The Team
Change agent and thought leader with over 30 years of experience in the sustainable infrastructure and energy industry with thousands of projects and tens of thousands of systems across the globe under his belt and a vast network of contacts and resources that can be applied to numerous opportunities and challenges. 
Moneer H. Azzam
Principal
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Serial entrepreneur that includes founder and CEO of SolarOne Solutions, Inc. - growing it to become the US's largest solar lighting firm for public applications.
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Part time professor at the Tufts Derby Entreprenuership Center
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Founded, served on and/or chaired several trade organizations and standards organizations (e.g., SEBANE, IEC, CSL, UN's SEFA)
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Advisor to several climate-tech firms, municipal and community organizations.
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Deep technical background with extensive product commercialization and project development background.
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On a mission to facilitate equitable/inclusive projects, programs and business models that by 2030:
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offsets >1 Gigaton (metric) of GHG per year
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creates > 100 MW of flexible load/energy storage
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Community-minded, team-oriented, dedicated to diversity equity and inclusion
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Striving to reverse household and personal carbon footprint in all facets of his life with a household goal of a 2 metric ton per capita carbon footprint or less by 2030 (currently at 8 metric tons).
Recognized climate leader and a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister. With an engineering background and an MBA in Business Analytics and Machine Learning from Babson College, Rohit combines technical expertise with strategic business insights to foster sustainable innovation and growth.
Rohit Nayak
Product Lead
​​ Rohit’s professional journey includes:
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Leading initiatives to replace millions of plastic bags with sustainable alternatives, creating jobs in underserved communities and reducing plastic waste as Co-Founder and CEO of EcoAd
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Significantly scaled youth employment programs through strategic alliances as the VP of Partnerships at Medha.
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Managed a team to develop a last-mile delivery technology, improving operational efficiency and sustainability at AB InBev
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As Interim Executive Director, focused on organizational growth, enhancing partnerships, and developing revenue channels at ReDeploy NPO.
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Co-founded and devised strategies that secured substantial enterprise sales contracts and served thousands of users at the Students Forum where served as Head of Business Development
Rohit is a passionate advocate for climate action, serving as a Climate Reality Leader and UPG Sustainability Leader. He has been on the Global Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community and has spoken at international forums such as WEF Davos'16 and Horasis'16 in Liverpool, UK, to emphasize the urgency of sustainable consumption and production.
Outside of his professional work, Rohit enjoys hiking, cooking, and learning about emerging technologies.
Established community organizer and mentor around decarbonization and climate resilience efforts with a background in marketing strategy, sales, and communications. Vanessa is also the founder of  Sovations ...
Vanessa Fox
Community Lead
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Vanessa works with mission-oriented organizations who focus on achieving net zero. 
Specifically, those who are looking for thought-leading program creation and execution, including community engagement, workforce/career development with a combination of strategic marketing, communications, research, and potentially process enablement as a part of the mix.
She has consulted with a broad range of companies from startups to large global enterprises, services to software to broader technology firms. At the MIT Enterprise Forum she was Chair of the Cleantech Committee and recently stepped down as Board Director after 8 years.
Additionally, she has provided strategic marketing and advisory services to a nonprofit who is reducing the cost, carbon, and complexity of energy for nonprofits and public entities.
Given her dedication to a net zero world, she volunteers at Food Link, which rescues and distributes fresh food to people experiencing food insecurity, and to help reduce food waste.
Her passion for addressing climate change, equity, and food challenges, in combination with her business expertise, has led her to bring together like-minded professionals, sparking creative ideas to solve these perplexing issues.
Making a meaningful societal difference is very important to Vanessa.  Innovation, and those that create it, inspire her. Hence, her brand promise: Innovation for Social Impact.
A creative thinker and strategist with a decade of experience, Tejas excels in generating innovative solutions to complex challenges through robust partnerships and collaborations. ​
Tejas Farkase
Consortium Lead
Leveraging his engineering background and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Babson College, he brings fresh perspectives, identifies opportunities, and consistently delivers diverse ideas that drive impactful outcomes across various ventures. He is a Sustainable Agriculture entrepreneur and advocates mainstreaming
Agri-Tourism.
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Tejas brings a wealth of experience from diverse industries such as additive manufacturing, real estate, construction management, and agriculture.
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As a CXO and Co-Founder, led the planning and execution of a 15-acre mixed-use Agriculture Tourism Project in Central India. A one-of-a-kind project, The HighGarden, re-invented synergies between Agriculture, Real Estate, and Hospitality. It educated and empowered a farming community of 2000+ from nearby villages in sustainable farming methods and acted as a Farmers’ Market venue, providing direct market access.
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As a General Manager for a 30-year-old Real Estate and Construction Management Company, produced 30,000 SQFT of new construction and 3.8 million dollars worth of Sustainable Real Estate development in Central India.
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As an Interim Director of Operations at TruLeague Inc., a higher-ed tech platform, established the company’s operating cadence and SOPs and led strategic planning for Customer Success Management, improving cross-departmental collaboration.
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Other experiences include leading Business Development for a cloud manufacturing platform, Truventor.ai, and HAP Construction, a construction management company in mid-town Manhattan.
Tejas leads with empathy and a belief that a stranger is simply a friend yet to be met. He brings a personal touch to his work, making his audience feel connected and valued. Rooted in supporting farming communities in the past, he aims to make climate action achievable for people at all societal levels, fostering global community empowerment. Outside work, Tejas is an avid Chess aficionado, a tech enthusiast, and a kitchen gardening buff.
Proud Member of Greentown Labs Community
Largest Climatetech incubator in North America
As an active member of GTL and the driving force behind the Resilient Energy & Infrastructure Consortium, Beacon Climate is part of a thriving pool of highly capable, innovative resources in which to engage and apply in solving Climate Challenges.