Our Team

Tony is a proven leader with over 30 years in the retail and wholesale energy markets. He has served in various roles in Executive Management, Sales, Regulatory and General Management. As a result, he has dedicated his career to assisting utilities, industrial and commercial customers manage energy requirements enabling them to reduce costs and mitigate risk.

Tony has in-depth experience on both the supply side as well as the advisory side of the business. Tony helped co-found and grow a regional retail energy supplier that was ultimately acquired by a larger supplier. He also helped build an energy brokerage company as a member of the leadership team. Consequently, he tripled the company’s energy procurement revenues while broadening its service offerings as well as later positioning the company for acquisition at 18x EBITDA. More recently, Tony helped lead an Australian energy software company’s US entry by establishing organic sales while acquiring an energy efficiency rebate management firm. Under his leadership, the firm went from negative to positive earnings in less than a year.

Tony holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. He is also a past board member of TEAM (Texas Energy Association of Marketers) and a current board member of Madison Energy Cooperative.

Nicole “Nikki” Brown joined the EnerConnex team in June 2021, from Electrasource Advisors, where she was the Director of Pricing and Operations. She has over 12 years’ experience within the energy industry.  She began her career back in 2008 with Gulf States Energy (GSE), as a Sales Coordinator and Pricing Analyst. Her extensive knowledge and experience within ERCOT markets have helped her excel in various way throughout her career.  Nicole’s highly committed, adaptable, organized, and energetic personality have helped her possess an extraordinary skill for results and success in her career.

Brian is a retail energy sales leader with over 22 years of experience. As a result, he has worked a lot of roles for energy suppliers as well as brokerage firms. He helped found, build, oversee and also sell an energy brokerage company. Furthermore, the company had over 10M in annual sales. Additionally, Brian is involved in energy procurement and efficiency, as well as experience in sustainability services for large commercial and industrial customers since California, deregulated in 1998.

Brian started his career in a sales role at Reliant Energy in 1998. Afterward, he worked with Enron and Shell Trading. Then he helped launch GSE Consulting in 2002 where he served as President for over nine years. GSE Consulting was eventually sold to World Energy Solutions in late 2011.

He was one of the founding members of TEPA formed in 2005. TEPA is a 501 (c) organization specializing in providing market knowledge to energy consumers. It also upholds the integrity of the deregulated retail energy markets. He helped develop a standardized code of conduct as well as bylaws. Finally, Brian received his Bachelors at CU Boulder.

Tom Dufraine joined the SJI family in mid-2019. He has a background in education administration, where he managed charter schools and earned two Masters degrees, all while raising twins. Tom was part of Applied Energy Partners for 9 years prior to transitioning over to the EnerConnex team in his current role. Tom’s technology savvy, organizational skills and natural affinity for other people have made a huge contribution to the company’s remarkable growth. He is one of the client-facing keystones of our successful auction process.

Rick Gallagher, (Vice President, Sales & Business Development) has served in various capacities throughout his 16-year career at SJI including, solar and renewable development, energy efficiency, marketing, retail energy, and utility sales. Rick has experience negotiating and contracting with large industrials, universities, hospitals and municipalities.

These experiences shaped Rick’s belief that the best way to service a valued customer base was to act as their agent in finding the most cost effective, reliable energy opportunities. As a result, he initiated SJI fully acquiring EnerConnex in 2020 to grow SJI’s energy consulting business.

Rick graduated from Denison University and later received his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. His charitable involvement includes, Meals on Wheels, Covenant House, Harvey Avenue Super Bowl Food Drive, and keeping the considerable ego of his daughter Mackenzie in check. Physically residing in Doylestown, PA, Rick enjoys live music, backpacking, snowboarding, mountain biking and considers the entire country his home.

Jim Hooven is responsible for advising businesses in the Northeast on the energy solutions and strategies provided by EnerConnex.

Prior to joining the EnerConnex team, Jim was a member of the leadership teams at Profit Point Inc., Clutch Holdings and Delaware Valley Urology. Jim was responsible for leading high-performing teams in customer service, operations, account management and business development.

For the better part of the past 11 years, Jim has been advising brands on marketing strategies to better understand their customers and increase revenue. Jim enjoys partnering with business owners to incorporate strategic energy plans that allow them to lay out clear budgets and reduce costs.

When Jim is not with our customers, he can most likely be found on the field or court coaching one of his children. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, and watching Philly sports teams.

Kelly Mallin has been in the sales/account management field for the past ten years and has worked in the energy consulting world for the past 5. Her current role is Senior Account Executive for EnerConnex. Kelly earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Louisville. After graduation, she worked for a small national intermodal management company, traveling throughout the nation and working with many different customers.

This experience helps her in working with the many industry sectors available, as she has a broad knowledge of them. Kelly has customers that are based in the restaurant and hospitality, manufacturing, printing, paper, concrete, transportation and chemical fields. She helps them to manage energy budgets, establish and maintain buying strategies, and improve energy efficiency. Kelly currently resides in Monmouth County, NJ with her four-legged animals and husband, Andrew, and believes in supporting local businesses.

Kyle Mason has been with EnerConnex since 2019 and has been in the Energy Advisory services field for almost 10 years prior.  His role with EnerConnex as a Market Manager allows him to provide critical market insight to help customers navigate the ever-changing electricity and natural gas markets.  Kyle also produces EnerConnex’ weekly Market Update commentary and manages the team’s data and forecasting models.  Outside of work, Kyle enjoys playing golf, flag football, and basketball and staying active with his 5-year-old black lab.

Erin McAfee is an experienced marketing professional with a demonstrated history of working in the deregulated energy industry for the past 6 years. Skilled in event marketing, lead management & generation and email marketing, Erin works closely with the EnerConnex sales team to help them succeed.  

Prior to joining the team in 2015, Erin graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, where she played Division 1 Lacrosse and was highly involved with THON, one of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. She is a New Jersey native, and enjoys spending time with her family, husband, Mike and chocolate lab, Stanley.

Eric is an accomplished retail energy sales leader with 26 years of experience in developing long-term business-to-business relationships. Additionally, he has worked in numerous leadership roles for energy suppliers as well as brokerage companies. All while maintaining one of the largest books of business in the industry. Areas of expertise include; electricity and natural gas procurement, energy conservation, demand response, and distributed generation.

Eric began his career at Enron Energy Services working in various sales roles. As Director of Sales, he was responsible for growing new and emerging markets as well as maximizing electricity & natural gas market share. Eric joined Energy Gateway in 2002 where he was a Managing Partner & Vice President. Eric was instrumental in helping to build the company. He also contributed to creating one of the first online exchanges for electricity and natural gas transactions. In 2007 Energy Gateway was acquired by World Energy Solutions. During his 8 years at World Energy Solutions, Eric was VP of Sales where he continued in developing relationships with his customers – some of whom he had worked with for over a decade and a half.

Eric firmly believes in taking care of the customer which has translated into firm and longstanding relationships over the years. He has brought this same customer-centric approach with him to EnerConnex.

As president and chief operating officer of SJI Renewable Energy Ventures (SJI REV), Donna Schempp serves as the first woman to lead one of SJI’s non-regulated, clean energy-focused business entities. In this role, she provides strategic oversight and drives full alignment of project development and execution across SJI’s collective renewable energy initiatives.

Ms. Schempp joined the company in 1992 in the accounting department on the utility-side of SJI. She advanced through various roles within accounting before transitioning to the non-utility side where she was appointed vice president of Risk Management in 2017.

In 2020, she started her next leadership position as the vice president of SJI’s Enterprise Project Management Office. In this role, she provided strategic guidance and oversight of SJI’s significant infrastructure enhancement and renewable energy project contracts.

Ms. Schempp was appointed vice president and chief operating officer of SJI Renewable Energy Ventures in 2021, where she led the organization in advancing SJI’s renewable energy initiatives. In 2022, she was named to her current position as president of SJI Renewable Energy Ventures and continues to maintain her role as chief operating officer.

An alumna of Rowan University, Ms. Schempp earned her undergraduate degree in accounting. She is the Finance Committee Chairperson for St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, and she serves as a board member and board development committee co-chair for the American Red Cross Southern New Jersey chapter. She also is an executive sponsor for SJI’s
Women Leadership Initiative which provides women with opportunities to network, volunteer, and learn skills to grow their career.

Susie Shannon joined the SJI family in mid-2019. Susie’s role is supplier-facing, and her challenge is to manage our substantial Supplier network, ensuring that they are informed about and engaged in our Clients’ auctions. Operating seamlessly with the entire team at EnerConnex, Susie has perfected an auction process that we consider to be the most effective and efficient in the industry.