GCI Leadership
Robert R. Hayward II
co-founder & CEO
Robert is a retired United States Army Aviation Major who held multiple leadership positions throughout his career as an officer. He earned his commission in 2002, when he was a Distinguished Military Graduate, an honor bestowed to the top ten percent of newly commissioned officers in ROTC and military academies. After the military, Robert became the executive director for for a non-profit where he worked in Kenya and Uganda bringing in housing, agriculture, water and micro-grid energy solutions to rural areas within these countries. He coordinated with multiple foreign ministries in Kenya and Uganda in conjunction with USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, EXIM Bank, United States Trade and Development Agency and the Department of State. Robert is a graduate of Grambling State University with a Bachelors of Science in chemistry and biology. Robert also holds a Masters of Public Administration and Masters of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas. Robert is a national security fellow with the Truman National Security Project, a new leader with the Carnegie Council Of International Affairs, a Veteran Advanced Energy Project Fellow with the Atlantic Council, and is a Texas Advisory Board member for the United States Global Leadership Coalition.
Matthew Williams
Co-founder & CIO
Matthew is a former partner and founding member of Onsight Capital Management, a generalist, long-short equity hedge fund based in Los Angeles. He worked directly with the firm’s CIO in managing all parts of the firm’s investment process and also assisted in the firm’s fundraising efforts, with a focus on cyclical industries including energy, power, petrochemicals, packaging, construction and others. Prior to Onsight, Matthew held a similar role at Avizor Capital Management, another long-short equity hedge fund with a focus on value and distressed securities across cyclical industries. Prior to Avizor, Matthew was a partner and portfolio manager at Wilshire Quinn Capital, where he ran the firm’s commodity-based strategy with a focus on energy trading. Matthew earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2004.
Miguel Roman
Chief strategy officer
Miguel is a seasoned power sector professional with significant international infrastructure development experience, specializing in energy transition projects. Miguel was the Energy Program Advisor to Power Africa, a development partnership led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that aims to add at least 30,000 megawatts (MW) of cleaner and more reliable electricity generation capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. His responsibilities include advising cleantech energy firms on specific deal opportunities in African markets and overseeing project development requirements, procurement rules, and procedures for private power generation. Prior to joining Power Africa, Miguel was a Managing Director and Chief of Staff to the CEO of InterEnergy Group, an independent developer, owner, and operator of 2.1 GW of energy generation assets and a utility in the Caribbean and Latin America. Miguel was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, and managing private equity and strategic Merger & Acquisition investments in the Caribbean and Latin America, including Mexico, Panama, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Before joining InterEnergy, he was formerly the head of grantmaking operations for the Ford Foundation in the Andean Region and Southern Cone. He was in charge of strategic oversight and implementing the Foundation's $100 million investment portfolio in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, Miguel was a Contracting Officer with the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He led the negotiations and awarded several multi‐million-dollar procurement actions for technical assistance and infrastructure in the Dominican Republic, Guyana, the Eastern and Southern Caribbean Region, and Iraq. Miguel received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo and a Masters in Global Business and Finance from Georgetown University.
Jeffrey Cain
Chief Development Officer
Jeff joins GCI with over two decades of business development, and origination experience in the solar and wind industry. Most recently, he was Senior Director of Business Development | Origination | Mergers and Acquisition for Trina Solar Development Solutions. Before Trina, Jeff was the Manager of a Renewables program for Farmland Reserve Inc., which was the largest agricultural cooperative in North America. In his three years with Farmland Reserve, He increased company productivity by close to 1,000%. Prior to Farmland Reserve, Mr. Cain was the Chief Operating Officer of SolarBlue, LLC., a Florida based renewables company that specialized in the exploration, investment, and development of alternative fuel source projects domestic and abroad. Before SolarBlue, Jeff was Senior Vice President of Construction Management and Operations, Nationwide, for Martifer Solar USA. Prior to joining Martifer, full time, he partnered with Martifer on several projects providing sub-contracting support through Silverwood Energy Inc., where he was the Director of Business Development for the United States. Jeff’s main duties were to create new business opportunities and partnerships with some of the leading PV firms in California. He also created new business development guidelines for Silverwood’s entry into new markets. Prior to joining Silverwood Energy Inc., Jeff was Director of Finance at PermaCity Solar Inc. where he was instrumental in closing 20-MW of deals. Before joining PermaCity Solar Inc., he was Director of Business Development at Siliken Renewable Energy, a vertically integrated module manufacturer. Before joining Siliken Renewable Energy, Jeff was President and CEO of E Solar Consulting Inc., a company focused on delivering an unbiased open architecture platform for clients looking to achieving energy independence. Previously, he was a co-founder of Camden Capital Management LLC and a Principal and Senior Trader at Klein Investment Group. Prior to moving to California in late 2001 Jeff was an Analyst in the Strategic Planning and Business Development department of Deutsche Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Long Island University, C.W. Post.
Todd Henderson
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining GCI, and with 20 years of experience in T&D, Todd has worked for various design, EPC and high voltage construction companies focusing on transmission, substation, and renewable energy projects. He brings to GCI extensive civil and vertical project experience, along with construction of T&D projects up to 500kV. Todd spent 6 years in the United States Air Force serving in a Civil Engineering squadron as a high voltage journeyman lineman. He is extremely focused on relationships, safety, quality, constructability and delivering excellence throughout all phases of the project lifecycle. He brings a wealth of experience in building teams that are safe, efficient, and effective, delivering operational results. Todd received a B.S. in Construction Management and M. Admin. in Project Management from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. Todd is a distinguished and honorably discharged Veteran, and he has received a Lifesaving Award for Heroism.
Bratcha J. Kellum
Chief of Staff
Bratcha is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel with over 20+ years of organizational leadership and human resources experience within the Department Defense. He brings a diverse background, business acumen, and unique organizational perspectives to the Chief of Staff role having led and provided human resources oversight within large organizations at every level of the Army to include combat, the 82nd Airborne Division (20K workforce), the XVIII Airborne Corps (100K+ workforce), and Headquarters, Department of the Army at the Pentagon. Bratcha also commanded the 12th Battalion, United States Military Entrance Processing Command, a geographically separated command spread across five states responsible for the acquisition of 20K+ applicants annually for military service, and also served as the Human Resources Director and a Presidential Communications Officer for the White House Communications Agency during the Obama Administration. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, with a B.S. in Management and Systems Engineering. He also holds a M.A. in Human Resources from Webster University, Saint Louis, Missouri, and is credentialed as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
Vance P. Shaw, CFA
Partner & Board Member
Vance was a sector portfolio manager and analyst at Credit Suisse Asset Management‘s Leveraged Investments Group (LIG) for over twenty years. He managed High Yield loan and bond investments focusing on the Energy sector including both Power, and Oil and Gas areas. Clients included pension funds and multinational corporate entities as well as banks and financial institutions, along with actively managed CLOs (Collateralized Loan Obligations). Vance made his first renewable power investments in 2007. Before that, Vance was a high yield bond analyst at a number of institutions including Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, Lehman Brothers and Prudential Insurance Company of America. He started his career as a bank analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Vance holds a BS in Accounting and Economics from New York University and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He also holds a Level 4 ESG Investing Certificate from the CFA (UK).