We are committed to Diversity.Inclusion.Equity and Climate Justice.

Our Leadership

Roy E. McAlister

Founder & President

Roy McAlister has been a professional engineer, author, and humanitarian for over fifty years. Roy is an inventor who holds over 300 patents in renewable energy. He also holds Master of Science degrees in Metallurgy, Materials Science, and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas.

Roy’s innovations have created multiple solutions to achieve climate change mitigation, unlimited clean energy, and sustainable prosperity worldwide. With a new way to harvest hydrocarbons, the productive use of carbon changes the economic viability of hydrogen fuel.

Kathleen McAlister

Co-Founder & Director

Kathleen McAlister is the co-founder of The Hydrogen Association and a lifelong advocate for the use of hydrogen as the ultimate zero-emissions energy carrier.

Kathy was the administrative center of the organization in its early decades. She coordinated classes and public events for The Hydrogen Association and was a driving force in the vision for the International Renewable Resources Institute, now the Institute for Sustainable Prosperity. She was the original publisher of the association’s Hydrogen Today newsletter, which is carried forward by the American Hydrogen Association today.

Sara Enochs

Director

Sara Enochs has been involved with developments in clean hydrogen, climate change mitigation, and renewable resources virtually her entire life. She is deeply committed to the vision of the Solar Hydrogen Civilization: renewable solar energy stored and carried by renewably-produced hydrogen.

Sara quotes Founder Roy McAlister:

“Our first task is educating the public and stimulating demand, so that industry and the marketplace will provide the new products and services we need. This is where the members of the Hydrogen Association can join together, share information, and create social change for our own prosperity and quality of life, and for that of future generations.”

Claude Culbertson

Director

Clyde Stanley

Director

Richard Otto

Executive Director

Richard Otto became the Vice President of The Hydrogen Association in 2007 and currently functions as its Executive Director. He also serves as CEO of Metrol Carbon Ventures, Inc. In this capacity, he plays a central role in coordinating the nonprofit and for-profit organizations within the McAlister Climate Enterprise Network.

Mr. Otto has over 30 years of experience in organizational development and training. His work has specialized since 2006 in the research, development, deployment, and commercialization of renewable resource technologies to solve the climate crisis.

Chrystal Snyder

THA Director of Programs &
CEO, Institute for
Sustainable Prosperity

Chrystal Snyder’s extensive career in government and the private sector laid the foundation for her current work in renewable energy and climate change mitigation.

Ms. Snyder has been a researcher and analyst in the field of renewable energy and long-term sustainable prosperity as a consultant for McAlister Technologies since 2008. She directs the work of The Hydrogen Association’s science education division, the Institute for Sustainable Prosperity. Her expertise in curriculum development and community engagement guide the Institute’s educational programs.

Michael Paulus PhD, DBA, CSM

SGEI Regional Innovation Officer
Liaison, Georgia Hydrogen- Carbon Ventures, Inc.

Dr. Paulus is the Regional Innovation Officer of the Southeast Green Energy Innovations Tech Hub Consortium (SGEI). He is a seasoned leader with extensive experience in strategy, organizational development, and large-scale program management with over 100 successful projects to his credit. His program acumen includes strategic business innovation and execution, including directing enterprise programs with assets and capital oversight exceeding $30 billion.

Dr. Paulus is the Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Hydrogen-Carbon Ventures, Inc., a start-up green-tech enterprise focused on clean hydrogen and sustainable carbon materials production. Georgia Hydrogen-Carbon Ventures, Inc. is a founding member of the SGEI Consortium.

Henry Whitlow

Community Development Officer
Liaison, Clark Atlanta University

Henry Whitlow is a speaker, author, business architect, and professor at Clark Atlanta University. He is recognized nationally as a senior examiner and trainer of organizational effectiveness for Baldrige applicants applying for recognition for their management expertise.

Mr. Whitlow is a Lean Six-sigma Master Champion, Certified Executive Coach by the International Coaching Federation, Harvard MBA in Finance and Information Technology, and former winner of Computer World’s Groupware Service Provider of the year. His unique skills include ISO Certifications, Project Management, Facilitation, Benchmarking, Financial Modeling, and Statistical Process Control.

Dennis Sassaman

Finance

Dennis Sassaman began consulting with Roy McAlister and Richard Otto and their management team in early 2021 on the development of the business structure and ESG standards. He plays a lead role in coordinating investment and fundraising initiatives that support the Hydrogen Association’s programs.

Mr. Sassaman is the founder and CEO of Merchant Capital Bancorp, a business development holding company and advisory firm, providing consulting services to a wide variety of industries, including Main Street and Middle Market emerging growth companies under the dba Performance Based Solutions.

Barbara Sparks

Strategic Communications

Before joining the IFSP team, Ms. Sparks worked as a consultant, writer, curriculum developer, and editor. Her specialty is helping organizations deliver complex messages to diverse audiences.

Ms. Sparks co-founded Ridgewood Associates in 1986 and served as Vice President through 2018. There, she managed traditional and digital communication projects for a national client base. She worked with clients in the public, nonprofit, and education sectors. Projects involved strategy, marketing, web development, e-learning, and more.

David Vasquez EdD

Educational Media

Dr. Vasquez is a communications and project-visualization specialist in graphic art, animation, video production and renewable resources. His Doctorate Degree is from the University of San Francisco with projects in filmmaking, urban planning, bio-science, computer graphics and instructional design.

Science & Engineering Advisers

Victor B. Lawrence, PhD

Senior Research Scientist &
Director of the Center for Intelligent Networked Systems (iNetS) & former Associate Dean and Batchelor Chair Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology

Dr. Lawrence was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2016 …more