Learn more about the people that make Luminalt dedicated to the community, a leader in industry trends, and known for excellent customer service.

Click on a Luminalt Team name below to jump to that section:
• Leadership Team

• Installation Team

• Engineering and Analysis Team

• Operations Team

   

Leadership Team

Jeanine Cotter, Esq, President and CEO
Co-founder of Luminalt, Jeanine holds Luminalt’s C-46 solar license and is a Certified Green Building Professional through Build it Green. Under her leadership, Luminalt became the first solar installer in San Francisco to become workforce development certified under San Francisco’s innovative GoSolarSF solar incentive program. As one of a handful of women running a solar installation company, she participates in a number of national and local committees relating to renewable energy, creation of green collar jobs and sustainable business practices. Jeanine was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to the Workforce Investment Board for San Francisco (WISF) and his 100% Renewable Energy Task Force. Jeanine is also on the SF Conservation Corps Green Advisory Council, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Advisory Council, and the North American Certified Energy Practioners (NABCEP®) committee that crafted the residential solar company accreditation program. Jeanine is passionate about educating consumers about the benefits of solar and energy efficiency. 

Noel Cotter, Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer
Co-founder of Luminalt, Noel built his first solar electric system in 1981, a 50kW grid-tied system in Cork, Ireland. Committed to craftsman level quality solar electric and solar hot water installations, he and Jeanine founded Luminalt in 2004. An avid supporter of continuing education for installers and for keeping training relevant to the practical skills installers need to ensure safe and high performing systems, Noel frequently teaches solar classes and advises on curriculum; he developed the curriculum and taught the first solar thermal course at City College of San Francisco, is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the California State License Board panel that creates questions for the solar contractor exam, and on the NABCEP® committee that crafted the Technical Sales examination. Noel holds three California contractor licenses, a C-10 electrical, C-46 solar and class B general and is a NABCEP® Certified PV Installer. Noel holds three separate certifications on energy efficiency and building performance from the Building Performance Institute. Noel has worked with most renewable energy technologies, including wind and micro-hydro. He has been an expert witness in arbitration hearings, in support of homeowners who have had poorly installed systems by other solar companies.

August Goers, VP of Engineering
August has over a decade of hands on solar experience. He is a Cal Poly trained mechanical engineer and holds both the NABCEP® Certified Solar PV Installer and NABCEP® Certified Solar Thermal Installer certifications. You can read more about his background in solar on the NABCEP® website. August also holds Luminalt’s C-20 HVAC contractor’s license and is a California Certified General Electrician. He was an active participant in the SF Department of Building Inspection’s recent revision of the PV permitting requirements and has managed multiple volunteer installations with solar non-profit GRID Alternatives. August oversees the design and installation of each of our systems.

Izzy Carson, Director of Operations
Izzy has been with Luminalt since 2009. A native San Franciscan and graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Environmental Studies and Economics programs, Izzy oversees Luminalt’s Operations Team. Certified by NABCEP® in PV Technical Sales, Izzy designs proposals, drafts contracts, coordinates panel orders, and schedules the installation teams. She is particularly knowledgeable on the financial payback and return on investment associated with installing solar. When not managing Luminalt’s friendly and knowledgeable office team, Izzy loves being outdoors – she grows tomatoes, kale, and fruit trees in Luminalt’s backyard, taking advantage of the Mission’s sunny weather. Her dog Petie is the mascot for Luminalt’s softball team.

 

Installation Team

Bailey Smith, Installation Project Manager
Bailey is NABCEP Certified in both Photovoltaics and Solar Thermal, in addition to being a Journeyman Electrician. After working on an oil refinery for an environmental engineering contractor, Bailey came to Luminalt to be part of a more proactive solution to the environmental problems facing our world. Bailey supervises all of Luminalt’s installations going on throughout the Bay Area. This past summer, Bailey spent his weekends on Angel Island working with theater company We Players.

Alan Coughlan, Electrician
Luminalt’s first employee, Alan is still with us today. Since joining the team, Alan has gone on to become a certified Journeyman Electrician and holds a C-10 Electrical license. Known for his wit and humor (and red hair), Alan has an unparalleled attention to detail. We frequently hear from customers that he has vacuumed metal shavings off of their roof, or left their garage cleaner than they’ve ever seen it. Born in Ireland, Alan has led the electrical work on some of Luminalt’s more complex projects, such as the wind turbine installation at the Crissy Field Center.

Anukene Warda, Lead Installer
With Luminalt since 2009, Anukene first got hooked on solar after helping a friend install panels on his house in Hawaii. Born in San Francisco, Anukene is a NABCEP Certified PV Installer and Journeyman Electrician and has taken numerous courses at the Solar Living Institute. Anukene loves working at Luminalt because he has a “deep respect and trust in the leadership” and finds Luminalt to be unusual in the highly competitive solar industry because they take care of their employees with health care, paid time off, and lots of donuts from local Dynamo Donuts. Anukene was recently featured on Ask This Old House installing solar in Bernal Heights, San Francisco.

 Brian Ruiz, Lead Installer
As a crew lead, Brian often serves as a link between the homeowner, installation crew, and the Luminalt office. As a lead installer with numerous certifications and specialized coursework, Brian helps clients with any questions regarding the installation, scheduling, inspection procedures, property access exclusions, aesthetics of the install, materials used in the process, logistics, and so on. Brian enjoys spending time with his big family, camping in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, and riding his motorcycle all year round. A San Francisco native, Brian has two terriers, Shasty and Chisel.

Charlie Jaworski, Solar Installer
Back in 2010, Charlie was a student in City College of San Francisco’s first Solar Thermal Program. Noel Cotter taught that class (and developed the curriculum used by the program today), growing Charlie’s love of solar. Beyond Noel’s Solar Thermal course, Charlie has taken numerous classes in solar and construction. When not installing solar, Charlie is most often found playing softball.

Lalo Rangel, Solar Installer
After graduating from Asian Neighborhood Design‘s green construction training program, Lalo joined Luminalt in 2010. Lalo specializes in laying out racking (what supports the solar panels), building racking, running conduit, and AC/DC wiring. Born and raised in the Mission, Lalo loves that Luminalt is local and well-respected in the community. An artist, he has a 5 year-old dog named Sugar and enjoys skating and cycling.

Dusty Hathaway, Solar Installer 
Originally from Iowa, Dusty got his start in solar after taking courses at San Francisco City College in Electrical. Some of Dusty’s favorite things about Luminalt are how knowledgeable and dedicated to solar everyone is, and how he is now a part of helping people get better, cheaper electricity. In his spare time, he enjoys skateboarding and playing with his daughter. 

 

 Pamela Quan, Solar Installer
Pam is our most recent addition on the installation team. Born and raised in San Francisco, Pam was introduced to solar at Asian Neighborhood Design and came to us right after graduation. She is fascinated by how the panels generate clean energy from the sun. She enjoys spending time with her family and listening to music. Pam loves the diversity of the Bay Area and looks forward to a career in a growing industry with a bright future.

Engineering and Analysis Team

Noel Cotter, Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer;
Consultant: Commercial, Non-Profit, and Remodels
Co-founder of Luminalt, Noel built his first solar electric system in 1981, a 50kW grid-tied system in Cork, Ireland. Committed to craftsman level quality solar electric and solar hot water installations, he and Jeanine founded Luminalt in 2004. An avid supporter of continuing education for installers and for keeping training relevant to the practical skills installers need to ensure safe and high performing systems, Noel frequently teaches solar classes and advises on curriculum; he developed the curriculum and taught the first solar thermal course at City College of San Francisco, is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the California State License Board panel that creates questions for the solar contractor exam, and on the NABCEP® committee that crafted the Technical Sales examination. Noel holds three California contractor licenses, a C-10 electrical, C-46 solar and class B general and is a NABCEP® Certified PV Installer. Noel holds three separate certifications on energy efficiency and building performance from the Building Performance Institute. Noel has worked with most renewable energy technologies, including wind and micro-hydro. He has been an expert witness in arbitration hearings, in support of homeowners who have had poorly installed systems.

Stefania Cargnello, Solar Design Engineer
After receiving her Masters’ degree in Energy Engineering from the University of Padua in her native Italy, Stefania moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2012 to join Luminalt’s engineering team. Stefania works with customers to design solar electric systems that combine efficiency and aesthetics. Her passions for drawing and painting give her a design-oriented approach to the sometimes overly analytic design of solar systems. A true Italian, Stefania loves to cook with the amazing local ingredients the Bay Area has to offer. An avid traveler, Stefania loves exploring the West Coast’s natural beauty.

Chase Christie, Consultant: San Francisco and Marin
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Chase has been in the Bay Area since 2005, moving here shortly after graduating from the University of Oregon.  After several years in commercial and residential construction and development, Chase decided to make the leap into solar. He started as a volunteer for California-based GRID Alternatives. Chase came to Luminalt after volunteering with Luminalt installer Anukene Warda in rural Nicaragua, where they installed solar-powered irrigation systems with Portland-based NGO Green Empowerment.  In his spare time, Chase enjoys playing music, hiking, camping, and is currently studying for the NABCEP Technical Sales Examination. If you have questions about electric vehicles, Chase is an enthusiastic advocate for pairing solar with EVs. He performs site visits and cost analyses for homeowners interested in solar in San Francisco and Marin.

Zach Sharpe, Consultant: San Francisco and Peninsula

Bio to come.

  

 

 

August Goers, VP of Engineering
August has over a decade of hands on solar experience. He is a Cal Poly trained mechanical engineer and holds both the NABCEP® Certified Solar PV Installer and NABCEP® Certified Solar Thermal Installer certifications. You can read more about his background in solar on the NABCEP® website. August also holds Luminalt’s C-20 HVAC contractor’s license and is a California Certified General Electrician. He was an active participant in the SF Department of Building Inspection’s recent revision of the PV permitting requirements and has managed multiple volunteer installations with solar non-profit GRID Alternatives. August oversees the design and installation of each of our systems.

Eric Schoonbaert, Senior Applications Engineer
With Luminalt since 2007, Eric plans the technical aspects of each installation from the pre-installation visit through permitting. Despite the overwhelming number of conflicting and ever changing solar codes throughout the Bay Area, Eric stays up to date on all of them. He regularly walks homeowners through technical questions over the phone, and lives the Luminalt ethos of working with the client’s best interests in mind. Dedicated to living green, Eric bikes to work each day.

 

Operations Team

Izzy Carson, Director of Operations
Izzy has been with Luminalt since 2009. A native San Franciscan and graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Environmental Studies and Economics programs, Izzy oversees Luminalt’s Operations Team. Certified by NABCEP® in PV Technical Sales, Izzy designs proposals, drafts contracts, coordinates panel orders, and schedules the installation teams. She is particularly knowledgeable on the financial payback and return on investment associated with installing solar. When not managing Luminalt’s friendly and knowledgeable office team, Izzy loves being outdoors – she grows tomatoes, kale, and fruit trees in Luminalt’s backyard, taking advantage of the Mission’s sunny weather. Her dog Petie is the mascot for Luminalt’s softball team.

Melissa McDermott, Personal Project Manager
Melissa offers personalized customer support to Luminalt customers, guiding them through paperwork, rebates, and installation with her upbeat and positive attitude. A graduate of Asian Neighborhood Design, a local jobs training non-profit, Melissa knew that Luminalt was where she wanted to be after Jeanine came to speak there. Melissa loves working in a field that has a positive influence on the community, and she embodies Luminalt’s core values of honesty, transparency and support. A mom to two kids in grade school, Melissa brings boundless enthusiasm and energy to Luminalt’s clients.

Gina Ramdoss, Accountant
Gina has over 10 years of finance experience in a variety of construction companies. Gina enjoys working closely with Luminalt’s clients on billings and is always just a phone call away. Passionate about Luminalt’s mission of creating and supporting local jobs, Gina is also an advocate for affordable housing. She lives in the East Bay and serves on the Alameda Housing & Community Development Advisory Board. She is responsible for all accounting, external reporting, internal controls, financial accounting and financial reporting. She holds an MBA from Bharathiyar University, India.

Rachel Schapira, Director of Business Development 
Rachel cultivates Luminalt’s community relationships and manages our marketing. She has a background in promoting green tech, project management, strategy, website development, and community outreach. She’s a Silicon Valley native who loves green tech, hiking, reading, spoiling her dog Loki, and all things related to organic food (cooking, eating, discussing, etc).