East Tennessee Clean Fuels’ (ETCleanFuels) mission is to increase the use of cleaner American fuels and vehicles and energy-saving transportation technologies to improve air quality and health, curb dependence on imported petroleum and support Tennessee’s economy. More specifically, we work to implement alt fuel projects in East Tennessee, and work to make ETCleanFuels a sustainable coalition of involved participants from across East Tennessee.
ETCleanFuels is a designated coalition with the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Program, which resides within the Vehicle Technologies Program as part of the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) within DOE. Our designation ceremony was held on October 12, 2004 on the front lawn of the Headquarters for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just next door to Sugarlands Visitor Center.
The Coalition covers 47 counties in East and Middle Tennessee, and together with its partner, Middle-West Tennessee Clean Fuels, covers the entirety of Tennessee with the aim of increasing alternative fuels adoption and awareness. Together, our two Coalitions operate as “Tennessee Clean Fuels,” which serves the entire state and is made up of the staff and board members of the two state coalitions.
We have a “Board of Directors & Advisors” and the coordinator/executive director (ED) and staff of the Coalition is accountable to them. ETCleanFuels operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We maintain tax exempt status in Tennessee and provide a Corporate Annual Report and Charitable Solicitations report to the Secretary of State every year. The Coalition has a contract with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) for our full-time staff, and our offices are housed within UTK at the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE), which is located in the UT Conference Center Building in downtown Knoxville.
Counties served in Eastern half of TN: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, White
Note that ETCF staff help on projects and initiatives that are statewide – we work as a collaborative team.
Carla has over 34 years’ experience in developing and executing programs that have brought over $950 million in private and government investment to market in advanced transportation, and clean fuel and energy technologies in mobile and stationary applications. Carla has worked in positions of business development, sales, program management and federal relations. She was a member of the ETCleanFuels Board of Advisors when the Coalition received designation from the U.S. Department of Energy, and was a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed on October 12, 2004 at the official ceremony held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. York has a BA in Business Management and Business Administration.
Jan Compton is the Regional Director for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of External Affairs serving the Johnson City region. With over 20 years of experience with the Department, she seeks to promote, acknowledge, and publicize environmental excellence in Tennessee. She serves as the commissioner’s regional leasison to increase customer focus for the department by offering assistance as external customers navigate the state’s vast resources and public participation opportunities. Jan is currently Chair of the Executive Planning Committee for the Tennessee Environmental Conference which has been a portal for displaying alternative fuel vehicles, offering ride and drive programs for attendees, engaging customers through exhibit booths, and scheduling timely presentations to promote alternative fuels and air quality. Jan has served on the board for the East Tennessee Clean Fuel Coalition for 4 years. She graduated from East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health and also completed her Master’s degree in the same program.
Conseulo Capshaw is an experienced Electric Vehicle Service Equipment Sales Professional. Driven by reducing range anxiety, she takes pride in providing the best information on EV Charging Solutions. As an Executive Sales Manager, her goals include paving the way for the adoption of EV’s through the deployment and operation of EV charging infrastructure worldwide.
Dr. Scott Curran is the group leader for Fuels and Engines Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with laboratories located at the National Transportation Research Center. Curran is also a principal investigator on DOE funded research on advanced combustion and alternative fuel effects on combustion. He is also involved in multi-disciplinary science activities including advanced manufacturing, neutron sciences, well-to-wheels analysis for mobile and stationary power sources, and hybrid and electric vehicles. He is an active collaborator with DOE Clean Cities on public outreach and education around advanced vehicle technologies and alternative fuels. He is the Engine Combustion Committee Chair for SAE International and the distinguished member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and undergraduate research competition chair for the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee- Knoxville.
Happy Fox has represented Alliance AutoGas, a division of Blossman Gas, since 2016. He covers a wide range of fleets with their Autogas Program. Happy’s territory is concentrated in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Since his career with Alliance AutoGas, Happy has serviced and promoted propane Autogas as a clean, economical, domestically produced alternative to gasoline fleets. This includes review of fleet, vehicle conversion, infrastructure, refueling, training, and support, with the main focus to assist the fleet to operate a successful AutoGas Program. He is also involved with propane powered mowers and renewable propane. Happy – previously a PGA Golf Professional – has enjoyed the career changed to working with Alliance AutoGas and is glad to be a part of East Tennessee Clean Fuels.
Dr. Mingzhou Jin directs the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and is a professor and the Associate Head at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UTK. He currently holds the John D. Tickle Professorship. His research interest includes sustainability, climate change, optimization, transportation and logistics, supply chain, additive and smart manufacturing, and energy efficiency. His research has been well sponsored with more than $9 million in grants and contracts from a board spectrum of federal, local government agencies and corporations. In addition, he has received multiple research, teaching and service awards from professional organizations, Tickle College of Engineering (TCE), and the University of Tennessee, including 2020 UTK Chancellor’s Research and Creative Achievement Award and 2020 TCE Research Achieve Award. He also received TCE Teaching Fellow, Outstanding Advising, and Outstanding Service awards in the past five years. He is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Before joining UT, he worked at Mississippi State University for 10 years, from 2002 to 2011.
Chris Lowery is the Manager of Transportation for Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties, which provides reliable electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 444,000 customers. KUB’s fleet consists of more than 1,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment, and Lowery is responsible for two fleet garages, fleet purchases, fleet maintenance, and fuel purchasing and management. Over the last several years, KUB’s fleet has received numerous awards including being recognized by Government Fleet Magazine as one of the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas. Lowery has worked at KUB since 2006 serving in numerous roles in engineering, regulatory, and construction. He earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from Clemson University by completing a dual degree program that started at Furman University.
Matt is the Director of Planning for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and oversees a number of statewide mobility initiatives across the state – including Tennessee’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (TEVI) Plan. During his 20+ years as a transportation planner, Matt has managed a variety of projects and plans that support the advancement of modal equity in many areas across the Southeast United States. Matt received his BS and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering and has used his education and experience to help bridge the technical gap between project planning and implementation. He is also a Certified Transportation Demand Management Professional and a Registered Professional Engineer in Tennessee.
Jonathan is a life-long East Tennessean who truly enjoys meeting new businesses and fleets and helping them discover alternative fuels and their ROI opportunities… and in solving problems. He says, “How often do you get to work on something that helps your community and country at the same time? This job is a blast!” Jonathan founded the coalition in 2002 with the support of many area businesses, organizations, nonprofits and research groups. If you ever ask him how he’s doing, expect to hear “Better than I Deserve” because he feels blessed by God and is genuinely happy to live and work in beautiful Tennessee… and has been the recipient of not one but two kidneys from other families through organ donation.
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Daniel is a transplant to East Tennessee; born in Canada, they moved south in 2016 and have come to admire the area’s mountains, culture, and history. Daniel is a problem solver with an eye for detail and a nose for creative solutions to difficult problems. They are an exuberant optimist about the future! They’re an experienced project manager and rhetorician, a digital media expert, and loves working with the passionate people on this team. In their spare time, you’ll find Daniel working in their gardens, hiking in the mountains, cooking, reading philosophy, or obsessively collecting fancy perfumes (their collection currently totals an embarrassing 120 bottles).
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Savannah Robertson is a cat mom, runner, green thumb enthusiast, wannabe beekeeper, lover of the environment and an East Tennessee native. Savannah’s greatest passions lie within supporting people to thrive in our ever changing, modern-day world. Naturally, these passions landed her a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, a 200 Hour yoga instructor certification, and a social marketing certification. After teaching mathematics/algebra and coaching cross country for a few years, Savannah managed a juice bar in Market Square and hosted yoga workshops. Before joining ETCleanFuels, Savannah managed Smart Trips, a federally funded program that encourages sustainable transportation. At work, you will find Savannah managing DET’s working groups, planning events, and forgetting to unmute herself on Zoom. Outside of work, you can find Savannah backpacking on trails she found on AllTrails, hanging out with friends, and fact checking her cat.
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Ainsley is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a major in Journalism and Electronic Media and a minor in English. She joined the ETCleanFuels team as part of the Clean Cities University Workplace Development Program (CCUWDP) in June 2020 and now is a full-time employee. She is happy to put her research, writing, and media management skills to good use. Outside of work, she is an avid concert-goer, lover of animals (especially her kitten, Mojito), listens to podcasts, and is passionate about advocacy and leaving the world better than she found it.
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Madelyn is no stranger to ETCleanFuels. She joined the organization in 2019 as the Digital Media Coordinator through the University of Tennessee Federal Work-Study program and then continued her position after graduation through the Clean Cities University Workplace Development Program (CCUWDP). After completing the CCUWDP program, she left ETCleanFuels to focus on expanding her community organizing experiences.
Fast forward to today, Madelyn is thrilled once again to join ETCleanFuels as a project manager to help make her home a greener and cleaner place to be, especially for the most vulnerable populations of Tennessee! When Madelyn is not working on intersectional sustainable transportation, you can find her teaching community dance classes and working on her naturalist skills in the urban wilderness.
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Jenni is a native of East Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. She comes to ETCleanFuels with a wide array of professional experience and is happy to see all of her skills coming together in one place. Jenni is excited to be a part of the non-profit world and can’t wait to see what comes next!
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Lily’s experience as an environmental scientist sparked a passion in environmental justice. Her interest and dedication to environmental justice led her to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her MA in Sociology with a concentration in environmental sociology in 2022. Lily is eager to bring her environmental and social science expertise to the ETCleanFuels team. She looks forward to fortifying the efforts of the EMPOWER project. In her spare time, Lily can be found playing court volleyball, keeping too many plants alive, dancing while cooking, or whispering sweet nothings to her dog Milo.
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Marisa’s love of storytelling led her to pursuing multiple English degrees–a journey that ultimately taught her about community, belonging, and compassion. A lifelong learner, she is frenetic in her interests and blames a life of learning on her desire to try a little bit of everything. Marisa has worked as a dance teacher, tour guide, event planner, yoga teacher, lecturer, and writer, and she feels a deep need to bring groups of people together (especially over food and drink).Marisa is excited about the opportunity to join ETCleanFuels as a Communications Assistant, and is invigorated by work that strives to make the world a better place. While not working, she enjoys perusing the library shelves for her next favorite read, dividing affection between her cat, Rory, and her Beagle mix, Rumi, and trying out new recipes.
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Valerie is a student at The University of Tennessee majoring in Sustainability. Her capstone project working with Drive Electric TN sparked her interest in electric energy as well as her passion for the environment and reducing human impact on the Earth. When not at work or school, you can find Valerie cuddling with her cat, Ollie, thrifting, or crafting.
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Mailing Address
East Tennessee Clean Fuels
311 Conference Center Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-4134
Backup Mailing Address
East Tennessee Clean Fuels
University of Tennessee Conference Center
600 Henley Street, Suite 311
Knoxville, TN 37902
Physical Address
650 Locust Street
Knoxville, TN 37902
(Google map link)
Parking Lot Address
Locust Street Garage
540 Locust Street SW
Knoxville, TN 37902
(Google map link)