Meet our Board & Advisors

She is an experienced leader of non-profit organizations. She held the position of Executive Director of Alianta in Washington, DC, and Romanian United Fund in Chicago, two non-profits in the U.S. Ms. Kammrath is a founding board member of FORA, the Federation of Romanian American Organizations, based in Washington, DC. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Romanian United Fund. She holds a Master of Science in Electronics & Telecommunications from Bucharest Polytechnic University.

He established Amerocap in 2012, a private investment firm focused on the energy, mining, and defense sectors in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Africa, managing over $1bn in assets. Mr. Tohme has experience in investment banking in New York, emphasizing energy and emerging markets, including investment coverage of Romania’s 2nd largest holding in ‘Fondul Proprietatea.’ Mr. Tohme holds a BS from Columbia University and sits on the Board of the Lebanon Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC.

She holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Master of Science in Power Engineering at Bucharest Polytechnic University. Ms. Harasim’s consultancy experience includes assignments at The World Bank and for the European Commission. With over 30 years of senior-level experience in managing & developing organizations, public policy & program strategic planning, management development & implementation of innovative reforms in Central & Eastern Europe, Ms. Harasim is currently serving on the Boards of several non-profit organizations.

He was Management Counselor in Belgrade, Serbia, Bucharest, Romania, and Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as General Services Officer in Muscat, Oman. Mr. Butcher graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and the International School of Kenya. He holds the Star of Romania with the rank of Commander and an honorary doctorate from the National School of Political Science and Administration in Bucharest, Romania.

With a rich experience of working and living on over four continents, Josh brings a unique and invaluable perspective to his work.

His professional expertise covers a broad spectrum, including strategy, operations, global market expansion, entrepreneurship, stakeholder engagement, and leadership development. Josh has built a strong track record of developing meaningful relationships and partnerships with corporate executives, senior government officials, and civil society leaders.

In terms of professional experience, Josh currently serves as the Vice President of the American Foreign Service Association, where he passionately advocates for the mission and people of the Foreign Commercial Service. He has served as a diplomat in Ankara, Bucharest, Lagos, and Washington, DC. He has achieved significant milestones throughout his career, including closing impactful deals, expanding advocacy pipelines, and successfully executing large-scale trade missions.

Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Mr. Burke worked as a strategy and operations consultant and, earlier, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Iowa State, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and a certificate in mastering trade policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is proficient in Romanian, Turkish, and Spanish.

Mr. Garman’s leadership spans diverse industries with positions at Procter & Gamble, IBM and Duke Energy which enables him to bring a unique wealth of experience and expertise to the RAISE board. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and is involved in a number of volunteer endeavors.

He is also a member of various boards and groups, such as the Energy Policy Group, the Romanian National Committee for the World Energy Council, the Regulation and Network Customers Working Group of Eurelectric, and the Expert Group of the EU DSO Entity. He holds an MSc and a Ph.D. from Bucharest Technical University and has 12 years of experience as a lecturer in the same faculty. He has also held various leadership roles in private and public companies such as RENEL/CONEL, Electrica, Termoelectrica, and the Romanian Fund for Energy Efficiency (FRE). He has worked as a Director for Energy and Utilities with the Romanian American Enterprise Fund and as a Corporate Finance Director and Advisory Partner with Deloitte Romania and Ernst & Young Romania.

Andrei is currently the Co-Chair of the Task Force on “Digitalization in Energy” and a Vice-Chair of the Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in Geneva. He also serves as a Non-resident Scholar in the Climate and Water Program at the Middle East Institute (United States), a Senior Research Associate at Energy Policy Group (Romania), and an Associate Lecturer at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, teaching energy and environmental policies. In 2021, Andrei co-founded ECERA, a network of sustainability practitioners aiming to produce policy-relevant knowledge, helping governments, companies, NGOs, universities, and others navigate the various facets of sustainability.
In the past, Andrei has worked for other for-profit companies (Enel Romania, where he was the Head of Public Affairs, previously holding other roles, such as Regulatory Affairs Manager, Digital Manager, Executive Assistant to CEO & Country Manager), multilateral and international organizations (World Energy Council, as a former Board member of FEL-100), think tanks (Harvard’s Belfer Center; Centre on Regulation in Europe, Energy Policy Group, etc.), or NGOs (Climate Reality Project, Climate Interactive, etc.).
Andrei holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, a Master’s degree in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, with a summer project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.

He currently runs his consulting practice focused on strategic public-private partnerships in the 5G, IoT, and smart cities market. He is also promoting 5G/broadband workforce development in the states. He co-founded a non-profit organization called “CANVAS for Recovery and Resilience,” which focused on the needs of grassroots organizations dedicated to assisting communities impacted by natural disasters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Rollins College, and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

He had extensive research stays at the Universities of Oxford, Pittsburgh, and Harvard. In 2016, Radu coordinated the elaboration of Romania’s Energy Strategy for 2030. His research interests include EU energy policy, geopolitics, and clean energy technology.​

For the past six years, Ms. Engstrom has focused on consulting for companies in international market development, with a particular emphasis on clean-tech enterprises. Ms. Engstrom is the Honorary Consul of Romania to New Mexico.

Her professional portfolio includes collaborations with the Romanian delegation to the United Nations, the European Parliament, and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Joja has also contributed as a visiting scholar at the Center of Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces in Potsdam/Berlin. She held the position of a DAAD post-doctoral fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In 2019, Columbia University Press published Dr. Joja’s Ph.D. thesis on Romania’s strategic culture, showcasing her extensive academic contributions. She earned her Ph.D. in Strategic Studies from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest. Additionally, she holds an M.A. in International Conflict Studies from King’s College London and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Freie Universität, Berlin.

Before founding Megawatt, he founded and directed a public relations firm that worked with elected officials and non-profit organizations. He has a background in geology and holds a Bachelors’s and Masters’s degree in Geology from the University of Iowa. He has also worked on several political campaigns, such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.

Mr. Popescu has contributed to complex transactional work involving public-private and B2B components, including privatizations, PPPs, concessions and cross-border M&As. With extensive experience in Corporate & Commercial, he advised clients on joint ventures, regulatory matters and commercial contracts across various industries, including energy, environment, technology and transport. He is also proficient in Public Procurement, assisting multinational corporations on large civil infrastructure projects and strategic military acquisitions. Additionally, Mr. Popescu supports global companies in navigating TMT, e-commerce, data privacy and digital asset matters, working with giant telecom, media, and technology operators. Holding degrees from top universities, he also possesses in-depth knowledge of Shipping, Aviation & Transport and European Union Law that have been invaluable in managing litigations, arbitrations, mediations and non-contentious matters.

Dr. Terzic’s distinguished career includes service on three regulatory agencies: as Commissioner on the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Commissioner on the State of Wisconsin Public Service Commission, and as the founding Chairman of the State of Wisconsin Racing Board.
His international experience extends to his role as Chairman of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Cleaner Electricity Production, which encompassed 56 member nations. Additionally, he held the position of Regional Managing Partner for Energy, Resources, and Infrastructure at Deloitte & Touche Central Europe, with operations in Prague and across Central and Eastern Europe.
In the United States, Dr. Terzic contributed his expertise as a member of the Presidential advisory National Petroleum Council and the National Coal Council. He also served on the board of the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI).
Within the private energy sector, Dr. Terzic has held significant leadership roles, including Chairman, President, and CEO of Yankee Energy System, Inc. (a publicly traded company on the NYSE). He also led Regulatory Policy for Energy & Resources at Deloitte, served as Managing Director at Arthur Andersen, held the position of Group Vice President at AUS Consultants, worked as a Valuation Engineer at The American Appraisal Company, and served as a Special Investigations Engineer at Wisconsin Electric Power Company.
Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Terzic has been a frequent commentator on both international and U.S. television networks, making appearances on prominent channels such as CNN International, Fox Business, CNBC, ABC, NBC, PBS, Al Jazeera, Radio Television Serbia, and Russian TV. He is also a prolific author, having delivered over 500 speeches and written hundreds of articles for various trade magazines and publications.
Dr. Terzic’s educational background includes a B.S. in Energy Engineering and an honorary Doctor of Sciences (Sc.D.) in Engineering, both conferred by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Vakhshouri has extensive experience in energy market studies, energy strategy, energy security, and geopolitical risk, and has advised numerous governments, public and private entities, and international organizations like the IEA, IMF and World Bank. She is also a professor of Energy Security at the IWP graduate school of national security, statecraft, and international affairs, and a senior fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Dr. Vakhshouri has published articles in prestigious journals and contributed to different energy research works and studies and is a keynote speaker at various energy conferences. She has a PhD in Energy Security and Middle Eastern Studies, and two MA degrees in Business Management and International Relations.