy industry is a job the Sunnova Board of Directors takes very seriously. This select team of energy superstars leverages its passion and diverse expertise to help evolve the way we power our lives -- for the better.