Team

Dr. Annick Anctil is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental engineering (75%) and AgBio Research (25%), where she leads research on anticipatory sustainability assessment. She uses proactive sustainability assessment to reduce the environmental and cost impact of new technologies. Dr. Anctil has extensive experience with life-cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA). The core of her research is evaluating the environmental impact of photovoltaics and battery technologies, particularly the effect of mining and recycling materials for energy applications. She uses life cycle assessment to identify critical steps in current technologies and guide greener alternatives by combining theoretical and experimental environmental assessment. She is the assistant director of the DOE-MSU Industrial Assessment Center and received an NSF CAREER award in 2021 to work on the impact of the solar photovoltaics industry in the US. She participated in the NSF International Standard on Sustainability Leadership for Photovoltaics Module and the EPEAT Ultra-low carbon solar modules criteria based on her expertise in manufacturing. She has received funding from various sources, including NSF, USDA, DOE, Ford, MI Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and various industrial partners. She is on the Michigan Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) board of directors and on the Scientific Committee for Critical and Strategic Materials for the Quebec Government (Canada).

Briana Parker serves as the Senior Director of the Accelerator at Elevate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing equitable solutions for clean and affordable heat, power, and water in homes and communities. In her role, Briana oversees the strategic direction, development, and execution of the Accelerator, fostering partnerships with community-based organizations that lead the charge in addressing climate and environmental crises. She is deeply committed to supporting mission driven organizations by facilitating capacity-building initiatives, providing technical assistance, and designing tailored programs that ensure communities disproportionately affected by environmental inequities.
In addition to her work at Elevate, Briana is a part-time social work professor at Wayne State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses that center on community development, equity, and ethical social work practices. A skilled facilitator and systems thinker, Briana excels in creating collaborative spaces that enable meaningful dialogue, foster consensus, and drive collective action. She has led transformative workshops, retreats, and training sessions focused on environmental justice, organizational development, mindfulness, and equity-centered strategies. Her ability to bridge diverse perspectives and cultivate trust has made her a sought-after leader in building coalitions and supporting grassroots movements.
Briana is a licensed attorney and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law, a Master’s in Community Social Work from Wayne State University, and a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Marygrove College. Her multidisciplinary background equips her with a unique lens to address the complex intersections of environmental justice, community development, and policy. With over a decade of experience in advocacy, nonprofit leadership, and capacity building, Briana continues to champion solutions that prioritize equity, and sustainability.

As a Senior Consultant with 5 Lakes Energy, Ben is fully engaged and assigned to oversee the deployment and operations of the Michigan Climate Investment Hub, which aims to identify and align climate and clean energy projects with financing and capital to enable their deployment.

Before joining the 5 Lakes team in 2025, Ben spent over a decade working at Walker-Miller Energy Services where he played a key role in elevating the organization’s reputation as a critical and effective member of the State’s rapidly developing energy efficiency and decarbonization ecosystem. His long standing presence and contributions to the industry have gained him a reputation as a trusted advisor and ally across the sector.

Ben is an experienced program leader and advocate for equitable clean energy solutions, with a strong background in community-driven initiatives and workforce development. He led weatherization efforts in Detroit in collaboration with Michigan Saves and local nonprofit partners, bringing energy efficiency upgrades to households that needed them most. At Walker-Miller Energy Services, Ben launched the company’s first workforce development programs, building and managing a team that expanded this work into a central part of the organization’s impact.

In addition to program leadership, Ben played a key role in shaping the organization’s public presence, representing Walker-Miller in public forums, advocacy efforts, and stakeholder engagement initiatives. He also supported public sector business development, helping secure contracts with local and state governments that advanced the company’s mission to deliver energy solutions that uplift communities and improve quality of life.

Outside of working hours, Ben spends his time supporting his community as a member of the North Corktown Neighborhood Association, building community through the MI Clean Energy Leaders alumni leadership team, and enjoys cycling around Detroit, going on rock climbing excursions, and hanging out with his dog, Arthur.

Sarah Mullkoff is the Manager of the Renewable Energy and Storage Siting Section at the Michigan Public Service Commission, where she previously served as a senior departmental analyst in the Resource Optimization and Certification Section, then as a commissioner advisor, advising on all areas relating to utility regulation. Prior to the MPSC, she worked as a grants manager in the state energy office, and before state government, she worked on energy programs and policies at a number of non-for profit environmental organizations. She has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a Masters degree in Energy Regulation and Law from the Vermont Law and Graduate School. Sarah is a lifelong Michigan resident, “a Michigander” and resides in Lansing, where she serves on Ingham County’s Environmental Affairs Commission. She was included in the 2016 ’40 Under 40’ class by Midwest Energy News.

Dr. Adewale Adesanya is an energy and environmental consultant with wealth of experience in the energy sector across the globe. His expertise spans researching, energy systems modelling, energy justice, energy policy analysis, and climate advocacy towards clean and renewable energy transition. Dr. Adesanya has worked extensively on clean energy systems development in the context of technology, project management, public engagement, and policy dimensions. He has about two decades industrial working and researching experience across the globe, including in the U.S., Germany, Scotland, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tuvalu in the production, oil and gas, renewable energy and public service regulatory sectors. He has published and is still publishing in various energy journals on energy transition at residential, industrial, community, regional and national scales. Dr. Adesanya received a Ph.D. degree in Environmental and Energy Policy from Michigan Technological University, where he worked extensively on the analysis of pathways to just 100 percent renewable energy in the U.S. He holds a Master of Engineering degree in Energy and Environmental Management from Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Production Engineering at University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr. Adesanya has worked and is still working in collaboration with utilities, stakeholders, community members, regulators in the state of Michigan to develop pathways to renewable energy transition and sustainable development. Dr. Adesanya is an associate member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and one of the awardees of the prestigious 40 under 40 Energy News Network for the year 2020. Dr. Adesanya is also one of the inaugural fellows of Pan-African Scientific Research Council.

A lifelong Michigander, Eleanor Gamalski manages MCEL as a consultant, engaging our Leadership Team, Advisory Council, and network of alumni and supporters to make the program successful. She helps to plan and lead cohort programming and supports participants’ on their career and life journeys. She first became involved with MCEL in 2021 as a guest facilitator, fell in love with the program, and never looked back! She supported EIBC, IEI, and program alumni to relaunch the program after a hiatus and is thrilled to support the one-of-a-kind MCEL community.

Eleanor is passionate about the power of cohort-based experiences for learning and relationship-building. She previously worked as Outreach and Recruitment Director for the University of Michigan Semester in Detroit program and helped to design and launch EGLE’s MI Healthy Climate Corps and Michigan’s Justice40 Accelerator program. Eleanor is also an alum of the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) fellowship at Wayne State’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. Eleanor holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Brown University and has received training on facilitation, movement organizing, and nonprofit management from Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA), Training for Change, Spring Up, Nonprofit Democracy Network, the Management Center, Harmonize, and Visionary Organizing Lab. She helped to found and lead Detroit Jews for Justice, organizing in diverse coalitions on key Michigan issues such as water affordability, immigrant rights, and transit.

Cory provides advisory support for the 2025-2026 MCEL cohort, connecting them to resources and ensuring they maximize their MCEL experience. He has spent his career working to address climate change and advance clean energy through state policy, network building, and project development and finance. He most recently led Michigan’s Office of Climate and Energy as chief climate officer, leading the development and implementation of Michigan’s statewide climate plan. He has served as vice president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and facilitated financing for clean energy projects as chief operating officer for Lean & Green Michigan. In addition to his current role with MCEL, he maintains his own consulting practice, he is a Senior Advisor with S2 Strategies, and he is a visiting scholar at the Environmental Law Institute. Cory was raised in rural northern Michigan, attended college at Michigan State University, and now lives in Detroit with his dog, Diego.