Left to right, Mark Finlay, Alexa Voytek (Director), and Kaitlyn Jauch (Co-Director) are the key staff that handle all aspects of the projects, programs, and events that MWTCF manages.
In 2000, David Pelton began efforts to establish a “Middle Tennessee Clean Fuels” with some assistance provided by the Tennessee State Energy Office. Pelton pulled together numerous partners and entities to develop the MTCF Program Plan that was submitted to the DOE Clean Cities Program in 2004, and that was approved later that year. MTCF held it’s designation ceremony on consecutive days alongside the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition (ETCF) and was designated on October 13, 2004.
David managed the program until the late 00’s when Atha and Bart Comiskey took over the reigns of managing the coalition. The wife-and-husband combo helped further develop programs like the establishment of a more earnest biofuels development system whereby more fleets used E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel and more public stations were developed for both fuels in the greater Nashville (7-8 county) area. Atha Comiskey worked with numerous fleets and took the lead in developing a stronger board of directors for the coalition, including bringing many high-profile fleets on-board including UPS and Waste Management, who are now the top two alt-fuel-using fleets in Tennessee – UPS through the use of LNG and some LNG as RNG in almost 400 class 8 tractors across the state, and WM through the use of CNG in over 150 trucks in various locations across the state.
The Comiskeys served until around 2016 and it was during the ensuing two years where collectively the two coalitions as of then – ETCF and MTCF – decided to redraw our regions to encompass the entire state and rename MTCF to the “Middle-West Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition” (MWTCF). In 2016 and 2017, with the assistance of ETCF, MWTCF began contracting with the TDEC Office of Energy Programs (OEP) for the staff that work for MWTCF, and since 2017 multiple staff have led the work of MWTCF, with Alexa Voytek serving as the Coalition Director. As of 2024, Mark Finlay and Kaitlyn Jauch are the other TDEC OEP staff that also work on MWTCF efforts and initiatives, and Tennessee is lucky to have this crew doing alt-fuels work in Tennessee!
The MWTCF team during the 2025 Drive Electric TN Momentum Summit held at the Middle Tennessee State University campus in June 2025.
Kaitlyn Jauch and intern Ava Leathers worked with the Drive Electric Nashville team to hold multiple events in the Middle TN area in 2024 and 2025.
Kaitlyn Jauch managed three first responder workshops in early 2025 that were provided to local fire departments and other first and second responders in their communities.
Mark Finlay speaks during the 2022 Drive Electric TN Momentum Summit in Knoxville, TN.
Counties served in MWT: Bedford, Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Crockett, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Giles, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Montgomery, Moore, Obion, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Wayne, Weakley, Williamson, Wilson.
Note that MWTCF staff help on projects and initiatives that are statewide – we work as a collaborative team.
Tim is currently the UPS ‘Vice President U.S. Domestic OPs Coordinator’ and is responsible for Automotive Operations encompassing all 50 states and ground support equipment (GSE) globally. Throughout Tim’s 39-year career at UPS, he has had the opportunity to work with multiple conventional and alternative fuel platforms and has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the use of alternative fuels within the UPS fleet.
With over 29 years’ experience in non-profit management, communications and marketing, Henry serves as the chief organizational liaison with area businesses, governmental entities community organizations and key constituent groups to build support for better transportation planning and services. Henry is responsible for the executive leadership and management of The TMA Group, ensuring that optimum results are achieved for existing programs and services while conceptualizing and developing new programs and funding opportunities. Henry is a 2011 Graduate of the Transit Citizens Leadership Academy Inaugural Class, and serves as volunteer Associate Executive Director of Leadership Franklin; and is a 2011 graduate of the program. Henry holds a graduate degree in Non-Profit Management, as well as an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Physics. She is a long-time Williamson County resident. Henry has a daughter, who is a local veterinarian.
Philip Lim is the Strategy Execution & Analytics Administrator at Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) since 2020. In his current role, he serves as the liaison representing MTE on various electrification program in the State of Tennessee (TDEC & TDOT) and within the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) service territory in middle Tennessee. Philip has led and secured funding to support the EV’s Journey at MTE resulting in the deployment of three EV’s fast chargers along the three interstate corridors (I24, I40, & I65) in middle Tennessee. He also supports MTE’s fleet electrification’s strategic goals and assists in the deployment of various level 2 EV’s chargers for the workplace. Philip has over 35 years of electric utility experience in various roles. He holds a Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Tennessee.
Prof. Pingen Chen joined the ME Department at Tennessee Technological University as a tenure-track assistant professor and founded the Automotive Powertrain and Emissions Control Laboratory (APECL) in August 2016. Previously, he was a controls and diagnostics senior engineer at the Cummins Technical Center in Columbus, IN, for two years. He received the B.E. degree in Automotive Engineering from Jilin University, Changchun, China, in 2008. He received his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University, Morgantown, in 2010, and Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University, Columbus, in 2014. Dr. Chen is the author or co-author of more than 68 peer-reviewed publications including 21 journal articles, 46 conference papers, and 1 patent. Dr. Chen’s research activities have been supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Tennessee Tech University, Cummins Inc., Denso, and Nissan. His research interests include the modeling, estimation, on-board diagnostics, control, and optimization of various vehicular systems such as hybrid and electric vehicles, automated and connected vehicles, internal combustion engine (Diesel/gasoline/natural gas), aftertreatment systems, and alternative/renewable fuels.
Alexa Voytek is the Director for the Middle-West Tennessee Clean Cities Coalition as well as a Deputy Director for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of Energy Programs. Alexa leads various grant programs, energy efficiency and sustainable transportation initiatives, and oversees external communications efforts. In her role as Clean Cities Director, she seeks to encourage local fleets to adopt alternative fuel vehicles and advanced vehicle technologies in order to reduce petroleum dependence and improve air quality. Prior to joining TDEC, Voytek interned with the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development and the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia. Most recently, she served as Assistant Account Executive for New York City-based public relations firm Ketchum, Inc., where she was assigned to energy and technology-related projects. She holds an M.A. from Columbia University in Russian, Eastern European, Balkan, and Eurasian Studies and graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in History and Russian Language/Area Studies.
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Kaitlyn Jauch is the Co-Director of the Middle-West Tennessee Clean Cities Coalition as well as a Grants Program Coordinator for the TDEC’s Office of Energy Programs. She serves as a technical resource for fleets and individuals evaluating alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies and contributes to a variety of grant programs, sustainable transportation initiatives, and assists external communications efforts. Prior to joining TDEC, Kaitlyn graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Environmental Science. While at the University of South Carolina, she interned for the South Carolina Energy Office and Palmetto Clean Fuels, the Clean Cities and Communities coalition in South Carolina.
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Mark is a staff member of the Middle-West Tennessee Clean Cities Coalition as well as a Senior Energy Analyst for TDEC’s Office of Energy Programs. He works to advance sustainable transportation programming and assists MWTCF in the various programs and initiatives she takes the lead on, in both his roles in MWTCF and TDEC. Mark joined TDEC in 2019 after earning an M.P.A. with a focus on Environmental Policy and Administration from Syracuse University and an M.P.S. in Sustainable Energy from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In Syracuse, Mark worked with the Central New York Clean Cities Coalition to promote the use of alternative fuels in the region. Mark graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.
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