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Meet Our Board

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 between DOE, Edison Electric Institute, 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 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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