Tioga Energy Management Team

Tioga Energy’s management team includes executives with long-term experience in project finance and renewable energy technologies. With pre-existing industry relationships and experience, as well as the powerful support of venture partners, Tioga Energy is a trusted, reliable provider of renewable energy.

Paul Detering
Chief Executive Officer

Paul Detering is an experienced leader of early stage technology companies with more than 20 years of experience in the clean technology, telecom and software industries. Previously, Detering led Larian Communications, which produced a next-generation voice messaging system. Detering was also CEO of Blueleaf Networks, an early stage optical networking and components company; Wildfire Communications, which he successfully sold to Orange Plc; and IQ Labs. Mr. Detering began his career at Nortel Networks and has worked at Raychem, Raynet Systems, and McKinsey and Company. He received a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, where he graduated with high distinction as a Baker Scholar.

Preston Roper
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Operations

Preston Roper is responsible for strategy development, operations and marketing at Tioga Energy. He brings over two decades of experience leading innovative marketing and operations teams at high-growth technology companies, including Honeywell, NetDynamics (acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1998) and Synopsys (that issued an IPO in 1992). Roper was recently senior vice president of marketing and sales at Bitpass and VP Marketing at business intelligence provider JasperSoft. Prior to completing his Masters of Business Administration at Stanford University, he led business development and fund-raising for the University in Germany, where he also became fluent in German. Roper holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in hardware-software co-design from Stanford University.

Kristian Hanelt
Vice President, Project Finance

Kristian Hanelt has spent his career financing energy projects. He comes to Tioga Energy from ArcLight Capital Partners, where he participated in all aspects of the $4.6 billion energy infrastructure fund’s investment cycle. Prior to ArcLight, Hanelt was the financial manager for Gunnison Energy Corporation, where he controlled all finance-related activities for the startup natural gas producer, including budgeting, market analysis and management of gas trading activities. Hanelt has also worked for Goldman Sachs in their Industrial and Natural Resources group, and PA Consulting in their Wholesale Energy Markets practice. Hanelt received a Masters in Business Administration from Stanford University. While at Stanford, he worked in various projects for a variety of cleantech venture capital investments. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Boston University.

Mike Jolley
Vice President, Project Management

Mike Jolley has more than 20 years of experience in the energy and construction industries. He previously worked at the Chevron Corporation, where he developed and implemented several large-scale solar power installations and demand-side reduction projects. He has also worked at Siemens Building Technologies, Cal-Air (a division of Johnson Controls) and the Department of Energy in San Francisco State University’s Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center. Jolley has managed many notable renewable energy projects, including a 3MW solar power system for Contra Costa Community Colleges and 675kW of solar power and additional energy conservation work at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. He has also handled demand reduction and facility improvement for the Chuckawalla Valley State Penitentiary, the County of Santa Clara, St. Mary’s College of California, the Sutter Solano Medical Center, the San Jose Unified School District and Albertson’s distribution centers nationwide. Jolley has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with power specialization from San Francisco State University.

Matt Lugar
Vice President, Marketing & Sales

Matt Lugar is an 11-year veteran of the solar energy industry. He most recently managed sales and operations for the North American division of Sharp Corporation, the world’s largest solar PV manufacturer, supporting the growth of that division from its early stage of operation. Previously, he was product development manager for Entergy Corporation in New Orleans, where he was responsible for the research and development of several green energy related products for Entergy’s 3.5+ million regulated customers. In addition, Lugar supported Entergy’s marketing and sales effort in the deregulated energy market in Texas, competing for large commercial and industrial retail energy contracts. Lugar received a Masters in Business Administration from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from the University of the South. While at Georgia Tech, Lugar worked for Siemens Solar Industries and the technology business incubator, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

Peter Nixon
Vice President, Business Development and Finance

Peter Nixon brings a diverse skill set and a list of industry achievements, including more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the telecom and renewable energy spaces. Included in his achievements, Nixon developed and sold a major Greenfield wind project to a $20 billion energy provider. He was previously general manager of MFN (now AboveNet) Canada, where he sold the company’s assets to Telus, a major Canadian telecommunications company. He also acted as chief operating officer of Cabletel, the largest Canadian supplier of broadband telecommunications equipment. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from the INSEAD School of Business, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Marc Roper
Vice President, Sales

Marc Roper holds 16 years of experience in the renewable energy industry. He previously led sales, marketing and external affairs for Turner Renewable Energy, a solar power systems integrator acquired by First Solar in 2007. Roper was also a vice president and board member for SCHOTT Solar, managing the company's sales, marketing and project operations across the Americas. Roper has managed residential market development for AstroPower and headed renewable energy programs for the State of Colorado’s energy office. He received a Masters of Civil Engineering focusing on renewable energy and building systems design, a BS in Engineering Physics and a BA in Music from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a board member of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), and has served on the boards of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), and the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC).

Anthony Lebe
Director, Legal and Regulatory

Tony Lebe is responsible for Tioga Energy’s legal and regulatory affairs. He brings over a decade of experience as a practicing attorney in environmental, construction, and general business law. Prior to joining Tioga Energy, Lebe practiced with Filice Brown Eassa & McLeod, where he represented energy industry companies in complex environmental matters. Prior to that, Lebe practiced with the law firm of Wulfsberg Reese Colvig & Firstman, where he represented cities, school districts, and other governmental agencies. He negotiated and drafted construction, management, and design agreements for complex construction projects. He also represented engineering, real estate development, and technology companies. Lebe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California Law School.