Jackie Chambers Named President of New Energy Equity; Bill Francis Assumes Role of Vice President of Development

Industry veterans take on new roles to help power the company's next phase of growth.

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- New Energy Equity, a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE, today announced the promotion of Jackie Chambers to President and the transition of Bill Francis to Vice President of Development. Both are industry veterans who bring experience and expertise to power the company's next growth phase. Josh Kunkel will continue as Chief Executive Officer of New Energy Equity.

Chambers has served as Chief Investment Officer since joining the company in 2024. In that role, she helped shape project finance strategy and led the monetization of the company's growing project pipeline. As President, she will lead New Energy Equity's next phase of growth, aligning development strategy, policy, and finance to expand the company's impact for landowners, partners, and communities.

Before joining New Energy Equity, Chambers built a strong track record across project finance, origination, acquisitions and long-term asset strategy at Nexamp and PNC Energy Capital. Her experience spans community solar, utility-scale, and behind-the-meter projects, and she has participated in financing more than $500 million in energy assets and closed on more than 300 MW of solar projects.

"In her time at New Energy Equity, Jackie has demonstrated deep expertise in the energy industry along with leadership and caring for the company and its people," said Josh Kunkel, Chief Executive Officer of New Energy Equity. "I am very excited to have her on our team to guide New Energy Equity into its next chapter."

"I'm honored to step into the role of President and continue building on the strong foundation we have laid," Chambers said. "New Energy Equity has a clear mission and a proven ability to deliver meaningful results. I'm excited to help lead our next stage of growth."

Francis joined New Energy Equity in January 2026 as Vice President of Emerging Markets. In his new role as Vice President of Development, he will lead the company's solar and energy storage development pipeline, helping advance projects from early-stage origination and through the development process to construction. Francis brings broad experience in solar and battery storage, most recently at ENGIE North America, where he developed and sold numerous battery storage projects and helped acquire more than 100 MW of distributed generation solar and solar-plus-storage assets across multiple states.

"Bill's transition to Vice President of Development puts a proven developer and market-builder at the center of our solar and energy storage pipeline," said Kunkel. "His experience and enthusiasm will help us execute more projects with confidence and speed."

"I'm excited to take on this new role and help advance a strong pipeline of solar and energy storage projects," Francis said. "There is tremendous opportunity to create reliable energy for the communities we are a part of and lasting economic value for our partners, and I look forward to working with our team to bring more projects forward."

About New Energy Equity

New Energy Equity, a whole-owned subsidiary of ALLETE, develops, builds and owns solar and energy storage projects designed to generate reliable energy and lasting economic value for all. New Energy Equity has developed over 600 megawatts of solar projects across 16 states. To learn more, visit http://www.newenergyequity.com.

CONTACT:
Kyle Wehnes
Director - Marketing    
New Energy Equity
[email protected]

SOURCE New Energy Equity