We’re expanding access to clean energy

Biography

Laura Zapata is the CEO & Co-Founder of Clearloop, the climate solutions platform that helps organizations of all sizes—from small and medium sized-businesses to Fortune 50 companies to universities—tackle their carbon footprint and expand access to clean energy. Laura is a staunch advocate for accelerating grid decarbonization by investing in communities—like her own—that can benefit the most from the environmental, health, and economic benefits of new solar projects. Laura built Clearloop, now a Silicon Ranch Company, to capture the broader purchasing power of organizations seeking to invest in tangible climate action and unlock innovative funding mechanisms to bring clean energy projects to life more equitably across the country. Prior to starting Clearloop, Laura spent her career in hard-charging organizations across government and technology. Laura immigrated from Colombia with her family and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Laura graduated from Dartmouth College and lives in Nashville with her husband.

Biography

Bob Corney is a co-founder of Clearloop and Chief Operating Officer. Bob supports corporate strategy and development and leads the Community Partnerships team, including community, industry, and advisory partnerships to advance the shared value for our customers, communities, colleagues and company.

In addition to leading the Community Partnerships team, Bob leads efforts to expand the ambition of corporate climate action through academic, institutional, and industry efforts. At the core of this work is a commonsense focus on decarbonizing the US electric grid, expanding access to cleaner energy, and accelerating the development of new solar projects in American communities where the greatest socio-economic and environmental benefits can be achieved.

Corney cut his teeth on local political campaigns in the late 1980s, embarking on a three-decade career spanning politics, public service, and public affairs with stints in the White House, Tennessee State Capitol, and corporate C-suites.

Biography

As Head of Climate Policy for Clearloop, Winston Vaughan works to accelerate the decarbonization of the US electric grid and promote climate impact and equity. He comes to Clearloop with over 20 years of experience in sustainability and renewable energy including sustainability consulting, investor engagements, climate policy advocacy, campaign management, and new market development for clean energy companies. He has extensive experience advising health care institutions, investors, and major companies to advance climate solutions, develop clean energy strategies, plan for climate resilience, and support equitable and climate resilient communities. Prior to joining Clearloop, Winston served as the Senior Sustainability Strategist at Edison Energy. He graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Politics and Third World Studies.

Biography

Emily Fairbank is the Commercial Partnerships Manager at Clearloop. Emily helps corporate partners of all sizes reach a wide range of sustainability and ESG goals. With nearly a decade of experience engaging with corporates, Emily prides herself on the deep relationships formed with her partners, not only supporting their needs, but the company’s vision for rapid and equitable decarbonization of the US electric grid. Emily holds a MS in Sustainability from Lipscomb University and lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two cats.

Biography

Before joining Clearloop, Eric Kopstain served as a distinguished higher-education leader with more than three decades of experience and expertise in administration, finance, and campus planning. He earned a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Kopstain began his career in 1991 at his alma mater Northwestern, holding leadership roles in budget and planning. He then served as Director of Budget & Fiscal Planning at Dartmouth (2002–2005), before moving to Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. At Harvard, he advanced from Assistant Dean and Budget Director (2006) to Associate Dean for Finance and CFO (2010), where he guided financial strategy during the 2008 recession.

In May 2012, Kopstain joined Vanderbilt University as Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance where he led the university’s accounting. financial and tax reporting, accounts payable, disbursements, financial systems, capital planning and procurement functions. Eric was promoted to Vice Chancellor for Administration in July 2014 following a national search. In that capacity, he directed a broad portfolio including facilities, real estate, human resources, public safety, transportation, procurement, health and wellness, public safety and equity services. His strategic leadership contributed to Vanderbilt’s recognition as one of Tennessee’s best employers, significant reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions, award-winning sustainability and transportation initiatives, and the development of major residential college projects.

A collaborative, forward-thinking executive, Kopstain guided Vanderbilt through the COVID‑19 pandemic, implementing dynamic safety, testing, and communication protocols — and championed wellness programs like “power‑down days” and “no‑meeting Fridays”

After more than 12 years of impactful service, Eric Kopstain announced his decision to step down as Vice Chancellor at the end of December 2024 to focus on personal health and other interests.

Biography

Focused on community partnerships, Karina is responsible for engaging with community and national partners to amplify the social and economic benefits of Clearloop’s solar projects. Karina is a strong believer that the renewable energy transition in the United States is a prime opportunity to create a more equitable energy grid, especially within the South. She loves to meet new people, see new places, and better understand the many diverse and valuable perspectives that Clearloop’s partners and community members hold. Karina is a Nashville, Tennessee native and a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Biography

Wenqing is the Carbon Impact Analytics Manager at Clearloop, where she focuses on advancing the company’s climate and sustainability goals. By utilizing advanced analytics, she ensures the delivery of high-quality, high-integrity carbon solutions and develops systems that shape future strategies to maximize Clearloop’s carbon impact. Wenqing’s career began in international organizations such as the World Bank and IMF, where she worked across various development sectors to promote equitable growth in developing countries. She recently obtained her MBA degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is deeply passionate about sustainability and creating meaningful impact. Wenqing lives in Boston with her husband and was born and raised in Beijing, China.

Biography

As Commercial Partnerships Senior Associate, Tucker helps build and nurture relationships with Clearloop’s corporate and university clients, ensuring their sustainability investments align with broader ESG goals. Tucker brings over 7 years of mid-market and enterprise sales experience to the Commercial Partnerships team, helping Clearloop scale and advance equitable decarbonization across the U.S. Originally from Philadelphia, Tucker completed his undergrad at Wake Forest University, and currently lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Meg.

Biography

A big believer that there are lots of ways of getting things done. Phil Bredesen is a former Nashville Mayor, Tennessee Governor, CEO, and a successful serial entrepreneur. As mayor of Nashville, Bredesen founded the Land Trust for Tennessee, which has protected more than 126,000 acres to date. As Governor, Phil Bredesen helped establish Tennessee’s largest conservation effort since the dedication of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, saving 127,000 acres in the Cumberland Plateau. As a businessman, Bredesen founded Silicon Ranch, one of the largest solar Independent Power Producers in the country. Today, Governor Bredesen is using his experience in the public and private sector to help build Clearloop as a helpful tool for companies of all sizes to make their climate investments have tangible social and economic benefits in communities across Middle America.

Biography

As Silicon Ranch’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Meram El Ramahi leads our marketing, communications, and branding strategies and initiatives for our portfolio of brands, including Clearloop® and Regenerative Energy®, driving brand awareness and promoting growth with a focus on strategic planning and leadership, brand management and positioning, public relations, corporate communications, and customer relations. With 20 years of experience leading marketing strategy and executing multi-faceted marketing campaigns in the energy sector for public, private, and federal agencies, Meram’s expertise and work supports Silicon Ranch’s mission to Making Solar Do More® and maximizing the economic impact of solar development for communities across our country. Meram earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Indiana and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a specialization in Integrated Marketing Communications, from the American University in Cairo.