NextEnergy Appoints New Board Members

DETROIT, Sept. 1 -- NextEnergy, Michigan's Alternative Energy Business Accelerator, announced the appointment of Michael R. Boulus, Ph.D., Robert J. Buckler, Lana Pollack and Chris Rizik to serve on the non-profit's Board of Directors. Each new Board member brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields.

Dr. Boulus is Executive Director of Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan and has been involved in education for more than 30 years. He has held positions with Michigan's Department of Treasury, Epylon Corporation, Middle Cities Education Association, Michigan Schools Energy Corporation, Michigan State University and the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

Robert Buckler is President and Chief Operating Officer for DTE Energy Distribution and has been with the organization for more than 30 years. Buckler has been a visionary in the use of advanced energy technologies on the utility power grid, and has extensive experience in engineering, management, and customer and marketing services.

As President of the Michigan Environmental Council since 1996, Lana Pollack has extensive experience working with government and environmental organizations. She serves on the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board and the Environmental Advisory Committee for the State Department of Environmental Quality. Pollack was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council in 2003.

Chris Rizik is a co-founder and partner of Ardesta, LLC, a venture capital firm that is one of the nation's leading investors in micro and nanotechnologies and the creator of several successful start-up companies. He is a former chair of the Michigan Microsystems Alliance and has held numerous positions in technology and law as a former partner with Avalon Investments and Dickinson Wright PLLC.

"We are grateful to have the knowledge, insight, and guidance of Dr. Boulus, Robert Buckler, Lana Pollack and Chris Rizik on our Board of Directors," said James Croce, CEO of NextEnergy. "The addition of these respected individuals to our strong existing Board team will ensure that NextEnergy delivers on its objective of strengthening Michigan's economic security through energy diversity."

About NextEnergy Center

NextEnergy is a non-profit corporation founded to advance business and community development by promoting technologies that strengthen the nation's energy security and Michigan's economy. The state-of-the-art NextEnergy Center and related energy infrastructure supports research, development, education, and outreach through collaboration among automotive, military, and energy company interests. For more information, visit http://www.nextenergy.org/ .