2026 Geothermal Investment Forum Speaker Information
Travis Annatoyn, former Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Mineral Resources at the U.S. Department of the Interior, has over a decade of environmental experience as a litigator and policymaker with the federal government and in the nonprofit sector. As Deputy Solicitor, Travis was responsible for overseeing the Department’s litigation, rulemaking, and other actions under statutes such as the Geothermal Steam Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Mineral Leasing Act, and the Mining Law. He worked closely with leadership throughout the Department and the Executive Branch on administration priorities including critical minerals, geothermal energy, offshore wind, and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs and Act. Prior to his service at Interior, Travis was a trial attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice, where he was selected to the Attorney General’s Honors Program. On behalf of agencies including the Department of the Interior, the United States Forest Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency, he litigated complex environmental and constitutional challenges in both trial and appellate courts, with a particular focus on infrastructure and wildlife.
John Bakht is a partner in Norton Rose Fulbright's M&A and Securities group. He represents a broad range of energy and technology clients, from oilfield, E&P and brokerage firms to robotics, power generation and renewable energy companies. A seasoned M&A practitioner and commercial lawyer with more than 30 years of experience guiding clients through all types of transactions, John has successfully led the closure of hundreds of domestic and international transactions, including business combinations, capital raises, joint ventures and partnerships, development projects, licensing deals, and complex commercial agreements. John has acted as special counsel to board committees, advised independent director committees, and counseled boards on a variety of governance matters, such potential conflicts of interest, liability management, and executive employment issues. Earlier in his career, John served as the chief legal officer of a public company and of a large private equity owned company, both in the energy sector. He was also a senior legal executive at a Fortune 200 company. In 2025, John was named a “Stand-out Lawyer” by Thompson Reuters.
Matt Bormann is Head of North America Clean Technology at Moelis & Company, where he advises companies and investors across the energy transition sector. With over 15 years of experience spanning traditional oil & gas and the energy transition, he brings a full energy lifecycle perspective. He began his career with an energy services company in Houston, working extensively in the geothermal sector, including projects in the Salton Sea region of California, Central America, and Mexico. Matt has advised on more than $50 billion in M&A and financing transactions, including some of the most significant and transformative deals in the space. Prior to Moelis, he held investment banking roles at Citi and Barclays. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Andrew Coleman is Executive Director of Government Capture in Corporate Affairs at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) where he leads strategy and federal, state and DOD business development opportunities. Coleman held positions as a Senior Technical Executive, Senior Program Manager and Account Executive. Coleman’s areas of technical expertise are in structural geology, geothermal sciences and environmental remediation.
During a hiatus from EPRI, Coleman was appointed the Director of Energy Systems Engineering at Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Before joining EPRI, he worked on company-wide projects at Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) in Newark, New Jersey.
Andrew Coleman earned a Bachelor’s degree in geology from Lehigh University. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in geology and a Doctorate in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Coleman finished a business certificate program from MIT Sloan School of Business. Coleman is an actively licensed professional geologist (PG) in California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Delaware.
Derek Dixon is a seasoned energy executive with over 20 years of experience in business development, acquisitions, and financial strategy across the oil and gas industry. He has led multi-billion-dollar transactions and helped shape major energy companies through strategic growth initiatives. Most recently, Derek served as Director of Business Development, Acquisitions, and Divestitures at Chesapeake Energy Corporation (now Expand Energy), where he played a key role in the company’s transformation, leading more than $20 billion in transactions. He began his career at Devon Energy, developing a strong foundation in financial analysis before advancing into leadership roles focused on optimizing portfolios. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Jay Egg is a renewable energy consultant and the President of Egg Geo, LLC, a 36-year-old firm specializing in the design and implementation of Thermal Energy Networks (TENs). With nearly four decades of experience in the mechanical contracting and geothermal sectors, Jay is a recognized leader in the global "geothermal renaissance." He is dedicated to unifying the industry through high-level partnerships and advocating for "Power Preservation"—the strategic reduction of grid thermal loads to enhance energy resiliency. An author and speaker, Jay has collaborated with organizations such as NYSERDA, the Department of Defense, and various international energy agencies to champion clean heating and cooling solutions. His work focuses on integrating innovative technologies—including Wastewater Energy Transfer (WET) and Advanced Radial Drilling—into large-scale infrastructure projects to meet the decarbonization goals of the future.
Rob Klenner is President of GreenFire Energy, where he is leading the company’s transformation into a technology-enabled, next-generation geothermal developer. Under his leadership, GreenFire is advancing co-located, behind-the-meter geothermal solutions and revitalizing underutilized geothermal assets through advanced heat-recovery technologies that shorten development timelines and accelerate time to revenue. Backed by a growing patent portfolio and strategic partnerships across the energy value chain, GreenFire Energy is targeting 150 MWe of development by 2030 and positioning itself as a global leader in next-generation geothermal power. Klenner brings 15 years of energy industry experience spanning geothermal, oil and gas, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Prior to GreenFire Energy, he served as Director of Geothermal Technologies and Innovation at Baker Hughes. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of North Dakota, where he serves on the Board of Advisors.
Torsten is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Underground Ventures. UGV is investing $40m over 3-5 years into early-stage technology startups enabling geothermal deployment on a global scale. Prior to UGV, Torsten co-founded software company YouNoodle in San Francisco, and serves as an expert evaluator for Innovation Fund Denmark, collective member at Nordic VC fund byFounders, and an advisor to early-stage VC fund Antler. Torsten is also an angel investor in multiple women's health companies, and startup advisor for the Alliance of Democracies.
Steve Krase has over 40 year experience developing downhole drilling technology. Steve has held senior technology positions at Baker Hughes, Halliburton and Nabors. Steve is currently CEO at Hephae Energy Technology focused on developing high temperature electronics and systems that will enable the development of Next Generation Super-Hot Geothermal.
Greg Leveille recently retired after spending 40 years working in the oil and gas industry. At the time of his retirement, he was ConocoPhillips’ Chief Technology Officer. Since retiring, he has become involved in geothermal energy production, especially with regard to Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and hydrothermal field developments, which are two portions of the geothermal industry poised to benefit tremendously from the transfer of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir technologies and knowledge.
Taylor Moot leads Xcel Energy's geothermal strategy group, focused on enabling geothermal in Xcel's territories through engagement with developers, operators, finance, policy/legislation and other key stakeholders, as part of her role within the Innovation & Commercialization team. Prior to Xcel, Taylor spent over a decade researching, developing and commercializing new energy technologies.
Jonathan is a Managing Director in RBC Capital Markets New York City office. He oversees the Firm's Energy Transition investment banking work in the United States, with a specific focus on geothermal, carbon capture utilization and storage as well as the hydrogen and other decarbonized molecule parts of the economy.
Justin Treat is a Senior Vice President in CAC's Natural Resources Practice. Justin is responsible for maintaining client relationships and leading the marketing of Property & Casualty lines of coverage. Before joining CAC Specialty, Justin was Assistant Vice President and Account Executive at Aon within their Energy Group focusing on Oil & Gas clients, specifically E&P operators, Oilfield Service companies and Midstream operators. Justin has international experience and in-depth knowledge with complex, loss sensitive, fronted and captive-based insurance programs. Prior to his time at Aon, Justin was a Broker Consultant within Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s – Energy Group. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Texas Christian University, majoring in Finance accompanied with a minor in Energy Technology & Management. He is a member of the Houston Energy Finance Group and a Board Member of The Children’s Fund Charity in Houston.
Jonathan is a Managing Director in RBC Capital Markets New York City office. He oversees the Firm's Energy Transition investment banking work in the United States, with a specific focus on geothermal, carbon capture utilization and storage as well as the hydrogen and other decarbonized molecule parts of the economy.
Nortey Yeboah is a principal engineer at Southern Company Research and Development (R&D), with a focus on environmental sustainability. He is currently expanding his expertise into geothermal energy, exploring its potential for sustainable power generation in the Southeast US. Since joining Southern Company in 2020, Nortey has contributed to various environmental projects, emphasizing innovative solutions in energy production and waste management. Nortey holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a B.A. in Geology from Bucknell University, alongside a Master's and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech. His academic background in geology and engineering provides a solid foundation for understanding geothermal systems and their applications in sustainable infrastructure