Board of Directors Voting

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My name is Bruce Kohrn, and I am honored to be nominated for an At-Large seat on the Geothermal Rising Board of Directors. Having spent my career at the intersection of geoscience and technology, I see geothermal as the highest and best integration of the skills, capabilities, and energy of passionate individuals committed to driving the global clean-energy transition.

If elected, my focus will be on strengthening the bridge between innovation and real-world deployment. I will work to expand collaboration among developers, researchers, utilities, and policymakers so that emerging geothermal technologies of all kinds can move from pilot to commercial scale more efficiently. The list of opportunities is long—from hydrothermal, which still has untapped potential in the West, to enhanced and advanced systems, to underground thermal energy storage. Though we may approach the challenge from different directions, we share a common mission: to scale geothermal from a niche industry into a key contributor to a decarbonized economy. Yet the grid has become a bottleneck in this progression, and I believe a critical part of our work together will be accelerating grid upgrades that better support geothermal operations.

Watch Bruce Kohrn's Video HERE
Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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Ahmet Ugurlu joined Santander in 2022 as an executive in the U.S. Mergers & Acquisitions team based in New York. He has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking, specializing in power, utilities, renewables, and broader infrastructure sectors. Prior to joining Santander, Ahmet held senior roles at Nomura, Natixis, HSBC and UBS.

He has advised on more than 100 M&A and financing transactions across North America and globally. Selected transactions include advising CDPQ on its investment in Invenergy’s 1.5 GW renewable portfolio, Origis Energy in raising $1 billion in commitments from Antin and Brookfield, Stonepeak on its $3 billion acquisition of Dominion’s CVOW project, and Glentra on its investment in energyRe’s $1.2 billion capital formation package. Other notable mandates include advising First Solar on its sale of Moapa Solar and Brookfield on multiple transmission and generation asset sales.

Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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My name is Bari Bean, and I am an innovative, collaborative, geothermal advocate with experience spanning industry, government, and community. I thrive being a bridge between the government and private world! I currently serve as Deputy CEO of Natural Resources for Imperial County, California, where I also act as the County’s Development Concierge, Regional Innovation Officer, and Lithium Ombudsman. In this role, I lead the Lithium Valley initiative, a nationally recognized effort positioning Imperial County as a global hub for geothermal, critical mineral extraction (from brine), manufacturing, logistics, and data centers (powered by geothermal). My role requires balancing enterprise strategy, cross-sector collaboration, and policy innovation.

Geothermal is one of the most powerful, versatile, and underutilized tools in our clean energy portfolio. It provides clean, reliable baseload energy, can support critical mineral extraction, and has the potential to co-locate with industries of the future such as hydrogen, data centers, and advanced manufacturing. Yet geothermal often remains an afterthought in energy conversations. As a member of the Geothermal Rising Board of Directors, I plan to change that by using my unique public and private sector experience to empower the organization and the broader geothermal community through what I call the Four V’s of Geothermal’s Future: Visibility, Viability, Vitality, and Vision.

Watch Bari Bean's Video HERE
Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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Amanda Kolker, PhD, is the laboratory program manager for Geothermal at NREL. She has more than 15 years of professional experience as a geothermal geologist, specializing in resource exploration and sustainable production of geothermal energy.

With a background in volcanology and geochemistry, Kolker has worked in academia, government, and private industry in the United States and abroad. She values multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to the energy question and enjoys working at the intersections of geoscience, policy, and economics.

Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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Matt Houde is the co-founder and Chief of Staff of Quaise Energy. He is responsible for ensuring alignment and coordination of all workstreams in the company. Matt works with Quaise leadership to synthesize the commercial strategy and technology development roadmap for superhot geothermal. Matt also executes special assignments within Quaise that include coordinating internal team workshops and investor meetings, initiating collaborative research projects between Quaise and external partners, and advising on policy and outreach activities. In his prior role, Matt was the project manager for the $5M grant that Quaise received from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA‑E) to develop MMW drilling technology that can enable worldwide access to the superhot geothermal heat that is miles beneath our feet.

Over the past several years, I led our team’s collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy through our ARPA-E award for millimeter wave drilling. As the project manager of the award, I coordinated our technical roadmap and organization-wide milestones—a plan that took millimeter wave drilling from the lab to the field and is enabling us to develop our first power plant right now.

My work has taught me the value of vision, perseverance, and relentless execution—qualities I would bring to the board of Geothermal Rising. I am committed to advancing the entire geothermal ecosystem, driving technical innovations, fostering collaboration, and empowering the next generation of geothermal professionals to build a truly sustainable energy future.

Watch Matthew Houde's Candidate Video HERE
Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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I have been involved with GR and its predecessor since 1987, providing countless tours of power plants I managed.  I also did classes in local schools and taught the basics of geothermal energy and power generation from Kindergarten to the US Naval Academy.  I have been on the GR Board for three years and have been a presenter and MC for GR events in past years.  .  I have been on the Executive Committee, Finance and Foundation Committee, chair of the Inspector’s Committee and recently the chair of the International Committee.

I bring the practice and experience of the O&M side and now development of geothermal, to the Board.  I was honored with the Ben Holt Power Plant award in 2022 before being elected to the GR Board.  Being elected was another accomplishment I had always hoped to achieve.

Watch Monte Morisson's Candidate Video HERE
Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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Ajit Menon is a global energy leader with more than 25 years of experience at Baker Hughes, where he currently serves as Vice President of Geothermal. In this role, Ajit leads the company’s geothermal business across both subsurface and surface domains, spearheading innovation, technology development, and strategic growth in one of the most critical frontiers of the energy transition.

 Throughout his career, Ajit has held senior leadership roles spanning operations, sales, marketing, technical services, and business management across multiple continents. This breadth of experience has equipped him to integrate deep technical expertise with commercial acumen.

My interest in renewable forms of energy, really started when I was studying for my electrical engineering degree in New Zealand. I was in awe of the massive hydroelectric power stations in the South Island that we visited on field trips. The premise that this energy would for the most part last forever and was easy on the environment (at least perceived to be at the time) seemed too good to be true. Of course, I later learned there is a cost for everything, and the environmental impact, upfront capital and geographic restrictions limited its utility. Upon graduating I joined the Oil and Gas Energy which still is the most widely used source of energy in the world. My first exposure to geothermal energy came when it was part of the Baker Hughes business portfolio in Southeast Asia about 15 years ago. There I learned some hard truths, how tough the economics were, which were in turn exacerbated by the technology requirements, remote areas and lack of scale.

Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE

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My name Rochelle means little rock and since a young age I have had a passion for understanding the power our earth holds. I started my career as an exploration geologist in the oil and gas industry, building strong technical foundations.

My journey into geothermal began when I moved to the rural town of Kaslo in British Columbia, Canada, where I discovered local hot springs. Through heating our home with wood, I saw firsthand the need for sustainable, accessible energy, sparking a lifelong commitment to advancing geothermal both locally and on a global scale.

My strength is integration, bridging technology with strategic growth. Having navigated diverse roles, I know the importance of building bridges: across industries, between vendors and operators, and within the broader ecosystem of policy, finance, and community. In running for the vendor/supplier seat, I aim to elevate our voices and strengthen the bridge that supports geothermal growth, so that we all move forward together.

Watch Rochelle Longval's Candidate Video HERE
Complete Bio, Statement, Background, and Plan if Elected HERE