Avalon Community Energy is governed by an experienced and highly skilled board of directors elected by the membership.
We are supported by Danielle Tucker (Administration & Finance Officer) and Sam Johnson (Systems, Information and Technology Project Coordinator) with further expertise being drawn in as required.
Director Profiles
Cara Naden: Chair
Professional background: Cara is an environmental specialist for South Somerset District Council. She has worked as an electric vehicle charging consultant and is involved with many environmental groups and projects including Somerset Climate Action Network. She set up Transition Langport.
Why ACE: To help Somerset gain the capability to be self sustaining in clean green energy. ACE will help decentralise energy and stop price hikes while keeping the local economy stronger.
Keith Webster: Director and Society Secretary
Professional Background: Keith is a partner at law firm CMS. He specialises in advising trustees running large pension schemes and so brings significant experience in board and corporate governance.
Why ACE: Because community owned sustainable energy projects and community funds to support energy efficiency have a crucial role to play if the world is to have any chance of reaching our climate change targets.
Sonya Bedford: Director and Legal Advisor
Professional background: Sonya Bedford is a Partner in Stephens Scown Solicitors, and heads-up their Renewable Energy Team. She was named Community Energy Champion at the Community Energy Awards 2017. She is on the panel for Lightsource, Good Energy and is a non executive director of RegenSW.
Jon Cousins: Director
Professional background: Jon is the current Mayor of Glastonbury and experience in community organising, activism, writing, music and film-making. He set up the Avalon Fair Shares Community Time Bank and is a lecturer in media and an associate trainer with the National Academy of Community Organising. Jon has organised many environmental focused talks and events.
Why ACE: Jon rejoined the ACE board in 2021 after a two year break. He was a founder Director and Chair of the Board of ACE.
Wayne Lee: Director
Professional background: Wayne is Finance Director for Co-op Homes, a not for profit within the social housing sector. An ACCA qualified accountant with over 30 years experience in practice and industry across various sectors, Wayne is also a trustee for Ecolibrium, a sustainability charity, within the live events sector.
Why ACE: Sustainability and supporting projects with this key purpose, are important to me and it’s inspiring to be working alongside such knowledgeable and committed people, in trying to help the local community, to achieve their net zero ambitions, at this critical period.
Luke Harrison: Director
Professional background: Luke is a mechanical design engineer with experience in the space, automotive, hydro electric power sectors, now working in hydrogen technology; fuel cells and electrolysers. Avid cyclist and strong advocate for human powered transport solutions.
Why ACE: All community support projects are about empowering one’s local community. ACE is no different. Helping our community towards a low(zero) carbon future based on local generation and the decentralisation of power sources will increase our resilience and decrease our dependence on the multinational power monopolies .
Chris Borkett: Director
Professional background: Chris has a degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked for a number of International Companies for 25 years in a variety of management positions. For the last 25 years he has worked for himself as a Business Angel, supporting start ups and small/medium sized companies, He is a non-executive director of several companies he has supported. He has also worked on raising funds, either as equity or loans, for numerous companies.
Why ACE: I have been involved with Community Energy Companies since 2005. I’m also passionate about Employee Ownership and Community Ownership, and moved to Glastonbury in 2021 so am delighted to have been asked to join ACE.
Volunteers
Madeleine Milnes: Chair of the Community Benefit Fund Committee
Professional background: Madeleine is a founding director of ACE and prior to this she was the NHS HR Director for Bristol, South Gloucester and North Somerset Primary Care Trusts.
Why ACE: Working for the local community has been a constant theme in her life and in recent years she has developed a keen interest in protecting the environment and as a consequence she has been an active member of Sustainable Wells for more than five years, focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency and fuel poverty.
Team support profiles
Sam Johnson: Systems, Information and Technology Project Coordinator
Professional background: Sam is a scientist by training and worked in research for 15 years in the USA, using imaging tools and analysis to better understand various biological systems. He is coordinating the Glastonbury Clean Energy Project and also leads ACE’s involvement in the Flex Community project in collaboration with BWCE and research partners across the EU which explores how demand flexibility can make the grid smarter, more efficient, with more renewables and the role community energy might play in all this.
Why ACE: Sam has a keen interest in climate change from both theoretical and practical aspects and is active in local groups aiming to contribute to the latter.