Our Team
Ahmad Atwan
Ahmad Atwan is the founder and CEO of VCFuel. He is a seasoned investor and executive who has consistently created outsized returns for his investors and companies over the past two decades. Ahmad was most recently a Managing Director at North Haven Infrastructure Partners, a private equity investment platform with over $12 B in AUM across three funds. He led the fund’s energy sector, which was the fund’s largest sector of investment focus during his time there. Ahmad sourced and executed a number of successful deals, and all of the investments he led that have exited to date have been highly profitable to investors.
Prior to joining North Haven Infrastructure Partners, Ahmad was a Managing Director at BlackRock in the Global Private Equity Group, where he led investments in energy and renewables. Among other deals, he sourced and executed one of the firm’s first investments in the clean fuels space.
Prior to spending over a decade in private equity, Ahmad was an entrepreneur who helped found and build operating companies in the clean energy and energy technology sectors, among others. His most successful experiences were where he was able to focus on putting his operational and managerial leadership skills to work to elevate the success of his companies and teams.
Ahmad founded and built Green Star Energy, a Brazilian sugar cane-to-ethanol production company in 2006, which was successfully sold three years later. In addition, he helped build Altra Energy Technologies, an energy and financial services software company that helped enhance the efficiency and productivity of energy companies through risk management and back office software and the streamlining of operations.
Ahmad began his career at the Boston Consulting Group, where he focused on telecommunications clients.
Ahmad received a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Harvard University with the highest distinction and was among 32 Americans selected as a Rhodes Scholar. He also earned a Masters Degree in International Relations from Oxford University.
Charles McConnell
Charles (Chuck) McConnell is an experienced executive and a recognized expert in the Energy Transition space. He has held senior executive and leadership roles in the private and public sector, including with the Department of Energy, Praxair, and Battelle.
Chuck served as a Presidential appointee as Assistant Secretary of Energy – Office of Fossil Fuels. In this capacity, he forged National Laboratory and interagency collaborations with DOI, EPA, OMB, and other federal agencies. In addition, he led the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the National Energy Technologies Laboratories operations and business. He also led interdisciplinary research between industry, academia, and strategic industry partners (over 50 Fortune 500 companies) in O&G, petrochemicals, and electric power. Chuck directed the DOE Office of Fossil Energy’s policy leadership, project management, and research and development of the department’s coal, oil & gas, electric power, and advanced technologies programs.
Chuck has achieved worldwide recognition in development and advocacy of climate change and carbon policies, e.g., Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), 45Q CCUS/EOR policy, etc. Chuck chaired sessions and continues in key roles with International Energy Agency (IEA) and Energy Information Agency (EIA).
At Praxair, Chuck was responsible for its domestic Hydrogen business, which he grew by 200% over a 5-year period to $450M/year concentrated in USGC. He established the initial Praxair Asia HQ in Singapore and created a regional country management team. He expanded Praxair’s global footprint with $1.1 B new investments in six new countries in Asia, South America, and Europe; generating sales growth of $850M/year. In addition, he led PEMEX’s first large-scale on shore enhanced oil recovery project for nitrogen injection in southern Mexico with $150M investment.
Chuck also served as Vice President of Carbon Management at Battelle Energy Technology in Columbus, Ohio, where he established and led the Carbon Management business unit.
Chuck currently serves on the US EPA Science Advisory Board, is a board member of the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) Foundation in North Dakota, and is a member of the National Coal Council. He has served on the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the National Petroleum Council subcommittees, and has held a number of board positions including chairmanships of the Gasification & Syngas Technologies Council and the Clean Carbon Technology Foundation of Texas. Chuck holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University (1977) and an MBA in finance from Cleveland State University (1984).
Chuck joined the University of Houston Energy program in 2018 as the Executive Director for Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability. He has coordinated a campus-wide effort to address marketplace challenges in the energy industry. All disciplines of research in science, engineering, business economics, law and policy will work closely with UH energy industry partners in energy markets to collaborate on new technologies, policies and business models for the future. Prior to joining UH Energy, Chuck was the executive director of the Energy and Environment Initiative at Rice University for five years.
Constantine Triantafyllides
Constantine is a Partner at VC Fuel and helps lead the investment team. He focuses on sourcing, diligencing, and closing investments in transformational companies that will help lead the energy transition. He also works with portfolio companies to maximize their potential by leveraging his commercial, financial, and technical expertise. Constantine also focuses on working with VC Fuel’s Partners, Senior Advisors, and network of relationships across multiple energy transition sectors to help build the firm’s long-term strategy and portfolio construction.
Prior to VC Fuel, Constantine was an Investment Banker at Morgan Stanley, where he executed corporate and asset M&A, as well as a variety of capital markets and project finance transactions. He advised upstream, midstream, energy infrastructure, energy services, and energy transition companies on developing and implementing their capital allocation objectives while also charting their long-term decarbonization strategies. While at Morgan Stanley, Constantine’s transaction experience included advising one of the largest utilities in the midcontinent on a sale of its midstream assets to a top 5 energy infrastructure company. He also facilitated several $500M+ strategic capital markets transactions across the energy sector.
Constantine began his career with Apache Corporation as a Drilling Engineer focused on well design and optimization. Specifically, his contributions were centered around transitioning from a project-specific engineering design approach to standardized modular processes. The initiative ultimately enabled production growth at scale. Constantine advanced within the organization, later assuming the role of Well Site Project Manager, overseeing field operations in the Permian basin. In his role, he managed all contracted services and operations on-site, including drilling parameter optimization, supply chain logistics, and well control incident prevention. Constantine’s teams held a perfect safety record.
Constantine received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. While at Tuck, Constantine was a Revers Center for Energy Fellow.
Dr. Halton Peters
Dr. Peters is Managing Partner of Natural Resources Capital Management (“NRCM”), a sector-specific investment firm targeting opportunities in energy, natural resources, and other industrial sectors. He is also Co-Founder, Chairman, and President of Hardee Fresh, an indoor vertical farming business that grows and sells organic leafy green produce. Halton is also the Chairman and President of FRII Technology Solutions, a diversified IT managed services, networking, and automation controls company with customers throughout the US and Canada.
Halton was previously a founding investor and interim COO of a microgrid development and technology company that was sold to Shell. He also previously ran a specialized equipment leasing business for the energy efficiency sector. In this capacity he invested in vendor leases of auxiliary power units, lighting installations, and energy efficiency devices. He also established the white label vendor financing unit of a NASDAQ-listed auto fleet equipment company.
Halton previously worked in the Power, Energy, and Infrastructure Group at Lazard, the investment bank, where he focused primarily on structuring and executing capital markets transactions for technology and renewable energy companies, particularly firms in the solar, energy storage, wind, and auto sectors. He also provided strategic advice to selected utilities, merchant generators, and project developers with respect to their renewable energy strategies, including opportunities for developing renewable energy generation capacity. He also worked in the Beijing Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (“UNIDO”), where he advised on issues pertaining to environment, energy, and economic development, and at Starview Capital Management (now part of Crédit Agricole Asset Management) where he covered industrial and utility equities and commodities.
Halton holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University, a J.D. from Stanford Law School, an M.Phil. in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge (King’s College), and B.A. in Biological Sciences from Harvard University. He was also a National Science Foundation (“NSF”) Postdoctoral Fellow in Biosciences at the Department of Global Ecology of the Carnegie Institution for Science.
He has authored numerous academic journal articles and has contributed to national and international assessment reports for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Halton has been supported by fellowships and grants from the United Nations Environment Programme, the National Science Foundation, the John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics, the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Stanford University, the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, King’s College at the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University.
Dr. Peters is Managing Partner of Natural Resources Capital Management (“NRCM”), a sector-specific investment firm targeting opportunities in energy, natural resources, and other industrial sectors. He is also Co-Founder, Chairman, and President of Hardee Fresh, an indoor vertical farming business that grows and sells organic leafy green produce. Halton is also the Chairman and President of FRII Technology Solutions, a diversified IT managed services, networking, and automation controls company with customers throughout the US and Canada.
Halton was previously a founding investor and interim COO of a microgrid development and technology company that was sold to Shell. He also previously ran a specialized equipment leasing business for the energy efficiency sector. In this capacity he invested in vendor leases of auxiliary power units, lighting installations, and energy efficiency devices. He also established the white label vendor financing unit of a NASDAQ-listed auto fleet equipment company.
Halton previously worked in the Power, Energy, and Infrastructure Group at Lazard, the investment bank, where he focused primarily on structuring and executing capital markets transactions for technology and renewable energy companies, particularly firms in the solar, energy storage, wind, and auto sectors. He also provided strategic advice to selected utilities, merchant generators, and project developers with respect to their renewable energy strategies, including opportunities for developing renewable energy generation capacity. He also worked in the Beijing Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (“UNIDO”), where he advised on issues pertaining to environment, energy, and economic development, and at Starview Capital Management (now part of Crédit Agricole Asset Management) where he covered industrial and utility equities and commodities.
Halton holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University, a J.D. from Stanford Law School, an M.Phil. in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge (King’s College), and B.A. in Biological Sciences from Harvard University. He was also a National Science Foundation (“NSF”) Postdoctoral Fellow in Biosciences at the Department of Global Ecology of the Carnegie Institution for Science.
He has authored numerous academic journal articles and has contributed to national and international assessment reports for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Halton has been supported by fellowships and grants from the United Nations Environment Programme, the National Science Foundation, the John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics, the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Stanford University, the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, King’s College at the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University.
Andrejka Bernatova
Andrejka Bernatova is a seasoned executive and board member with experience across senior operational roles as well as advisory and principal investment roles in the US and globally. She has spent time across multiple verticals of the infrastructure and energy industries including transition energy, renewable energy, midstream oil and gas, and conventional power. She has a proven track record of success, having served in executive and leadership positions in public, private equity backed and venture capital backed companies at various stages of development.
Ms. Bernatova was most recently the CFO of Enchanted Rock Energy, a blue chip resiliency microgrid platform providing microgrid solutions to its customers (from small regional franchises to large Fortune 100 companies). Enchanted Rock is playing a key role in enabling the Energy Transition by providing more flexibility and grid stability services as more solar and wind capacity continue to be added to the system.
Prior to Enchanted Rock, Andrejka was the CFO at Goodnight Midstream, one of the largest water infrastructure companies. Prior to Goodnight, Ms. Bernatova was co-founder, EVP and CFO of Core Midstream, a venture infrastructure platform, and served as Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations at PennTex Midstream Partners (NYSE: PTXP). At PennTex, she was part of the management team which started the company, took it public in 2015 and ultimately successfully delivered attractive risk-adjusted returns to public and original investors via a sale to Energy Transfer Partners and currently Blackstone backed Eagle Claw Midstream in 2016.
Prior to her corporate and entrepreneurial experiences, Andrejka was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse in New York and Houston and served in investment roles at The Blackstone Group in New York and at Mubadala Development Company / Masdar Clean Energy, a ~$250B AUM Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, based in the United Arab Emirates.
Andrejka received her A.B. in Government from Harvard University with a Citation in Spanish.
Andrejka serves on the Board of Directors of Arms Wide, a Houston based Adoption and Foster Care agency. In addition, Andrejka founded the Houston Chapter of the Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum where she serves as an Advisor. She currently serves on the Harvard College Fund Associates Committee and served on the Harvard College Class of 2005’s Gift Committee. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Ms. Bernatova’s contributions to the energy industry have been recognized through numerous awards, including the 25 Influential Women in Energy Award by Hart Energy and Oil and Gas Investor (2020), Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas by The National Diversity Council (2020), Global Female Influencer 275 List by the Energy Council (2020), and the the winner of the 7th Annual Emerging Leaders Award selected by The M&A Advisors (2016).
Ms Bernatova completed the Marathon des Sables, a ~200 miles ultra marathon race across the Sahara Desert, biked over 600 miles across Tibet and Nepal to the Mt. Everest Base Camp and volunteered in orphanages and construction projects in Kenya, Chile, Nepal and Egypt. She has lived, worked and studied across five continents and speaks five languages
Neil Bush
Mr. Neil Bush has been involved with international business development for four decades operating though Neil Bush Global Advisers.
For the past twenty-five years Neil has engaged in various business development activities in Asia and the Middle East. He currently serves as Chairman of Singhaiyi, a Singapore listed real estate company investing in the United States; he acts as Co-Chairman of CIIC, a Beijing based real estate development company; he works with CP Group in helping them invest in the United States; he is founder and Chairman of A&A Consultants, which is directing investment capital into US projects and performing cross border services; and he serves on the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Finance Investment Holding Group, a Hong Kong listed company with global finance and real estate interests.
Over the years Neil has introduced American and European companies to the China market in real estate development, automobile parts, sheet rock manufacturing, paint production, renewable storage systems, and HIV testing. He has been involved with investments from Asia and the Middle East into American companies in real estate, fertility clinics, and education.
Since 1975 Neil has traveled to China over 140 times and has visited over forty Chinese cities. He is the founder and serves as Chairman of the George HW Bush Foundation for US China Relations, an organization that seeks to advance U.S.-China relations in ways that reflect the ethos, spirit, and values of the organization’s namesake.
Neil graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in International Economics and from the Tulane University Freeman School of Business with a master’s in business administration. He serves as the Chairman of the Points of Light, Chairman of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and he and his wife Maria Chair the Barbara Bush Celebration of Reading and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. Neil and Maria live in Houston, Texas and have six children and four grandchildren.
Rusty Braziel
Rusty Braziel is the founder and CEO of RBN Energy, the premier energy information firm and consultancy across the spectrum of conventional and energy transition markets. RBN provides energy market advisory services specializing in strategy, acquisitions and divestures.
Rusty is one of the most respected authorities in the field of energy information and markets, with an extensive background in energy marketing, trading and data services. Over the past 20 years he has worked in an executive level capacity with a major producer (Texaco), a major pipeline (Williams), a leading software company (Altra Energy), and a leading energy analytics and information company (BENTEK Energy). Rusty helped build and sell BENTEK to Platts at a substantial premium.
A consultant, author and speaker, Rusty has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Houston Chronicle, Thompson Reuters, Oil and Gas Journal, The Denver Post, Platts Gas Daily, Natural Gas Intelligence, and numerous other industry publications. Rusty is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and company events and is known for his market insights and dynamic style. He provides audiences with compelling, customized and dynamic content that makes sense out of the onslaught of information about the energy markets.
Rusty received his M.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he focused on Finance and Quantitative Management Techniques, and a B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he majored in Finance and Business.
Aaron Ashcraft
Aaron Ashcraft has spent over 20 years in the energy industry, with his most recent focus on the clean energy sector. He has a successful track record as a senior operating executive covering a variety of roles across the sector.
Most recently, Aaron has consulted for a variety of entities that have been evaluating and executing projects and investments in renewable energy markets and the green technology space.
From 2016 to 2019, Aaron served as President and CEO of Hornet Midstream. A natural gas pipeline company in Appalachia. Aaron managed the buildout and upgrade of the pipeline and oversaw all aspects of the system’s business including engineering, operations, compliance, and finance. These efforts helped lead to the sale of the company in 2019 to Equitrans at a value of almost triple the initial cash investment.
Prior to Hornet, Aaron worked for Eureka Midstream, where he served in a variety of roles including operations, construction and due diligence management for potential acquisitions.
Prior to Eureka, Aaron worked for EQT Midstream as part of their Operations Team. At EQT, he rolled out a number of innovations and operational efficiencies that helped the company gain a significant advantage over their competitors in the Marcellus.
Previously, Aaron spent 10 years as a consulting engineering project manager for Thrasher Engineering, overseeing large scale utility projects. In this role, he developed a mindset that the best-engineered projects are those that have the greatest flexibility in operability and longevity.
Aaron has a BS in Civil Engineering from Fairmont State University.
Aaron Ashcraft has spent over 20 years in the energy industry, with his most recent focus on the clean energy sector. He has a successful track record as a senior operating executive covering a variety of roles across the sector.
Most recently, Aaron has consulted for a variety of entities that have been evaluating and executing projects and investments in renewable energy markets and the green technology space.
From 2016 to 2019, Aaron served as President and CEO of Hornet Midstream. A natural gas pipeline company in Appalachia. Aaron managed the buildout and upgrade of the pipeline and oversaw all aspects of the system’s business including engineering, operations, compliance, and finance. These efforts helped lead to the sale of the company in 2019 to Equitrans at a value of almost triple the initial cash investment.
Prior to Hornet, Aaron worked for Eureka Midstream, where he served in a variety of roles including operations, construction and due diligence management for potential acquisitions.
Prior to Eureka, Aaron worked for EQT Midstream as part of their Operations Team. At EQT, he rolled out a number of innovations and operational efficiencies that helped the company gain a significant advantage over their competitors in the Marcellus.
Previously, Aaron spent 10 years as a consulting engineering project manager for Thrasher Engineering, overseeing large scale utility projects. In this role, he developed a mindset that the best-engineered projects are those that have the greatest flexibility in operability and longevity.
Aaron has a BS in Civil Engineering from Fairmont State University.
