Meet the Leadership
Officers
John S Martinson - Co-Founder & President
I co-founded the China Mist Tea Company in my garage in 1982 and co-nurtured it into a national and international food service iced tea business, selling it in the Fall of 2016. In January of that year, I earned an Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership (EMSL) from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability.
I got hooked on EVs in the year 2000, being one of the 700 GM EV1 “owners,” an EV I drove for 3 years until they clawed it back. Ten years later, I bought a Tesla Model S and never again owned an ICE.
On Earth Day, 2022, Peter Culin and I co-founded Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association and in January 2024, we co-founded DRIVE Electric Arizona.
I am the founder and admin for EV Road Trippers Facebook Group, a community of over 9,200 enthusiastic EV owners.
My wife, Suzanne, and I reside in Scottsdale’s Desert Foothills area. We have full rooftop solar, two Tesla Powerwall backup batteries, and two installed wall-mounted level 2 EV chargers. I drive a 2022 Rivian R1T Quad Motor and a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Peter Culin - Co-Founder, Vice President & Chairman
Peter has built a successful career in logistics, culminating in 2010 when he launched his own agency location for Scan Global Logistics.
His passion for sustainability began in 2015 when his family purchased a used Nissan LEAF, sparking a commitment to electric mobility and clean energy. Since then, they have expanded their electric fleet and embraced a more sustainable lifestyle by installing solar panels, a battery backup system, and a rainwater retention system—an investment in a greener future for their children and future generations.
Peter’s academic background includes studying chemistry at the University of Connecticut before transitioning to business finance at Central Connecticut State University. He relocated to Arizona in 2006, where he has continued to pursue his passion for innovation and sustainability.
Today, his garage is fully charged with a Rivian R1S, a Chevrolet Bolt EUV, and the original Nissan LEAF, which is still going strong. As Vice President of DRIVE Electric Arizona, Peter is proud to advocate for electric vehicles and help others discover the benefits of sustainable transportation.
Don Covert - Secretary
I am the Executive Director of the Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition (VSCCC) here in Phoenix. VSCCC is a free-standing non-profit 501(c)(3) and one of 75 Clean Cities Coalitions across the nation designated by the US Department of Energy to advocate for clean domestic fuels. We are dedicated to improving the air quality in our region by advancing the use of alternative fuels in the transportation sector.
I have 30 years of experience as an energy engineer at Southwest Gas Corporation during which time I also served as a board member of VSCCC. After retiring from Southwest Gas in 2020, I became the director of VSCCC. I am passionate about educating and promoting clean transportation technologies through my work in the coalition. When I’m not working, I enjoy exploring Arizona on my dirt bike and spending time with my family and 5 grandchildren.
Rachel Culin - Treasurer
Rachel began her electric vehicle journey in 2015 with a used 2012 Nissan LEAF and now drives a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV, appreciating the freedom from range anxiety. She and her family prioritize living a sustainable lifestyle, incorporating solar panels, a Powerwall backup system, and rainwater retention to reduce their environmental impact.
Rachel holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Arizona State University (2006) and has a strong background in Accounting, Bookkeeping, and Business Administration. She plays a critical administrative and Human Resources role in the small freight business she and her husband own.
Currently serving as the Treasurer of DRIVE Electric Arizona, Rachel is passionate about creating a more equitable and sustainable future. She believes that electric vehicles play a pivotal role in achieving this goal and is committed to advocating for clean transportation solutions. Rachel and her husband, Peter, are raising their two children with a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.
Board of Directors
Shaun Barnette
Shaun Barnette is a Board Member for School Fleet Engagement. Shaun lives in the City of Goodyear where he has been a school bus driver for the last 6 years. Prior to becoming a school bus driver, he retired from Maricopa County Sheriff's Office with 25 years of service. His personal philosophy is simple - be an asset to your community. Shaun uses past experience and training to safely transport students to educational opportunities. Fleet electrification is the next step to enhancing student transportation safety by protecting them from exposure to harmful exhaust emissions. An active member of the Electric Vehicle Association for the last 2 years, Shaun has enjoyed driving his EV on road trips, participating in car shows as well as ride and drive events.
Bill Brandt
Experienced university and global oil and gas executive. Relevant background in governance and delegations, mergers and acquisitions and renewable energy. Open, conscientious, strategic and focused on understanding customer value propositions. Values achievement and problem solving.
Specialties: Innovation, Strategic Thinking, Technology to market, commercial and cross cultural negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, business development, 'C' suite social media and mentoring.
John Deming
I grew up in a small Northeastern town and learned the importance of using my education and experiences to serve others. My family moved to Florida in the 1972. In 1981, I enrolled at Florida State University, majoring in Hospitality Management and Marketing. My (40) year sales career included selling products and services to Restaurants and the Newspaper Industry throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 1990, I moved to Phoenix and changed my career focus to sell electrical energy conservation products.
In 2023, a valued friend asked me to become his Dealership’s EV Champion. My three roles include, training the sales team on how to properly present Ford’s Electric vehicles. In addition, I am the store’s Ambassador to (5) local Chamber of Commerce entities that we have proudly supported for (14) years. My third role is to ensure that our EV customers feel comfortable and confident enough to make their own EV or ICE purchase decision. And if they did choose an EV, that they feel immediately supported and educated about their purchase. Currently, I drive a Rapid Red, 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-e (GT).
I am honored to be a board member of a such a learned, volunteer group, and look forward to doing my part to help the public learn more about the entire EV space.
Paul Hirt
Paul Hirt is an Emeritus Professor of History and Sustainability at Arizona State University. His research and teaching focused on water, energy and natural resources. He retired in 2020 and moved with his wife to the remote Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona, 70 miles from the nearest grocery store! Paul and Linda bought their first Tesla (Model 3) in 2017 and since 2020 have only owned electric vehicles, currently a Model Y. They are also fans of e-bikes. Paul was an elected member of the board of directors of Salt River Project, the nation's largest public power utility, from 2016-2020 where he advocated for the transition to clean energy and more sustainable use of water resources. After retiring and moving to rural Cochise County Paul co-founded and currently serves as president of the Chiricahua Land Conservancy.
Ellen Kennedy
Ellen Kennedy is a principal on the Carbon-Free Transportation team at RMI and manages its Clean, Equitable, Efficient Transportation initiative. Ellen leads an interdisciplinary team focused on equitable charging solutions for multifamily communities; mode shift to electric light duty, micro, and shared mobility options; and decarbonization strategies connecting land use, housing, and transportation.
Prior to joining RMI, Ellen served as the City of San Diego’s Zero Emissions Vehicles Program Manager and worked on residential charging programs for PG&E’s Regulatory and Compliance team. A lifelong learner, she holds a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota, a certificate in Corporate Sustainability and Innovation from Harvard University, a certificate in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from Yale University, and an Envision Sustainability Professional credential.
Carl Knapp
Carl Knapp is a recently retired Electrical Power Generation Application Engineer and Business Development Manager from Cummins.
After graduating from Michigan Technical University in 1980 with a BSEE focusing on electrical and nuclear power he started his electrical career at the utility Indiana & Michigan (AEP). From there he spent the next 19 years in Executive Engineering Sales and Management at Square D (Schneider Electric) followed by a short stint in a leadership role with Thomas & Betts (ABB) and a small company representing T&B, Broan/NuTone and Leviton while working on the side in a successful startup IT company.
For 14 plus years he worked at Cummins who is one of the world’s leading diesel engine manufacturers. One of his many roles there was to provide electrical engineering support for prime and backup emergency electrical services along with emissions education to electrical consultant firms, government entities, AHJs( Area Having Jurisdiction), utilities and major end users across the Western states.
Being diagnosed early in his childhood as being highly dyslexic, he learned to educate himself on what he could do and overcome what he could not. This diagnosis led him to a passion in educating himself in new technology, one of which is electric vehicles and writing code for home automation. Presently Carl does not own an electrical vehicle but is the process of purchasing one shortly.
Bob Levitan
I was a co-owner and Director of Operations of a five-store chain of industry recognized, independently owned paint and decorating stores in the metro Boston area for 26 years. My partner and I sold the business in 2016. Prior to that, I spent 15 years in the retail and wholesale building materials world. I currently provide consulting services to independent paint and decorating retailers concerning all business matters from start-up to exit.
I was a board member for a not-for-profit house of worship for over 10 years and was an active member of the new building design and construction committee of the same organization.
In 2019 I took the plunge into EV ownership with an Audi e-tron SUV. Today our household is a two EV family with a 2022 Lucid Air GT and a 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 sedan. Our home has solar panels on the roof and storage batteries in the garage.
I always look forward to educating people about the benefits of EV ownership, dispelling the myths and preserving our environment.
My wife and I have owned a home in Scottsdale since 2008 and became full time residents of Arizona in 2018.
Suzanne Martinson, Ph.D
EVs came into my life in 2000 when my husband, John, leased a GM EV1. It was everything you could imagine an EV to be – fast and efficient, with a Jetson-like appearance and an amazing sounding (and feeling!) acceleration. Fast forward to today, I drive a Tesla Model X – still fast and efficient, unique in appearance with the Falcon Wing passenger doors, and an awesome acceleration. In addition, it has become the family road trip car (logging 11,000 miles in the summer of 2023 and 8,000 miles in the summer of 2024), hauler (storage boxes, large dogs, hay), and daily driver. With our wall-mounted EV chargers, Tesla Powerwall backup batteries and rooftop solar, my commitment – and appreciation – for EV living continues to grow.
My work as an educator with students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) is focused in the areas of psychology, communication, and online learning. As a communications professional, I work with non-profit organizations and businesses to achieve their goals to more effectively connect with their audience and clients. I am thrilled to be a part of DRIVE Electric Arizona and support the organization’s mission to provide awareness and education for the adoption of electric vehicles throughout the state of Arizona.
John Morrill
My first "EV" was a Fisker Karma I bought in 2015. [If you've never heard of it, Google it!!] Today, we'd describe the Karma as a "Serial Hybrid", but at the time it was classed as an "Electric Vehicle with a Range Extender". The drivetrain was strictly electric with a 50-mile battery range, and it gave me access to the HOV lanes. I drove it for 40,000 miles - the vast majority of which were purely electric. The small and rarely used gas engine functioned only as an electrical generator/battery charger. For the 2014 environment, it was an excellent “bridge car” to full EVs. To be honest, I fell in love with that car BEFORE I ever knew it was electric. But I quickly became addicted to the smooth, rapid acceleration without any shifting. And I appreciated how much better it was for the environment when I drove electric. The car was stunningly beautiful and quite rare. I started taking it to car shows - especially EVA and Drive Electric events. I became hooked at engaging with the public.
Since then, I’ve had a Jaguar I-Pace, a Chevy Bolt (for my son), a Kia EV6, and my latest (and favorite) is a 2024 Cadillac Lyriq. We’ve been back and forth to IL, Denver, and Las Vegas in the Lyriq. Our EV6 won a trophy for Best EV at the 2023 Kingman Route 66 Fun Run/Car Show. It’s an excellent EV for the money, and charges like a demon. I’ve been a board member for the EVA and now Drive Electric AZ for the past couple of years. And I’m a pretty regular participant at all events. I make the most of my personal experience and I also research quite a bit, and I enjoy sharing my knowledge.
Nicolas Quinones
Nick Quinones is an Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy Program Manager at Salt River Project (SRP), one of the nation’s largest public power utilities and has been working for SRP over 13 years. Nick is focused on engaging with internal and external stakeholders to help SRP achieve its 2035 Sustainability goals of supporting the adoption of 1 million EVs in its territory and managing 90% of the EV charging, while maintaining grid reliability, enhancing the customer experience, and building a sustainable future for all. Prior to his current position, Nick worked to maintain SRP’s generation fleet and advocated on behalf of SRP on a variety of issues at the Federal level. Nick bought his first EV, a Cadillac Lyriq, in 2023, and is excited with the variety of new EVs that are being developed, as well as for the potential future commercialization of solid-state batteries.
Marc Wenning
I have been working in the IT field for over 20 years, the majority of that time spent working with SharePoint, O365 and mostly recently helping companies with Process Documentation, Process Automation, RPA and E-Sign. I have had solar panels on my house since 2009 and got my 1st EV in 2018 which was a Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD, and now drive a 2021 Tesla Model Y Performance.
Hans Klose
Chair, Tribal Nations
Hans Klose is the founder and owner of Sovereign Sustainable Initiatives LLC based on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Sovereign Sustainable Initiatives develops sustainable energy systems in Native American communities in the southwestern United States.
Hans is also on the board of directors for Plug In America and is the founder and president of the Tribal Nations Chapter chapter of DRIVE Electric Arizona – the only Native American chapter of DRIVE Electric USA, representing the Fort McDowell (Verde River), Salt River, and Gila River Native American communities within the Phoenix metropolitan area. Hans is also the Chair of DRIVE Electric Arizona’s Working Group on Native Communities. He is also board member of DRIVE Electric Arizona and a member of the DRIVE Electric Arizona Chapter Advisory Committee.
Hans is an enrolled member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (located next to Scottsdale, Arizona). His father is a German immigrant, and his mother was a full-blooded Pima (Akimel O’odham) Native American. Hans grew up in Arizona on the Salt River, Gila River, and Tohono O’odham reservations before attending Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where he received his B.A. in religion.