ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 16, 2024--
Today, Lightshift Energy, a leader in utility-scale energy storage development, announced that veteran energy industry executive Robert Greskowiak has joined the company as its new Chief Commercial Officer. Greskowiak brings nearly two decades of energy industry and business development expertise to Lightshift. The strategic appointment will deepen the company’s position in its existing markets and accelerate its expansion into new markets as Lightshift continues to bring its diverse, tailored energy storage solutions to communities across the United States.
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As the new CCO, Greskowiak joins Lightshift’s executive leadership to oversee corporate strategy, deal origination and new customer acquisitions as the company expands its operations nationwide.
“What makes Lightshift unique is the caliber of our team and our collective ability to drive the industry forward through advanced analytics and engineering, and tailored approaches to project deployment and operations,” said Lightshift Managing Partner and Co-founder Michael Herbert. “It’s a privilege to add Rob, who has spent his career at the forefront of the industry, to our incredible roster.”
Prior to Lightshift, Greskowiak served as Vice President of Origination at Invenergy, where he spearheaded Invenergy’s sales and strategic development efforts for utilities across the Midwest, Southeast and Eastern United States. Greskowiak started his career in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Advisory practice before taking on finance and asset management roles at E.ON Climate & Renewables. A native of Chicago, Greskowiak attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he received his BS and MS in Accountancy and obtained his CPA certification.
“This is such an exciting time for our company as we really start to scale and deliver sustainable economic solutions to the urgent challenges emerging across the grid,” said Lightshift Managing Partner and Co-Founder Rory Jones. “To meet the moment, we are quickly expanding our team with the best talent in the industry. Rob is the perfect fit to help us maximize our growth and impact.”
“After beginning my career in consulting, I have always been drawn to opportunities to not only influence the strategic direction of a company, but to also help establish company culture and grow an organization. The world-class team that Mike and Rory have put together at Lightshift will provide these opportunities and more, and I am thrilled to be on board,” said Greskowiak. “The opportunity for growth in energy storage is massive, and at Lightshift, we’ll go where the market needs us.”
About Lightshift Energy
Lightshift Energy, formerly Delorean Power, is a utility-scale energy storage development company with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 2019 and backed by funds managed by Greenbacker Capital Management, Lightshift is developing a diverse pipeline of energy storage projects, ranging in size up to 250 MW across the US. Lightshift possesses leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance, and development expertise and focuses on the development of energy storage projects that maximize value for utilities and other customers. For more information, please visit www.lightshift.com.
Rob Greskowiak joins Lightshift Energy as new Chief Commercial Officer (Photo: Business Wire)
NEW YORK (AP) — Colleges around the U.S. implored pro-Palestinian student protesters to clear out tent encampments with rising levels of urgency Monday, including an ultimatum from Columbia University for students to sign a form and leave the encampment by the afternoon or face suspension.
Columbia activists defied the 2 p.m. deadline with chants, clapping and drumming from the encampment of more than 300 people. No officials appeared to enter the encampment, with at least 120 tents staying up as the deadline passed.
The notice sent Monday by the Ivy League university in Manhattan to protesters in the encampment said that if they left by the deadline and signed a form committing to abide by university policies through June 2025 or an earlier graduation, they could finish the semester in good standing. If not, the letter said, they will be suspended, pending further investigation.
Early protests at Columbia, where demonstrators set up tents in the center of the campus, sparked pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country. Students and others have been sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll. Many students are demanding their universities cut financial ties with Israel. The number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000.
College classes are wrapping up for the semester, and campuses are preparing for graduation ceremonies, giving schools an extra incentive to clear encampments. The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony this spring. Others are asking the protests to resolve peacefully so they can hold their ceremonies.
Fewer new tent encampments have sprouted around the country as the school year winds down. But students have dug in their heels at tent encampments at some high-profile universities, with standoffs continuing between protesters and administrators at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and others.
Protesters at Yale set up a new camp with dozens of tents Sunday afternoon, nearly a week after police arrested nearly 50 and cleared a similar one nearby. Later Sunday, they were notified by a Yale official that they could face discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest if they continued the encampment on a grassy area known as Cross Campus, protesters and school officials said. No deadline to leave was set.
Yale said in a statement Monday that while it supports peaceful protests and freedom of speech, it does not tolerate policy violations such as the encampment. School officials said that the protest is near residential colleges where many students are studying for final exams, and that permission must be granted for groups to hold events and put up structures on campus.
Protests were also still active at a number of other campuses. Near George Washington University, protesters at an encampment breached and dismantled the barriers Monday morning used to secure University Yard, the university said in a statement. The yard had been closed since last week.
About 275 people were arrested Saturday at various campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis.
In its letter to student protesters, Columbia officials noted that exams are beginning and graduation is upcoming.
“We urge you to remove the encampment so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families and friends of this momentous occasion,” the letter said.
Mahmoud Khalil, the lead negotiator on behalf of protesters, said university representatives began passing out the notices at the encampment shortly after 10 a.m. Monday. A spokesperson for Columbia confirmed the letter had gone out to students but declined to comment further.
Under the terms spelled out in the letter, students who leave the encampment would be put on disciplinary probation through June 2025. Students who are already receiving discipline, or who face harassment or discrimination charges for actions in the encampment, are not eligible for the offer.
Red and orange tents stayed up on the lawn as protesters considered the latest amnesty offer from the administration. A hundred feet away, a student cafe was open, and people enjoyed coffee in the warm spring sun.
On one side of the shuttered campus, students and staff lined up for security checks across the street from a cluster of TV trucks. At the other side, a police officer stood next to an unmarked black sedan with blue and red lights quietly flashing.
The demonstrations have led Columbia to hold remote classes and set a series of deadlines for protesters to leave the encampment, which they have missed. The school said in an email to students that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive.
The students and administrators have negotiated to end the disruptions, but the sides have not come to an agreement, university President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday. The university said it will offer an alternative venue for the protests after exams and graduation.
Columbia's handling of the protests has prompted federal complaints.
A class-action lawsuit on behalf of Jewish students alleges a breach of contract by Columbia, claiming the university failed to maintain a safe learning environment, despite policies and promises. It also challenges the move away from in-person classes and seeks quick court action requiring Columbia to provide security for the students.
Meanwhile, a legal group representing pro-Palestinian students is urging the U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office to investigate Columbia's compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for how they have been treated.
The plight of students who have been arrested has become a central part of protests, with the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.
Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; and David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut.
Notice of Trespass sign posted on barricades informing protesters in encampment on University of Pennsylvania campus on Monday, April 29, 2024. Colleges around the U.S. implored pro-Palestinian student protesters to clear out tent encampments with rising levels of urgency Monday. College classes nationwide are wrapping up for the semester, and campuses are preparing for graduation ceremonies. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters camp out in tents at Columbia University on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in New York.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Police arrest pro-Palestinian protesters attempting to camp on Washington University's campus, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A Pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment is seen at the Columbia University, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A sign that reads, "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," is seen during the pro-Palestinian protest at the Columbia University campus in New York, Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)
Protesters in support of Palestinians link arms as police prepare to arrest them on Washington University's campus in St. Louis, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A George Washington University student, who declined to give her name, works on a school assignment while joining other students in protesting the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind during a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside Columbia University Campus on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
A Palestinian flag is reflected in a demonstrator's mask as students protest the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Sunday, April 28, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A woman wearing a keffiyeh walks by a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside Columbia University Campus on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, left, links arms with others, including Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, second from right, and Aldermanic President Megan Green, right, while surrounding pro-Palestinian protesters as police show up to their encampment on the campus of Washington University, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. Dozens were arrested during the protest. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Northeastern University police remove and arrest protesters one by one as they sit in zip tie handcuffs at the tent encampment on campus in Boston, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of NU students and other protesters who set up tents with them on the NU campus were arrested by state, Boston and NU police. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters link arms around campers as police show up to their encampment on Washington University's campus, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. Dozens were arrested during the protest. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Police arrest protesters attempting to camp in support of Palestinians on Washington University's campus in St. Louis, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
People listen to a speaker at a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside the campus of Columbia University, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
