Our Team
We’re a dedicated team bringing diverse skill sets to empower the heartland to achieve sustainable energy use and cleaner air.
Kelly Gilbert
Executive Director
Metropolitan Energy CenterKelly‘s passion for the environment was cultivated early in life on her family’s farm in Kentucky. She’s found her life’s work in improving the health of our ecosystems and fighting climate change in local communities across Kansas and Missouri.
Kelly is Executive Director of Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC), where she has filled various roles since 2009. She was inducted into the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Hall of Fame in 2017 and was named an Agent of Change for her leadership in transportation sustainability by the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Advisory Board in 2010. She serves on the Metro KC Air Quality Forum, Equity Committee of Climate Action KC, and many other climate and energy policy groups across Kansas and Missouri.
In her free time, she enjoys supporting area farmers markets, barn dancing, and cheering on Sporting KC.
David Albrecht
Sr. Program Coordinator & Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coordinator
Metropolitan Energy CenterDavid Albrecht is Co-Coordinator for the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition. He helps manage clean fuel deployment programs for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, working with everyone from small school district bus fleets to national long-haul trucking companies. He also manages MEC’s energy efficiency demonstration home, Project Living Proof, and would love to give you a tour!
Since joining MEC in late 2013, he has also managed training programs in hazmat and environmental remediation, assisted in grant and development opportunities, and currently runs the Clean Cities Twitter account. David has B.A.’s in History and German from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Master’s in East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas. Prior to MEC, he was Director of Business Research at the Greater Kansas City Chamber and before that, Executive Assistant at the Consulate-General of Japan. When time permits, he enjoys keeping bees, bicycling, gardening, and whitewater kayaking.
Miriam Bouallegue
Program Manager, Sustainable Transportation
Metropolitan Energy CenterMiriam joined MEC in December 2019 as a Program Coordinator. She previously worked for the Missouri Department of Economic Development as an Economic Development Incentive Specialist for the Community Development Block Grant program.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with concentration on International Business and minors in French and Economics from Truman State University. She is currently working on her Master’s of Public Administration at Southeast Missouri State University.
When Miriam has free time, she enjoys hiking Missouri’s many state parks and conservation areas with her dog, and exploring new restaurants in Kansas City.
Kasi Darnell
Americorps VISTA
Metropolitan Energy CenterKasi is an Americorps VISTA serving one year of federal service at MEC where she is helping build capacity within the Development and Communications teams. Kasi, who holds a Masters of Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University, has a strong devotion to increasing community resilience in the face of climate change. Originally from Nebraska, she has grown to love Kansas City and enjoys exploring all the city has to offer. She also spending time with her family, hiking and “creeking”, all things history related, reading, crafting, and gardening.
Amanda Doering
Administrative Assistant
Metropolitan Energy CenterAmanda joined MEC in Fall 2021 because of her passion for nonprofits. She believes in the collective power of individuals to create lasting change. Amanda is passionate about helping others lead healthier lives and is excited to offer her administrative skills to MEC to further their efforts of lowering carbon emissions and making homes safer for all.
Amanda has worked as an office manager in the past and a yoga teacher in studio, school, and outdoor settings. She also serves on two board of directors. In her free time, Amanda enjoys walking and hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.
Joy Ellsworth
Development Director
Metropolitan Energy CenterAs development director, Joy Ellsworth supports the growth and future of MEC as it responds to emerging connections between the energy sector and everyday people. With an MPA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Management and a fundraising certificate from the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, Joy focused her formal training on nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship and diversified fundraising. Informally, for over two decades Joy has run her own businesses while consulting for small businesses on capacity improvements and marketing.
She actively volunteers for numerous KC-area environmental nonprofits and is board president of Clement Waters, a community environmental organization she co-founded with her husband. When Joy is not working or volunteering to make collective futures brighter, she dotes on two darling children and two fuzzy furbabies
Mary English
Program Manager, Building Performance
Metropolitan Energy CenterPrior to joining MEC in 2021, Mary worked in the sustainable built environment industry conducting energy assessments, testing, consultation, and overall experience in the field of building performance in both the residential and commercial sectors.
Mary founded Small Step Energy Solutions LLC which became a leading home energy assessment provider, as well as a building consultant for sustainable new buildings and homes. During this time, Small Step worked with municipalities – including the Kansas City, MO codes department – to review and update building energy codes. She also worked closely with area developers to create sustainable developments and multi-family housing based on equity goals. Mary then moved into commercial-business sustainability, helping start-up businesses in passive house panel construction; energy benchmarking; and efficiency upgrades in commercial HVAC systems. She currently serves on the Programs Committee for the USGBC Central Plains Community; and the Equity Committee for Climate Action Kansas City.
In off hours she enjoys the great outdoors with her husband and dog; practicing aerial arts; and watching Royals baseball games.
Vickie Evans
Energy Benchmarking Customer Service Representative
Metropolitan Energy CenterAs a people person, Vickie has been in Sales and Marketing her entire career. While at Ricoh Corporation she was promoted to Dealer Area Manager covering eight states and was recognized for “Exceptional Sales Performance” within her territory five times. Vickie was almost always in the top three Sales Managers.
Throughout her career, Vickie conducted sales training classes and has sold in many different industries with the knowledge that it does not matter what you sell, you just have to believe in the product, company, or mission. Coming to MEC is a wonderful next step in her sales journey as she helps spread the mission of environmental health and economic vitality in the Kansas City region. Vickie is one of two Customer Service Representatives at MEC who is helping local building owners input their energy and water data into Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
Vickie has one daughter who lives outside San Francisco, CA with her husband. In addition to visiting her daughter whenever she has the chance, Vickie has been fortunate to travel to Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and across the U.S. She loves all things sports, and her main extracurricular loves are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, and Sporting KC. She also loves art, and family and friends are extremely important to her.
Brittanie Giroux
Building Performance Associate
Metropolitan Energy CenterBrittanie joined MEC as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in October of 2020. She came to MEC after completing a previous AmeriCorps service year in the City of Evanston, IL’s Office of Sustainability where she led climate education initiatives and facilitated the city’s compost program.
In October of 2021, Brittanie came on board full time as MEC’s Building Performance Associate. In this role, she manages the Healthy Housing Taskforce, co-manages the Energy and Water Benchmarking program, creates social content and newsletters, and conducts community outreach and events.
Brittanie received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Vanderbilt University. When she has free time, Brittanie enjoys going to concerts, cooking Caribbean dishes, and canoeing in many of Missouri’s lakes!
Brandt Hertenstein
Program Coordinator & Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coordinator
Metropolitan Energy CenterBrandt joined MEC in the fall of 2020 as a Program Coordinator. His focus is in the transportation sector, specifically advocating for electrification of vehicles and infrastructure development in the Midwest region. He is a Co-Coordinator for the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition.
Prior to his position at MEC, Brandt was a member of Bridging the Gap’s city-wide recycling team. He received his bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he also went on to complete his Master’s in Bioenergy.
Outside of work, Brandt enjoys time with his family, traveling, and learning about investment strategies. He hails from Chicago and continues to have a vested interest in all Chicago sports teams, rain or shine!
Justice Horn
Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist
Metropolitan Energy CenterJustice is a community leader, social justice activist, and political strategist. He fights for representation everywhere and broke barriers as the first openly gay multicultural college wrestler in the NCAA. Now in politics, he worked on the Biden campaign in the African American, LGBTQ, and Pacific Islander division of the 2020 Joe Biden Presidential campaign. He was also senior advisor to the Missouri for Biden team as well.
As an African American, Caucasian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and LGBTQ individual, he represents the many communities he comes from and currently serves on the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory board and the Kansas City Streetcar Advisory committee. Justice is one of the many voices of the future here in our community.
Vivian Nganga
Building Performance Intern
Metropolitan Energy CenterVivian joined MEC in the Summer of 2022 as a Building Performance Intern. She was raised in Olathe, KS and is currently a senior at the university of Missouri Kansas City working on her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. Vivian lives in Kansas City, MO and enjoys reading and spending time outside. Her passion is sustainability as a way to help our community and future communities to come.
Shane Reed
Sustainable Transportation Intern
Metropolitan Energy CenterShane joined MEC in January 2022 as a Sustainable Transportation Intern. He grew up in and around the Kansas City metro his whole life and has a deep connection to the KCMO area – and all the cities laying outside it. He has lived in both urban and suburban areas, and currently lives in a rural area, so has experienced the different lifestyles firsthand. Shane’s passion for renewable energy, and environmental science as a whole, began as a way to give back to his community and to help those around him.
Shane is currently a senior at UMKC working on his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. He is also a student representative for the Chancellor’s Board for Sustainability and has an ongoing project focused on implementing a climate resilience plan for the university.
Jeffrey Soltis
Project Coordinator
Metropolitan Energy CenterJeff joined MEC in 2022 as a Project Specialist. Before joining MEC, Jeff managed expedition boats on the West Coast from Southeast Alaska to Cabo San Lucas, mushed dogs in the mountains of Wyoming, and conducted air quality and emissions research in the oil and gas basins of the Rocky Mountain West.
Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in Communications – Public Relations, teacher training in Secondary Education – Journalism, and a Master of Science in Soil Science. He currently lives in Kansas City with his wife, dog, and a couple of porch cats.
Pamela Vitt
Sustainable Transportation Intern
Metropolitan Energy CenterPamela joined MEC in January 2022 as a Sustainable Transportation Intern working on the Streetlight Electric Vehicle Charging Project. She is a full-time student at UMKC working towards a bachelor of arts in Environmental Studies and a Minor in Sustainability.
Pamela retired from the U.S. Army a year ago and moved to Kansas City from Alaska to begin her studies. She is married to her husband Scott and has three twenty-something children. One of Pamela’s favorite past-times is berry picking on the Alaska tundra. She loves anything outdoors and also volunteers at Cave Spring Park in Raytown, MO.
Danielle Wells
Energy Benchmarking Customer Service Representative
Metropolitan Energy CenterDanielle is one of two Customer Service Representatives at MEC who is helping local building owners input their energy and water data into Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
In November of 2011, Danielle began working in the energy efficiency and building performance industry as an Administrator for Small Step Energy Solutions. Occasionally going out in the field and assisting with energy audits and HERS Ratings were two of her favorite duties. During her time at Small Step and prior, she contracted and volunteered for several local Kansas City nonprofit organizations such as United Services and Smiles Change Lives to name a few.
In Danielle’s spare time, she enjoys cooking and hosting for family and friend events, relaxing on her patio with great music, trips out of town, and football season.
Jeff Windsor
Contract Specialist
Metropolitan Energy CenterJeff currently helps develop/administer MEC Contracts; and assists with other administrative and project tasks, as well. He brings extensive air quality, health (public health and clinical research), management, and administration (contracting and purchasing) experience to the table. He has a Master’s in Public Administration and in Government/Business Relations; and BA in Political Science.
He is most interested in finding ways to help businesses and local governments cut costs by going green. In his free time, Jeff likes hiking, traveling, photography, gardening, and reading.
Emily Wolfe
Sr. Program Coordinator & Policy Analyst
Metropolitan Energy Center