The Team

Michael Wu

Michael has strong working relationships within the U.S. military, and a deep expertise related to how defense energy business is transacted. Michael previously served as a senior advisor on energy resilience and clean energy in the U.S. Air Force. In that role, he founded the Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative (REDI), and helped create the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance. Previously, Michael founded the Defense Energy Program at the Truman National Security Project, which developed and advocated for policy supportive of the military’s clean energy and energy resilience initiatives. Michael is a graduate of St. John’s College and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and serves as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Army Reserves. He is a Fellow with the Resource Security Program at New America.

Wilson Rickerson

Wilson is an experienced entrepreneur with a successful 15-year track record of building and managing consulting firms and non-profit organizations focusing on energy and resilience. Wilson has deep experience in the energy industry and has advised governments in 25 countries – from Saudi Arabia to Trinidad and Tobago – on new energy and resilience strategies. Prior to Converge Strategies, Wilson led Meister Consultants Group (MCG), where he served as CEO until 2016. Under his leadership, MCG supported energy policy and program development in all 50 states and provided technical assistance and training to thousands of municipal officials. He holds a Masters in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware and a BA in International Relations from the College of William and Mary. He is a Policy Fellow with the Center for Climate and Security and an Expert with the Clean Energy Solutions Center.

Jonathon Monken

Jonathon has deep public and private sector experience in the areas of national security, emergency preparedness, risk management, and energy resilience planning. During the past several years he pioneered programs to build enterprise-level resilience for the utility sector through information sharing, public and private sector integration, and large-scale exercise development and execution. Most recently Jonathon served as the Senior Director of System Resilience and Strategic Coordination for PJM Interconnection. In that role, he worked within the areas of business continuity, physical and cyber security, risk management and resilience planning for the world’s largest wholesale energy market. Previously, he served as VP for the U.S. Operations for the Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Council where he worked with government and industry to develop best practices and capabilities to improve the resilience of life support infrastructure systems to widespread, long-duration power outages, known as “Black Sky” events. Jonathon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Jonathon serves in the Army Reserves supporting the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

Meredith Pringle

Meredith has been an integral component of energy initiatives across the Department of Defense.  She has worked across DoD and the Military Services developing and implementing policy and managing complex, high-visibility projects.  Before joining Converge Strategies, Meredith served as a Project Manager for the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance, leading resilience focused projects across the Air Force.  Previously, Meredith worked in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installation Energy supporting OSD Energy Resilience efforts and leading the Congressionally mandated Annual Energy Management Report. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the George Washington University and a BS in Business Economics from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Alex Pina

Alex has pioneered transformative innovations for energy resilience, critical infrastructure, and clean energy. Most recently, Alex served in the MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Energy Systems Group, where he developed energy resilience exercises and assessment approaches that are now required throughout the U.S. Department of Defense. Previously, he founded a solar energy company focused on bringing utility-scale technology and efficiencies to the average homeowner. Alex holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering and MS in Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jack Graul

Jack is passionate about using his project management, data analytics, and critical thinking skills to support the transition to a clean and resilient energy economy. Jack has nearly a decade of experience supporting clients in the public sector, including the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. Prior to joining Converge, Jack served as an Analyst and Team Lead at Energetics, where he was principally responsible for the development and implementation of an annual training event that provides the Federal workforce with the tools and knowledge to ensure efficient and mission-ready federal operations. He received his MBA from Boston University with a concentration in Finance and graduated summa cum laude from American University with a BA in History. Jack is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Tableau Desktop Specialist.