Principals

Our Principals

Experience in all aspects of the energy industry

EPEX principals are energy industry experts with a unique combination of technical, financial, and account management experience. As long-time industry insiders, the EPEX ownership/management team has the knowledge and expertise to develop and negotiate energy contracts for the region’s largest industrial, commercial, and institutional businesses.

Sandy Barber, Founding Principal

Since the onset of electricity deregulation in the late 1990’s, Sandy has been at the forefront of the energy supply industry. Her results-oriented approach and breadth of knowledge not only produces electricity and natural gas cost savings, but also a well-managed energy procurement policy for her clients. Sandy works directly with her clients on all aspects of energy purchasing; from identifying client objectives, bidding, analysis, strategy, and reporting, there is no detail too small. She has developed an acutely intuitive and customized energy procurement style. Over the past decade and a half, many of the nation’s largest energy consumers have relied on Sandy for her expertise, responsiveness, and trustworthiness.

Sandy’s energy career began 15 years ago at PECO Energy Company, as a senior market analyst responsible for developing creative electricity price structures for the company’s top revenue customers. Soon after, she was selected as Director, Regional Supply for Exelon’s National Energy Team. There she developed electricity and fossil fuel supply strategies for several Fortune 500 companies resulting in multi-million dollar energy savings. It was in this role that the concept for EPEX emerged.

Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Shippensburg University. She also graduated with a Master of Business Administration Summa Cum Laude from Temple University.

John Kaufman, Founding Principal

John has developed comprehensive energy procurement strategies for some of the most sophisticated industrial and commercial customers in the country. His procurement successes are directly attributable to his focus on identifying and understanding the procurement goals of his clients. John takes great pride in his ability to simplify complex procurement issues enabling his clients to make efficient energy procurement decisions.

All told, John has 20 years of energy industry experience. As the Director of National Sales for Exelon Corporation’s National Energy Team, he formed consulting partnerships with Fortune 500 clients managing the energy procurement process for their multiple locations across the country. John also spent several years as an Account Executive for large industrial customers in PECO Energy’s Key Accounts group. In this role, he negotiated electricity and natural gas supply contracts with his clients that enabled them to expand their business operations in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Through his industry experiences, John has developed an in-depth knowledge of energy markets and their impact on large industrial and commercial end-users.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University.

Dana Swieson, Founding Principal

Dana’s analytical engineering background, combined with over 22 years of experience in the energy and utility industry, form the foundation for his primary role as EPEX’s supply and technology manager. Dana develops the computer models and systems used by EPEX to procure energy supplies and to manage the day-to-day administration of EPEX’s client accounts. He also developed a utility account tracking system and rate models to ensure that EPEX clients are billed correctly by both competitive suppliers and local regulated utilities.

In addition, Dana oversees the majority of the supply procurement activities at EPEX, including the purchase of electricity and natural gas in the Mid-Atlantic regions. Working closely with the pricing group of various energy vendors, Dana ensures that the complex energy supply products provided to EPEX’s clients are in the best interest of our customers. Dana’s bid analysis models are the critical tools used by EPEX principals to help their clients make successful energy procurement decisions.

Dana’s extensive energy career started in HVAC mechanical engineering, but eventually transitioned into the energy supply industry. In PECO Energy’s pricing group, Dana negotiated off-tariff electricity rate contracts, providing him with an intricate knowledge of the PJM wholesale power market. As the Director of Operations for PECO Energy’s National Energy Team, Dana oversaw the development of the energy supply infrastructure and back office systems needed to provide energy procurement consulting services on a national level. The merging of these experiences with the evolution of electricity deregulation ultimately led to the formation of EPEX.

Dana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.