Executive Team
Linda Church-Ciocci
Executive Director
Linda Church-Ciocci served as President and CEO of the National Hydropower Association (NHA), and led the industry for nearly 30 years and stepped down from that position on July 22nd to assume the role of Executive Director for the Hydropower Foundation and brings with her expertise, leadership and guidance to the foundation.
She has served three terms on the United States Department of Commerce Federal Advisory Committee on Renewable Energy. As a founding member of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), she is an emeritus member of the ACORE Board of Directors. She received a B.A. from the George Washington University and resides in Arlington, Va.
Bree Mendlin
Program Director
Bree Mendlin has served the Hydropower Foundation since 2014, where she began planning fundraising events. As the Program Director, she coordinates innovative activities designed to encourage young people to pursue the hydropower industry as a career choice.
She has led programs such as Hiring for Hydro™ events, Hydro Think Tank Competitions and has worked with NREL on the STEM workforce development project funded by WPTO for the past three years. She brings experience in event planning, customer service, communication, and relationship building. She is a previous owner of Party B Cause, an event management company, and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Amanda Neves
Student & Event Coordinator
Amanda Neves joined the Hydropower Foundation in September 2023 as the Student & Event Coordinator. She is originally from Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors in Sociology. She was in education for three years before transitioning to event management.
David C. Sinclair
Chief Strategic Advisor
From 1979 through 2002, Mr. Sinclair served in positions of increasing responsibility within the Reliance Electric Company, culminating in his position as Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Telecommunications Power and Outside Plant. Mr. Sinclair holds an MSEE in Electrical Power Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester in Manchester, England and holds a BSC. Eng in Electrical Engineering from the University of London.
