ESC Staff

/ Sonia Vahedian

Executive Director

Sonia Vahedian serves as the Executive Director of the Energy Solutions Center (ESC). Sonia leads the Energy Solutions Center in promoting and advancing energy-efficient natural gas solutions. She brings more than 25 years of leadership experience, with her most recent roles as Chief Operating Officer of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and American Petroleum Institute (API) Vice President of Product Management, managing Global Industry Services (GIS) revenue-generating programs. Previously, Sonia served as Chief Operating Officer for the Mobile Giving Foundation, the founding organization for the platform supporting mobile Text-to-Give campaigns for charity organizations in the US and Canada.

Sonia also brings experience from her time serving in multiple engineering executive roles in the wireless technology and interoperability startups, including Sybase/SAP, building and managing world-class high availability data center operations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Sonia started her career as an engineer in the natural gas and oil industry, specializing in implementing production solutions for enhanced recovery and tight sand development technology, supporting rapid growth and Mergers & Acquisitions. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and materials science from the University of Oklahoma.

/ Eric Burgis

Director, Commercial & Industrial Markets

Eric Burgis serves as the Director, Commercial and Residential Markets. Eric is responsible for the Commercial Buildings Consortium, CHP Consortium, Low Carbon Workgroup, and ESC’s Account Rep Training Program. Eric oversees the production of ESC’s Combined Heat & Power magazine. Before joining ESC, Eric spent 13 years with Philadelphia Gas Works beginning as a Marketing Engineer and departing as part of their Executive Strategic Planning Team. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), a Certified Business Energy Professional, and has served as President of the Delaware Valley Chapter of Association of Energy Engineers. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and a Master of Management/Business Administration from Penn State.

/ Barbara Stinson

Manager, Residential Markets

Barbara Stinson serves as ESC’s Manager of Residential Markets responsible for the Residential Consortium, Multifamily Consortium as well as the National Accounts Consortium. She also oversees the production of Natural Living magazine. Barbara spent more than 25 years with UGI Utilities in various positions relating to residential, commercial and industrial marketing and sales, and is a licensed real estate agent. She received her BS in Business Administration from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.