Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Stephen Heckeroth
Founder/CEO and President
Steve is an expert in designing, fabricating and building electric tractors and vehicles. His experience spans over 40 years in the renewable energy industry. He worked as the Director of Building Integrated Photovoltaics for the largest thin-film solar manufacturer in the world, designing PV roofing products from ’99 – ‘08. Steve founded MendoMotive and Electrac in 1993 to develop and build EVs and electric tractors. Steve founded Solectrac LLC in 2012 to take electric tractors into commercial production. He was the Principal Investigator in two grants completed in 2016 that moved the electric tractor closer to a commercially viable product.
Heather Paulsen
Chief Operating Officer
Heather has over 15 years of experience leading organizations through complex change and growth. She is a leading B Corp Certification specialist with additional expertise in TRUE Zero Waste operations. She has worked with small, medium and large enterprises in diverse industries to measure and continuously enhance their positive social and environmental impacts while also improving organizational effectiveness and the bottom line. She holds Master of Science degrees in International Agricultural Development and Community Development from the University of California - Davis, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Nishi Deokule
Chief Information Officer
Nishi an IT entrepreneur who helps organizations to automate and optimize processes. He has worked with small, medium and large enterprises in diverse industries like retail, industrial manufacturing, and instrumentation worldwide to enhance, optimize and architect business processes while also improving organizational effectiveness. Nishi has held several senior management positions in the large computer technology corporations. Nishi had been invited as guest speaker at technology conferences across the globe.
Willard MacDonald
Board Member
Willard's experience includes financing, running, and selling a solar technology company as CEO of Solmetric Corporation. He serves as Vice President of Solar Labs at Vivint Solar. Willard has worked as an engineer at Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies, and he holds more than 25 patents. MS Computer Science, BS Electrical Engineering.
Christiane Heckeroth
Chief Communications Officer
Christiane has been working alongside her husband Steve, CEO of Solectrac, in the field of renewable energy for 25 years. Heckeroth has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and a B.A. in English and is a practicing clinician. She brings 5 years of community newspaper editorial experience and has authored articles on sustainable communities, architecture and renewable energy.
Joseph Nowicki
Executive Sales Director
Joe's experience includes sales within Fortune and Forbes #1 best company to work for where he ranked among the top 5 salespeople. He has extensive hands-on agricultural experience in a range of farm positions, from planting and harvesting to managing operations.
Billy Gee
Advisor - Customer Experience
Billy's experience includes engaging customers to understand their core needs, and he is dedicated to developing a more sustainable planet. BS Environmental Economics, MBA, certificate in Project Management.
Joseph Marino
Board Member
Joseph has extensive senior management experience in the renewable energy sector. He is currently the CEO of Sunpoint Energy, a renewable energy distributor with sales of $165 million in 2018. Joseph’s philanthropic work includes working directly with orphanages, medical centers, village water projects and rural electrification with local integrators and dealer partners in various regions of Latin America.