Welcome to Arena Renewables
About Us
Arena Renewables is a community and distributed solar and storage developer. We deliver lower power bills and clean energy to customers and communities across the United States. Our agile, policy-led approach to developing valuable projects draws on the leadership team’s nearly three decades of experience in renewables, utilities, and real estate. We are excited to partner with communities in building a zero-carbon future.
Our Team
Matt Kozey - CEO
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
A proud energy nerd, Matt has spent his career working to advance the clean energy transition from multiple angles. An attorney by training, Matt has been a policy analyst and project manager at a non-profit research organization, managed regulatory affairs at a Fortune 100 utility, and most recently led successful community-scale market
A proud energy nerd, Matt has spent his career working to advance the clean energy transition from multiple angles. An attorney by training, Matt has been a policy analyst and project manager at a non-profit research organization, managed regulatory affairs at a Fortune 100 utility, and most recently led successful community-scale market development and policy efforts for Cypress Creek Renewables.
Matt understands that community and distributed scale solar and storage markets are shaped by policy and regulatory environments, and it is this critical perspective that will unlock value and drive growth for Arena Renewables in an increasingly saturated market.
Matt is a proud Tar Heel, having received a B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives with his wife and daughter in Arlington, VA where he continues to hone his leadership skills by coaching his daughter’s soccer team (go Tornadoes!).
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Geoff has led development and commercial strategies for 1 GW of community solar projects across the country. From go-to market strategies through portfolio energization, he has managed teams to greenfield and develop assets with velocity.
Prior to joining Arena Renewables, he was Head of Distributed Generation at Cypress Creek Renewables
Geoff has led development and commercial strategies for 1 GW of community solar projects across the country. From go-to market strategies through portfolio energization, he has managed teams to greenfield and develop assets with velocity.
Prior to joining Arena Renewables, he was Head of Distributed Generation at Cypress Creek Renewables, a leading solar and storage developer. Previously he advanced clean energy projects and initiatives at OneEnergy Renewables and the U.S. Department of State.
Geoff received a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Spanish from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Cornell University. Geoff lives in Los Angeles, CA with his partner Brette where they enjoy exploring the nearby mountains.
Patrick Grumley - COO
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Tamara Perry - Director
Patrick is a start-up veteran holding senior positions at multiple high-growth companies. Throughout his career he led teams including revenue, sales, operations, product, finance, customer care, investor relations, IT, HR, and legal.
Before joining Arena Renewables, Patrick was Chief Operating Officer at Mint House – a high growth VC-ba
Patrick is a start-up veteran holding senior positions at multiple high-growth companies. Throughout his career he led teams including revenue, sales, operations, product, finance, customer care, investor relations, IT, HR, and legal.
Before joining Arena Renewables, Patrick was Chief Operating Officer at Mint House – a high growth VC-backed operator of real estate assets which grew over 5x during his tenure. Prior to Mint House, Patrick was SVP of Strategy and Operations at Bridgeton Holdings, an owner and operator of real estate assets focused on hotels and creative office space across the country. Prior to Bridgeton, Patrick worked as a Consultant at Bain & Company where he was affiliated with the Private Equity and Strategy practice areas. During his time at Bain, he directly advised over half of the world’s 10 largest private equity firms along with Fortune 500 c-suite executives and Boards of Directors. Patrick started his career serving as a Strike Officer in the United States Navy.
Patrick received a B.S. in Economics and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from Cornell University. Patrick lives in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife Angie and three dogs (Norbert, Dobby, and Stella).
Tamara Perry - Director
Geoff Johnson - President and CDO
Tamara Perry - Director
Tamara has over fifteen years of experience managing innovative, large scale distributed energy resource projects focused on solar and storage programs, advanced transportation, and zero net energy residential communities. Most recently, Tamara was Director of Solar and Storage Programs at Energy Solutions, serving as the product and busi
Tamara has over fifteen years of experience managing innovative, large scale distributed energy resource projects focused on solar and storage programs, advanced transportation, and zero net energy residential communities. Most recently, Tamara was Director of Solar and Storage Programs at Energy Solutions, serving as the product and business development lead and overseeing program administration of statewide solar incentive programs in Oregon, Illinois, and California.
Last year, Tamara provided oversight to over $300 million dollars in revenue for distributed generation and community solar projects. Previously Tamara has worked for both the public and private sector to accelerate clean energy technologies and has driven key statewide policy initiatives to advance market adoption with significant environmental impacts. Her leadership in the DERs space has contributed to the development of statewide solar guidelines and several statewide and utility renewable programs.
Tamara received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University and a Masters in Urban Planning with a focus on sustainability from the University of Southern California. Tamara lives in Los Angeles with her husband Bryan, two boys, and dog Millie.
Carson Weinand -Director
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Courtney Newcombe - Director
Carson is a solar development professional with over nine years of experience in distributed generation.
Prior to joining Arena Renewables, he was Senior Project Developer for CVE North America, leading origination, development, and M&A efforts for their New York territory (achieving 72 MW into construction) as well as establishing a 600M
Carson is a solar development professional with over nine years of experience in distributed generation.
Prior to joining Arena Renewables, he was Senior Project Developer for CVE North America, leading origination, development, and M&A efforts for their New York territory (achieving 72 MW into construction) as well as establishing a 600MW pipeline in states such as IL, VA, PA, NM, OH, and MI.
Carson received a B.A. in Economics from Yale University. Carson lives in Los Angeles, CA with his fiancée, Anna, and their shih tzu, Daisy.
Courtney Newcombe - Director
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Courtney Newcombe - Director
Courtney is an experienced finance leader and CPA with a passion for fast-paced startups. Most recently, Courtney served as the VP Finance & Strategy of Zendoor, a VC-backed tech platform for multi-family real estate operations. As Zendoor’s first finance hire, Courtney built the company’s financial reporting processes, hired and managed
Courtney is an experienced finance leader and CPA with a passion for fast-paced startups. Most recently, Courtney served as the VP Finance & Strategy of Zendoor, a VC-backed tech platform for multi-family real estate operations. As Zendoor’s first finance hire, Courtney built the company’s financial reporting processes, hired and managed accounting and operations teams, and oversaw investor relations until Zendoor’s ultimate sale to Poplar Homes in 2023.
Courtney began her career at Deloitte, where she primarily served real estate clients, advising finance teams on complex accounting matters, real estate asset valuation best practices, and SEC reporting requirements.
Courtney received a Masters in Accounting, B.S. in Accounting, and B.S. in Marketing from Arizona State University. She lives in Phoenix, AZ with her partner, Madelyn, and their two cats.
George Wohlgemuth - Director
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
George has spent his entire career in the solar industry with experience on projects of all sizes across the US. He has worked to develop over 600MW of transmission level projects and on the development and acquisition of over 400MW of distributed generation assets.
George joins Arena from Standard Solar where he was the Director of Develo
George has spent his entire career in the solar industry with experience on projects of all sizes across the US. He has worked to develop over 600MW of transmission level projects and on the development and acquisition of over 400MW of distributed generation assets.
George joins Arena from Standard Solar where he was the Director of Development leading the development and M&A teams for distributed generation assets in 26 states. Prior to Standard Solar he worked as a project manager at Cypress Creek Renewables.
George has a dual degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan and lives in his hometown of Washington D.C. An avid outdoorsman, George frequents the ski slopes in the winter and the Chesapeake Bay in the summer.
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Utkarsh Gupta - Project Developer
Utkarsh Jay Gupta is a seasoned professional in the field of solar energy with varied experience in Project development, Product and Program management. With a passion for renewable energy solutions, he has actively contributed to the advancement of solar technology and its integration into various sectors.
Before Arena Renewables, he was
Utkarsh Jay Gupta is a seasoned professional in the field of solar energy with varied experience in Project development, Product and Program management. With a passion for renewable energy solutions, he has actively contributed to the advancement of solar technology and its integration into various sectors.
Before Arena Renewables, he was leading the development and origination efforts for DG projects with Sunvest for the Illinois and California markets. He has more than 5 years of industry experience and has been involved in multitudes of Solar industry domains ranging from R&D of the modules, Product & Program management and Project development.
Utkarsh holds a Masters degree in Engineering with a research focus on photovoltaic materials and B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
Tameem Jahan - Senior Associate
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Tameem is passionate about the clean energy transition. Prior to his role at Arena, Tameem worked in the renewable energy industry for three years, leading the development of utility scale wind, solar, and storage projects in the MISO region.
As a student, he studied Economics and Systems Engineering to learn about renewables from both a
Tameem is passionate about the clean energy transition. Prior to his role at Arena, Tameem worked in the renewable energy industry for three years, leading the development of utility scale wind, solar, and storage projects in the MISO region.
As a student, he studied Economics and Systems Engineering to learn about renewables from both a business and technical perspective. He sees renewable energy as a necessary and practical solution to the climate crisis. Tameem lives in Chicago, IL where he enjoys running and working on his debut sci-fi novel.
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Prior to joining Arena, Tanusree worked in community solar development across California, Michigan and Ohio for the past 2 years. She has an undergraduate degree from UC Davis, where she studied Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. With a passion for social justice, she hopes to make a difference in the clean energy transition by bri
Prior to joining Arena, Tanusree worked in community solar development across California, Michigan and Ohio for the past 2 years. She has an undergraduate degree from UC Davis, where she studied Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. With a passion for social justice, she hopes to make a difference in the clean energy transition by bringing solar to the underserved communities in California.
Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Tanusree now calls San Francisco home. She's trained in the Indian classical dance form called Kathak and loves being on the dance floor. In her time off, she enjoys travelling and cooking new recipes for her family and friends. If she's not in the kitchen, she can be found at a local yoga studio.
Sam Grimmelbein - Senior Associate
Tanusree Chakraborty - Senior Associate
Sam Grimmelbein - Senior Associate
Sam's journey to the world of renewable energy came through maps and data. A seasoned GIS professional, Sam brings over 5 years of experience developing, refining, analyzing, and displaying spatial data within non-profits, local government, federal contracting, and the private sector.
Prior to joining Arena, Sam entered the renewable secto
Sam's journey to the world of renewable energy came through maps and data. A seasoned GIS professional, Sam brings over 5 years of experience developing, refining, analyzing, and displaying spatial data within non-profits, local government, federal contracting, and the private sector.
Prior to joining Arena, Sam entered the renewable sector at Apex Clean Energy, where he supported development and construction of multiple gigawatts of utility-scale wind and solar across primarily ERCOT, SPP, and MISO, along with distributed generation in Illinois and Virginia.
Sam has a B.S. in Environmental Sciences and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia. A proud wahoo, he currently resides in Charlottesville, VA where he regularly attends the performances of his old marching band. In his spare time, he enjoys long-distance running and long-distance traveling to as much live music as possible.