Sheila Burkholder

Senior Project Developer

Ameresco Inc

Sheila has over 30 years of experience developing successful public/private relationships and renewable projects and is a subject matter expert in using biogas sourced from landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and dairy and hog farms.

Prior to joining Ameresco, Sheila served as Sr Vice President of Business Development and Asset Management for Aria Energy, holding overall organizational responsibility for complete project development, including identifying and executing project opportunities, developing customer relationships, securing biogas feedstock rights, negotiating energy off-take contracts, presentation of Board level project CAPEX investment recommendations and all activities required to successfully bring a project from concept to commercial operation. She was integral in growing the company into an industry leader in renewable energy with over 50 projects producing 223 MW of electricity and over 500 million gallons of Renewable Natural Gas annually. Sheila created a corporate strategy to build a strong base of industry relationships and utilized innovative contract structures to facilitate execution and secure attractive offtakes. Sheila served as President of Mavrix LLC, a joint venture with BP focused on renewable natural gas, as well as the corporate representative for Aria’s renewable power joint ventures with DTE Energy. She is an active member of the Renewable Natural Gas Coalition, served as the Chairman of the coalition’s Pipeline Access Board, and is experienced in testifying before the EPA and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Sheila brought her experience to Ameresco and applies it to her role in developing biogas and energy-related projects. As a Senior Project Developer for Ameresco, she is responsible for the development of a range of projects from Renewable Energy projects to Energy Performance contracts. Her prime role is to identify and develop a project from inception through to operation, serving as the catalyst and initiator of the business structure, contract negotiation, and implementation. Sheila works with municipalities and corporations to achieve their ESG and Sustainability goals, helping to remove financial and contractual barriers, and developing project solutions that reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. She works to serve both voluntary and compliance-interested parties, with a decade of experience in the renewable vehicle fuel industry.

Sheila received her Bachelor’s in Marketing from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University and earned a Master’s in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance, from Eastern Michigan University.