Leadership
Michael Robinson
President and CEO
Mr. Robinson is the founder of Luminate, which he has led since its inception. He is an authority in independent engineering in support of project development, investment, and financing. His experience includes advisory services related to project development, contract development and negotiation, due diligence and independent engineering, mergers and acquisitions, emerging technologies, construction and commissioning, operations monitoring, economic evaluations, and environmental compliance and management. He has performed, managed or overseen advisory services and independent engineering reviews (IERs) of hundreds of utility-scale power, renewable energy, and industrial projects throughout the United States and internationally. Mr. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University.
Adam Wilson
Senior Vice President and COO
Mr. Wilson has been serving the energy industry in a variety of roles for over 15 years, with a focus on wind and solar technologies. His experience includes managing numerous due diligence reviews, advising clients on a breadth of project development and financing topics, and he leads Luminate’s wind power practice. He brings capabilities and expertise in power system design, construction management and logistics, resource assessment, project feasibility, and financial analysis in support of project financings and buy/sell-side transactions. Prior to joining Luminate, he was a Senior Implementation Consultant for McKinsey & Co. following seven years with Siemens Energy where he served as Technical Sales Manager, among other roles in traditional power generation and transmission. Mr. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University, Fuqua School of Business.
Catherine Grover
Senior Vice President
Ms. Grover has over 25 years of experience serving the energy industry, including power, renewable energy, and oil and gas. She has substantial experience in managing and leading advisory and independent engineering services in support of the development and financing of a wide range of power and energy projects. As the head of Luminate’s solar energy practice, she is a leading authority in resource consulting and assessment, and independent engineering reviews of utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) solar power projects and portfolios. Her background includes profit center management of combustion equipment, research and development of combustion based technologies, and technical due diligence and independent engineering in support of financing, M&A, and emerging technologies, construction, commissioning and operations monitoring, and economic evaluations. Prior to joining Luminate, Ms. Grover held consulting positions with other firms including Jacobs Engineering, Pearl Development Company, ADA Technologies, and KOCH / John Zink. Ms. Grover holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa, where she graduated with honors.
Derek Sanchez
Senior Vice President
Mr. Sanchez has nearly 17 years in construction and consulting, bringing considerable experience on solar and storage projects from utility-scale to C&I and residential projects, comprising a diverse platform of standalone and portfolio-aggregated assets. He has managed numerous independent engineering reviews and advisory services including early development feasibility, construction revolvers, and tax equity financing structures, among others. He has held construction positions throughout the EPC spectrum that include oversight of technical, managerial, and quality-related responsibilities with commercial project values of $100M. He brings a broad understanding of project constructability, business practices, contract compliance, risk identification and mitigation, negotiations, and key indicators of overall project status. Prior to joining Luminate, Mr. Sanchez held various managerial roles for Tepa, LLC working with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Colorado State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Breanna Peterman
Vice President
Ms. Peterman has 14 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors, spanning a wide range of technologies and applications – including oil and gas, solar, wind, energy storage, and manufacturing – and covering the full project lifecycle. She has extensive experience leading independent engineering reviews and providing technical advisory services in support of financing across a diverse portfolio of power and energy projects. Ms. Peterman is well-versed in project and stakeholder management and brings a proven ability to balance rigorous technical analysis with sound commercial judgment, applying a disciplined approach to reducing schedule, cost, and execution risk through detailed evaluation of technical data, execution strategies, and contractual frameworks. Prior to joining Luminate, she held various roles at Terna Energy and ExxonMobil. Ms. Peterman holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Marisa Bannon
General Counsel
Ms. Bannon brings more than 15 years of legal experience to her role as General Counsel, with a background focused on construction law and spanning both private practice and in-house positions at large global engineering companies. She provides practical, business-focused legal support across a range of corporate and commercial matters, including contract negotiation, insurance and risk management, compliance, and internal policy development. Ms. Bannon prioritizes taking a collaborative approach in working to deliver clear, solution-oriented guidance that supports business objectives. She holds a B.A. from Trinity College and a J.D. from Northeastern University.