Our Team and History

Our people have developed, owned, and operated over 70 solar farms nationwide.

With over 90 years of combined experience, our team has developed, owned, and operated 70+ solar farms nationwide, with projects exceeding $1.2 billion across 16 states.

With offices in Ohio, Connecticut, and California, we're dedicated to creating a brighter tomorrow for future generations.

Nicholas Minekime
Founder + CEO
Nicholas Minekime is the Founder & CEO of Sunrise Mountain Partners. He has successfully developed over 50 solar projects in 16 states. Raised in Dublin, Ohio, he is the of grandson of dairy farmers.
Previously, Nicholas served as a Managing Director at Altus Power. During his tenure, the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: AMPS).  

Prior to that, Nicholas led development and acquisitions for True Green Capital, where the firm owned and operated the largest community solar portfolio in the country.  

He has developed, owned and operated over 50 sun farms totaling more than $1.1 billion. He lives in Connecticut, with his wife and two sons. He loves riding his bike, tending his garden and growing fresh produce.

Geraldine Shen

Project Developer
Geraldine Shen is a Project Developer at Sunrise Mountain Partners. Geraldine leads origination, process management, landowner outreach, talent management and special projects.
She has run and helped launch several businesses previously, including an education company where she served as Chief Operating Officer. She is experienced in business development, fundraising, recruiting, business analytics, and general management.

She lives in a rural area of Western Massachusetts and serves on the board of the local land trust.

Geraldine enjoys baking, knitting, sewing, and spending time with her husband, three daughters, dog, and cats.

Ryan Creel

Project Development Lead
Ryan Creel leads project development activities at Sunrise Mountain Partners. He has been involved in the development of over 20 sun farms, including some of the leading distributed solar projects in New York.
Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Ryan has worked in the solar industry for his entire career. He is the Owner of Creel Consulting, a company serving the renewable energy industry.  

Previously, Ryan worked at REV Renewables, a national operator of renewable energy projects; Delaware River Solar, a developer of community solar in upstate New York; and Scotia Bank, a specialist in energy advisory.  

Ryan lives in New York and enjoys hiking, music and running marathons.

Declan Harrigan

Project Developer
Declan Harrigan is a project developer with Sunrise Mountain Partners. He assists with all aspects of renewable energy project development.
Before joining Sunrise Mountain Partners, he worked at PowerFlex, a subsidiary of EDF Renewables, where he focused on project management and construction of solar projects.

Declan is a graduate of Gettysburg College, where he played varsity lacrosse.  He enjoys sports, traveling and learning about the energy industry.

He lives in New York and is based out of the Company’s Stamford office.

Morgan Wiese

Project Developer
Morgan Wiese is a project developer at Sunrise Mountain Partners. She assists with all aspects of renewable energy project development.
Morgan was trained as a civil & environmental engineer.  She played varsity soccer during college and was a captain of Princeton University’s soccer team.  She enjoys hiking, traveling and spending time with her dog, Sunny.

Morgan lives in New York and is based out of the Company’s Stamford office.

Stephanie Martin

Land Originator
Stephanie Martin is a land originator at Sunrise Mountain Partners. She has 14 years of experience in land origination and 8 years of experience in the utility industry.
Previously, Stephanie worked at Belltown Power, a national developer of renewable energy projects. She is the Owner of CV Land Acquisitions, a company serving the renewable energy industry.

Raised in Roanoke, Virginia, Stephanie currently lives in the Fort Worth Dallas metroplex. She enjoys collecting classic and exotic cars, boating, and traveling to see beautiful rural properties all over the US.

Jacob Frank-Brown

Land Originator
Jacob is a land acquisition specialist at Sunrise Mountain Partners. He is the owner of Frank-Brown Energy LLC, a company serving the renewable energy industry.
Jacob previously worked at Piper Maddox, an industry-leading recruitment firm with an exclusive focus on the renewable energy industry.

Jacob is a New York native and attended Binghamton University. He enjoys basketball, learning about energy, and visiting museums.

Jacob lives in New York and is based out of the Company’s Stamford office.

Maria Diaz

Assistant
Maria Diaz is an assistant for Sunrise Mountain Partners. She assists with company operations and administration, real estate, title curative, and quality control.
Maria is based in the Company's Stamford office. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons and enjoys cooking and riding ATVs.

Advisory Board

Jim Daly
Senior Advisor
Jim Daly is a Senior Advisor to Sunrise Mountain Partners.  He has been asking powerful questions of leaders and organizations for over 35 years.
He is the Founder & Principal of Janus Coaching, where he coaches and counsels leaders to perform better and grow their businesses faster.

Previously, Jim has held leadership positions for several Fortune 500 corporations, including Standard & Poor’s, Kraft General Foods and News Corporation. He has also worked in commercial real estate development and venture capital.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Vermont and holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Rohan Saharia

Senior Advisor
Rohan Saharia is a Senior Advisor to Sunrise Mountain Partners.  He is currently a Partner at ERM, the world’s largest pure-play sustainability consulting firm.  
Previously, Rohan worked at True Green Capital, where he led nationwide acquisitions of renewable energy projects. Before that, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Co., where he advised energy companies on their strategy. Rohan began his career at Schlumberger, as an engineer in R&D and field operations.

He is a graduate of Manipal Academy of Higher Education and holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Rohan lives with his family in New Jersey.  He enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts and playing with his 3 year-old daughter.

Andrea Nogales

Senior Advisor
Andrea Nogales serves as a Senior Advisor to Sunrise Mountain Partners. She has been instrumental in branding, growth and strategy decisions.
She has been an investor in and owner of numerous renewable energy projects since 2013.

She holds a B.A. from Williams College and a Master’s from Lehman College in New York City.
She loves board games, March Madness, and spending time with family.