About

Jim Saber is President & CEO at NextEnergy. Saber previously lead the business and technology development and demonstration activities to support commercialization and business growth of NextEnergy’s advanced energy clients and stakeholders. Saber’s experience includes the development of over $150 million in technology development and demonstration programs within e-Mobility, Smart Grid, Buildings and Infrastructure, MicroGrids, Energy Storage, Renewable Energy, and Alternative Fuels. He has lead NextEnergy’s work in establishing new technology development and demonstration platforms within next generation energy efficiency and transportation applications. Prior to joining NextEnergy, Saber spent more than a decade in the energy-storage industry, where he held product- and business-development positions with Fortune 500 and start-up companies. Jim holds a B. S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.

Angella Durkin is COO at NextEnergy. Durkin joined NextEnergy in 2015 as Vice President of Finance and Administration. Since that time she has established herself as a key leader at NextEnergy with a broad capacity for operations including accounting and finance, administration, human resources, project management and program compliance. In 2018, she was named Chief Operating Officer of the organization. Prior to joining NextEnergy, she held several positions in finance and accounting during her eight years at Delphi. As manager, global liquidity & America’s treasurer at Delphi, Durkin was responsible for global financial forecasting and funding strategy. Durkin interned at Henkel Technologies, where she assisted the global sales and marketing team on a project focused on redefining customer profitability and implementing new market challenges. She also served four years at Plante & Moran where she provided clients with assurance and consulting services. Durkin holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Durkin participated in the American Heritage Association Exchange Program at Universita Degli Studi de Macerata in Macerata, Italy.

Latonya Binford is the Accountant at NextEnergy. Binford has years of experience in financial analysis. In the past, she served as a Budget Analyst at Wayne State University where she analyzed and created budgets for university-wide central revenue and expenditure sources. She also served as a Business Analyst at Compuware Corporation where she reported financial data used in European negotiations for a major automotive customer. Binford holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration in Accounting from Central Michigan University and she is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy. She is also a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.

Alisha Kiovanni is the administrative assistant at NextEnergy. Kiovanni has years of experience as an administrative professional providing high level administrative support to managers and executives by determining their requirements along with executing tasks and projects within deadlines. Kiovanni also has vast experience in office management and project coordination while demonstrating proficient multitasking skills, exceptional communication and customer service acumen.

Kiovanni holds a certification in entrepreneurial business management, a culinary degree with a specialization in pastry arts, and was the proprietor of Alisha K’s Signature Cheesecake for over 10 years.

Tim Slusser, Director, Smart Mobility Initiatives at NextEnergy, a Detroit non-profit, accelerates cleantech solutions that create smarter, healthier, more accessible communities and cities.

Prior to joining NextEnergy, he served as Business Strategy Manager for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, where he managed strategies for targeted industries.

Slusser is an accomplished technology strategist and project manager with more than 10 years of business development experience. Slusser specialized in the renewable energy and automotive industries, attracted the first $6 billion dollars of electric vehicle and energy storage investments in Michigan, and helped facilitate the early industry partnerships that formed what is now known as the Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC).

Slusser holds a bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering and Masters of Energy Systems Engineering, both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.