Management

  • John M. Woolard

    President and CEO, BrightSource Energy, Inc.

    John Woolard is President and CEO of BrightSource Energy, a developer of utility-scale solar power plants.  In this role, John brings more than two decades of experience in the energy technology sector as an executive, entrepreneur and investor. 

    Prior to joining BrightSource Energy, John co-founded Silicon Energy, one of the first successful clean tech companies, and was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board from 1997 to 2003.  John joined the executive team at Itron, Inc. in 2003 following its acquisition of Silicon Energy, and was Vice President of Software Solutions and subsequently the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development.  John previously held positions with VantagePoint Venture Partner’s CleanTech Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

    John is a Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and he currently serves on the advisory boards of the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust and U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Energy Institute and Lester Center for Entrepreneurship. John is also a member of the Oakland Zoo’s East Bay Zoological Society Board of Trustees.

    John holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley, a Masters in Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia.

  • Jack Jenkins-Stark

    Chief Financial Officer

    Mr. Jenkins-Stark is Chief Financial Officer for BrightSource Energy.  Jenkins-Stark brings more than three decades of energy industry and finance experience to BrightSource Energy.  Prior to joining BrightSource Energy, Jenkins-Stark served as Chief Financial Officer at Silicon Valley Bank. He previously served as Vice President of Business Operations and Technology at Itron, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Silicon Energy Corporation.  He has also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GATX Capital and held senior management roles at PG&E Corporation.  He serves on the Board of Directors for TC Pipelines L.P.  Jenkins-Stark holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an M.B.A from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

  • Israel Kroizer

    EVP of Engineering, R&D and Product Supply, BrightSource Energy, and President of BrightSource Industries (Israel) Ltd.

    Israel Kroizer is Executive Vice President of Engineering, R&D and Product Supply for BrightSource Energy, and President of BrightSource Industries (Israel) Ltd. He holds a B.Sc and an M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in energy, from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. As the Senior Vice President of Luz International Ltd. and the President and CEO of Luz Industries (Israel) Ltd., he was responsible for the original Luz International thermal design and for the management of more than 500 R&D staff. Between 1994 and 2006, he was the owner of Israel Kroizer Ltd., which developed energy and water projects for municipalities, major industrial clients, and banks. Mr. Kroizer is a world-renowned expert in power generation technology.

  • Joseph Desmond

    Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications

    Joseph Desmond is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for BrightSource Energy. Desmond brings more than two decades of private and public energy sector experience to his role at BrightSource Energy, where he oversees communications, marketing, and government and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining BrightSource Energy, Desmond served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Ice Energy, Inc. and Senior Vice President of External Affairs at NorthernStar Natural Gas. Desmond served in numerous executive roles under California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger including Deputy Secretary of Energy for the State Resources Agency, Chairman of the California Energy Commission and Undersecretary for Energy Affairs. Prior to public service, Desmond spent four years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Infotility, Inc.  Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Lighting, Inc., and Vice President of Parke Industries. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE). Desmond earned a B.S. in Marketing, Finance and Management from Northeastern University where he graduated magna cum laude.

  • Lynda Ward Pierce

    Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration

    Lynda Ward Pierce is Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration for BrightSource Energy. Pierce brings 25 years of extensive human resources experience to her role at BrightSource Energy where she oversees all administration, facilities and payroll functions for the organization. Prior to joining BrightSource Energy, Pierce served as Vice President of Human Resources at MobiTV, Inc. She previously served as Head of Human Resources for SVB Financial Group, and as Vice President of Human Resources at Organic, Inc. She has also held senior management roles at Navigant Consulting, Inc. and Mervyn’s Department Stores. Pierce holds a bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis, where she also attended the Graduate School of Management for a master’s in Management.  She later completed the coursework for a master’s degree in Human Resources & Organizational Development from the College of Professional Studies at the University of San Francisco.

  • Stephen Wiley

    Senior Vice President, U.S. Project Development

    Stephen Wiley is Senior Vice President of U.S. Development for BrightSource Energy. Wiley brings more than two decades of energy sector experience to BrightSource Energy, where he is responsible for the site selection, permitting, development and delivery of U.S. projects. Prior to joining BrightSource Energy, Wiley was President at Gallop Power LLC, an energy company focused on wind, solar and biomass projects. He previously served as President at Greenhunter Renewable Energy, and held senior management roles at Gamesa Energy, TIP Strategies, Reliant Energy and Dynegy. Additionally, he worked for the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Wiley holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of North Texas, and a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas.

  • Daniel T. Judge

    General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

    Dan Judge is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for BrightSource Energy. Dan joined BrightSource after serving as Senior Counsel at Calpine Corporation, where he was responsible for the legal aspects of project development and financing efforts in the western region.  Prior to Calpine, Dan was Vice President and Senior Counsel at Bechtel Enterprises, the infrastructure project development and investment arm of the Bechtel group of companies.  There, he supported the development of airports, bridges, and water systems, in addition to power projects.  Dan began his legal career with the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he specialized in corporate securities, project finance, and commercial finance law.  Dan has a J.D. from Boalt Hall, University of California at Berkeley, and an A.B. in American Studies from Stanford University.