About

Stronger Together: Hydropower Foundation and NHA Align to Strengthen Workforce Development Efforts

The Hydropower Foundation has entered into a strategic alignment with the National Hydropower Association (NHA).

While the Foundation remains an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its own mission, vision, board, and staff, this collaboration allows the Foundation to amplify its impact by connecting more directly with industry partners through NHA’s strong network and influence. Together, the Foundation and NHA will work to attract the talented workforce needed to ensure hydropower continues to thrive for generations to come.

As part of this alignment, we are pleased to announce that Malcolm Woolf now serves as the Executive Director of the Hydropower Foundation, while continuing in his current role as President and CEO of NHA. By leading both organizations, Woolf will help foster seamless coordination and consistent collaboration.

You can support our mission by volunteering your time and expertise to engage students, filling out a brief form, or contributing financially.

For financial contributions, please contact Malcolm Woolf or Ashley Brooks:

  • “This effort will only succeed through collaboration with partners across our industry — and we invite you to join us.”

    Malcolm Woolf, Executive Director

The Foundation will continue to focus on four key priorities:

Conducting outreach to universities, community colleges, and trade schools to provide resources, host site visits, and share internship/job opportunities.

Leveraging social media to reach students where they are and increase awareness of hydropower as a leading career path.

Hosting Clean Energy Career Expos and expanding student and industry participation at each event.

Planning for sustainability — ensuring the continued success of our programs and the Foundation as a whole.

Mission + Vision

  • Our Mission

    We champion water power by developing a robust, thriving workforce and establishing the U.S. hydropower industry as a leading career destination.

    • Engineer at dam facility

  • Our Vision

    To have hydropower universally recognized as a premier career path, attracting and retaining outstanding professionals.

Who We Are

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Malcolm Woolf, Executive Director

Malcolm Woolf has decades of experience at the intersection of clean energy, policy and business.

Malcolm previously led policy advocacy for Advanced Energy Economy, a multi- technology association of clean energy businesses. He also served as the Cabinet-level head of the Maryland Energy Administration and energy advisor to Governor Martin O’Malley, receiving national recognition for designing and implementing an ambitious sustainability legislative package that, a decade later, reduced Maryland’s carbon emissions more than any other state (30%) and resulted in lifetime energy savings in excess of $8 billion.

Learn More About Malcolm Woolf >
Contact Malcolm Woolf >

Malcolm Woolf, Executive Director

Woolf previously served as: director of the National Governors Association’s Natural Resources Committee, counsel to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, senior attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and an associate at the law firms of Winston & Strawn and DLA Piper.

Frequently quoted in media outlets, Woolf has been appointed to multiple federal advisory boards, twice elected chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials, and recognized by Harvard’s JFK School for launching “one of the top 25 innovations in American government.” He currently serves on the Board of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

Woolf earned his law degree, as well as a Master’s of Public Administration and Public Policy, from the University of Virginia. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Tufts University, with a year at Pembroke College, Oxford University. Woolf is the proud dad of two daughters and lives with his wife and dogs in Annapolis, MD. When not touring a hydropower facility, Woolf can be found sailing or kayaking on the Chesapeake Bay, reading in his hammock, or writing historical fiction.

Professional headshot of a woman.

Ashley Brooks, Director, Workforce Development

Ashley Brooks is the Director, Workforce Development, at the Hydropower Foundation.

Ashley joins the team from the U.S. Department of Energy, where she supported the Water Power Technologies Office’s workforce, STEM, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement efforts. In this role, she focused on promoting pathways to water power careers, building partnerships with the hydropower and marine energy industry, and conducting outreach to colleges and universities. She achieved success through the development and management of collegiate competitions, fellowships, innovative funding solicitations, and engagement and outreach strategies.

Learn More About Ashley Brooks >
Contact Ashley Brooks >

Ashley Brooks, Director Workforce Development

Ashley brings a wealth of knowledge from academia, where she led efforts in professional development, partnerships, and community building at the University of Southern California before moving on to managing executive education programs at Georgetown University. She fell in love with workforce development and engagement early on in her career while at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), where she managed system-wide employee experience and community engagement efforts.

Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

In her spare time, Ashley is an avid equestrian and can be found at the barn with her horse, Empress, or somewhere outdoors with her sidekick, her dog Dia.

Young woman with curly hair.

Jenna Zabarah, Program Manager

Jenna Zabarah brings nearly a decade of experience in program management, academia, and international development to her role as Program Manager at the Hydropower Foundation. 

Before joining the Foundation, Jenna managed USAID-funded projects at Chemonics International, supporting teams across the Middle East and East Africa to strengthen operations, compliance, and budget management. She has also worked in higher education as Assistant Director at Georgetown University’s Mortara Center, where she oversaw programs, helped secure grants, and organized events that sparked dialogue on global and social issues.

Learn More About Jenna Zabarah >
Contact Jenna Zabarah >

Jenna Zabarah, Program Manager

Jenna’s commitment to empowering young people began during her time as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia, where she was an English language educator and led a USAID “Let Girls Learn” initiative to create opportunities for girls in rural regions to play basketball. She later served as a Fulbright Fellow in Bahrain, designing curriculum and training students in professional and academic skills.

Jenna holds a Master’s degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s in Criminology, Law, and Society from George Mason University. She’s fluent in Arabic and passionate about creating opportunities that help young people and professionals reach their full potential. In her free time, Jenna enjoys crossword puzzles, playing and watching basketball (go Mystics), and getting lost in new cities.

Board of Directors

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Del Shannon

Board Chair, Dams and Hydropower Lead, Knight Piésold and Co.

Learn More About Del Shannon >

Del Shannon, Board Chair, Dams and Hydropower Lead, Knight Piésold and Co.

Del Shannon, PE, leads the dams and hydropower group in the US for Knight Piésold. He has over 35 years of experience working in the civil, geotechnical, and water resources fields, with most of this experience working on the design, construction and safety of dams and levees throughout the US and internationally. Del’s work has been recognized with multiple national awards from the US Society on Dams and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials for his work on the design and construction of new dams and the rehabilitation of existing dams. Professionally, he contributes his time to a wide range of initiatives, professional associations, and non-profits focused on dams, levees, and water resources. Some of these include the US Society on Dams, National Hydropower Association, International Commission on Large Dams, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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Shelly Adams

Seattle City Light, Decommissioning Project Manager

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Shelly Adams, Seattle City Light, Decommissioning Project Manager

Ms. Adams has over twenty-five years of project and program management experience in hydropower licensing and environmental compliance for the energy sector and other large infrastructure projects throughout the United States. She is currently managing the FERC Surrender of License proceeding for the Newhalem Creek Hydroelectric Project for Seattle City Light and supports the relicensing of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. Ms. Adams serves on the boards of the Hydropower Foundation and the Northwest Hydroelectric Association and was the co-chair of the Uncommon Dialogue Working Group 8.

Bald man with goatee.

Mark Benacquisto

United Brotherhood of Carpenters Millwright, Executive Director, MW/PD Labor Management

Learn More About Mark Benacquisto >

Mark Benacquisto, United Brotherhood of Carpenters Millwright, Executive Director, MW/PD Labor Management

Mark Benacquisto is the Executive Director for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Millwright and Piledriver Labor Management Fund. Mark is also a 4th-generation UBC Millwright with over 30 years in the power generation industry, spending 17 years with GE’s Union labor affiliate Atlantic Plant Maintenance (APM). Mark sits on the Board for NHA and Oceantic.

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Daniela Bianco

Emerson, Vice President of Human Resources

Learn More About Daniela Bianco >

Daniela Bianco, Emerson, Vice President of Human Resources

Daniela Bianco has extensive experience in human resources, currently serving as Vice President of Human Resources at Emerson since October 2012. Prior roles at Emerson include Director of Human Resources for Latin America and HR Manager. Daniela’s earlier career includes serving as Human Resources Manager at Rich Products Corporation, a leading supplier in the frozen food industry, from May 2004 to September 2012, and working as an HR Coordinator at Valeo Lighting Systems from December 1999 to April 2004.

Man with glasses smiles.

John Broschak

Center for Energy Workforce Development, Veteran Career Coach

Learn More About John Broschak >

John Broschak, Center for Energy Workforce Development, Veteran Career Coach

John joined CEWD and the Troops to Energy Jobs Program as the Veteran Career Coach in July 2022. Before CEWD, John was the Vice President of Generation Operations for Consumers Energy, managing their hydropower fleet and serving as a champion for workforce efforts. John began his career in the United States Navy where he served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer on several different ballistic missile submarines. He transitioned to civilian nuclear power and worked his way through increasing levels of responsibility, eventually reaching the executive level as Vice President of Engineering at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation before his role at Consumers Energy.

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Anna Siefken

Long Duration Energy Storage Council, Director for Policy & Markets, North America

Learn More About Anna Siefken >

Anna Siefken, Long Duration Energy Storage Council, Director for Policy & Markets, North America

Anna Siefken, LEED AP BD+C, is the North America Policy & Markets Lead at the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council. Prior to this role, Siefken was Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). She also served as Senior Advisor and Commercialization Executive to DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, where she created an innovative partnership among DOE, the Edison Electric Institute, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the LDES Council. Prior to DOE, Siefken was the inaugural Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, which is affiliated with the American Energy Society, designated as among the “Top 10 Energy Elites” at the end of her tenure. The researchers and start-ups that she supported captured more than $350M in follow-on investment and funding.

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Alan Michaels

Ex Officio Board Member

Anna Siefken, Long Duration Energy Storage Council, Director for Policy & Markets, North America

Anna Siefken, LEED AP BD+C, is the North America Policy & Markets Lead at the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council. Prior to this role, Siefken was Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). She also served as Senior Advisor and Commercialization Executive to DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, where she created an innovative partnership among DOE, the Edison Electric Institute, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the LDES Council. Prior to DOE, Siefken was the inaugural Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, which is affiliated with the American Energy Society, designated as among the “Top 10 Energy Elites” at the end of her tenure. The researchers and start-ups that she supported captured more than $350M in follow-on investment and funding.