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.

Roland Kibler is Chief Technologist at NextEnergy. In this role, Kibler develops and manages programs in the areas of alternative energy generation, energy storage, and fuels, with responsibility for overall project management in his focus areas. He also handles technical and market assessments of alternative-energy concepts to support the development of emerging alternative-energy companies and technologies. Prior to joining NextEnergy in 2005, Kibler held multiple engineering positions with the Delphi Corporation, including: Components Applications at the Technical Center Tokyo; Global Catalyst Application; Component Application in Korea; Material Cost Improvement; and Product Manager Fuel Handling and Evaporative Control. Kibler holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from General Motors Institute, Kettering University; an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Systems Science from Michigan State University; and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Flint.

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.

Wayne Snyder is Director, Technology Development at NextEnergy. In this role, Snyder oversees planning and execution of connected and emerging technology solutions. Leveraging the company’s cyber physical systems, Internet of Things and data acquisition infrastructure, Snyder assists cross-industry partners and collaborative teams in transforming ideas into integrated technology demonstrations that showcase and validate stakeholder value propositions. Wayne brings more than 12 years of experience in information and communications technology applied to energy and transportation. Snyder holds a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Information Systems Engineering from Oakland University. Wayne was presented the Merit Network Innovation Award in 2015 in recognition for development of Internet of Things, AC/DC hybrid data centers and cybersecurity smart grid analytics. He is certified as a Connected Vehicle Professional and Information Technology Infrastructure Library practitioner.