March Newsletter

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Welcome to our March newsletter! Estimated 4 min read

Friends and colleagues,

We have some exciting news to share this month about how Constructive is growing.

First: we're delighted to welcome Jake Wellman as our new US Program Director. Jake joins us from CarbonQuest (and previously McKinsey), bringing experience across energy technologies, strategic planning, and program delivery. He'll be leading our US program development and partnerships as we scale our work across the country.

Second: we're thrilled to announce the formation of Constructive's Advisory Council. Our President Jonah Wagner will be joining the council alongside preeminent leaders across energy, finance, media, and network building who share our belief that alignment and collaboration are what will get the energy transition over the finish line:

Jonathan Barzilay – Chief Operating Officer, PBS; senior leadership roles across ABC, CBS, Qualcomm, and the Ford Foundation

James Gutman – Strategist, The Carlyle Group; former Partner at Armajaro; former Goldman Sachs metals & agricultural commodities research lead

Fabian Pfortmüller – Co-Founder & Partner, Together Institute; co-author of the Community Weaving Framework and Community Canvas

Jigar Shah – Co-Managing Partner, Multiplier; former Director, DOE Loan Programs Office; TIME100 2024

Nigel Topping, CMG — Co-Founder, AmbitionLoop; Chair of Climate Change Committee; UN Climate Change High-Level Champion

This group reflects the cross-sector DNA that drives everything we do – and we look forward to tapping into their collective wisdom as we build out our programs in 2026 and beyond.

More news below, including dates for DERVOS 2026. Onward!

Susan Kish, CEO & Jonah Wagner, President

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DERVOS is back — save the date!

Mark your calendars: DERVOS returns on September 17-19 to Governors Island, NYC - right before Climate Week NYC kicks off on the following Monday.

Constructive is thrilled to partner with the DER Task force again to help deliver one of the most exciting events on the energy calendar — focused on scaling distributed energy and building a clean, reliable, affordable grid.

Join us for 3 solar-powered, action-packed days:

Leadership Day on Thursday 17th - where the most senior executives and decision makers in energy, regulation, policy, and investment assemble to problem solve and strategize
The Main Day on Friday 18th - where hundreds of builders and doers convene for real-world insights, exciting demos, and forward-looking conversations with people actively building the future grid
The New Energy Festival on Saturday 19th - a solar-powered music festival featuring innovative acts, last year headlined by Eartheater

Last year drew 750+ attendees and sold out. Ticketing details and the full program are coming soon – but if you're interested in getting involved, reach out to info@dertaskforce.com.

See you next week in Houston

Mike, Jake, and Susan will be at CERAWeek next week (March 23-27) on behalf of Constructive and the Mountain West Geothermal Consortium. Let us know if you would like to connect on financing, policy, or pipeline development for next-generation geothermal energy!

See Mike’s speaking slot | See Susan’s speaking slots

We will be returning to Houston for the Geothermal Rising Investment Forum on April 7.

Meet Jake Wellman, US Program Director

Jake brings a rare combination of policy, strategy, and commercial experience to Constructive.

He most recently led market development for CarbonQuest, a carbon capture technology startup expanding CCUS to hard-to-abate industries across the US.

Previously a leader in McKinsey and Company’s Sustainability Practice, Jake has supported industry and government leaders to develop plans, investments and value capture opportunities related to the energy transition for over a decade.

He built his policy chops working alongside the US and UK governments on climate and energy policy in both the legislative and executive branches.

Based in Denver, he can often be found on the side of a mountain, in both snow and sun. He holds degrees in economics and sustainability from the University of New Mexico, the London School of Economics, and University of Bristol.

You can find out more about Jake here.

Introducing the Constructive Advisory Council

We're honored to have assembled an advisory council that spans the energy, finance, media, and community-building landscape.

Together, they bring decades of experience deploying capital, shaping policy, building institutions, and designing communities of practice — all of which are central to Constructive's mission.

Jonathan Barzilay leads operations and strategy at PBS and brings over three decades of senior leadership across major media organizations. His expertise in reaching and engaging broad audiences is invaluable as we work to tell the story of the energy transition in ways that resonate beyond the sector.

James Gutman is a political scientist and economist who brings three decades of commodities and finance expertise from Goldman Sachs, Ford Motor Company, and The Carlyle Group — the kind of deep market knowledge that helps align clean energy ambition with investment realities.

Fabian Pfortmüller is one of the world's leading thinkers on purpose-driven community building. As co-creator of several community building frameworks and initiatives he brings the design principles that help communities like ours move from connection to lasting impact.

Jigar Shah is an entrepreneur, investor, and strategist who was featured on the 2024 TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people and served as Director of the DOE Loan Programs Office. Jigar is known as a pioneer of infrastructure-as-a-service and expert on unlocking climate wealth.

Nigel Topping, CMG is co-founder of AmbitionLoop, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, and a Non-Executive Director of the UK National Wealth Fund. He served as the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP26, launching global initiatives including Race To Zero. Nigel brings deep expertise in uniting business and government to drive climate impact.

Jonah Wagner has been with Constructive since day one as our Co-Founder and President. Jonah brings the perspective of someone who co-led the DOE's landmark Liftoff and Deploy initiatives and has spent his career bridging the gap between public policy and private capital.

A banner image that says "We're currently enjoying..." and has hand-drawn pictures of earphones and a book.

Krysta and Susan are reading You can’t print molecules by Jeff Currie and James Gutman, our new advisor - a helpful analysis of the current disruption of the Strait of Hormuz and its implications for energy prices, security, and sovereignty.
Relatedly, the Climate Change Committee - chaired by our advisor Nigel Topping - just published this analysis of the UK’s 7th Carbon Budget, finding that “one fossil fuel price shock could cost the UK more than the entire additional cost of the transition to Net Zero.”
Jake is enjoying Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West about the momentous Lewis & Clark expedition into the west.

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