ABOUT US

Mission

The Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition is a united group of industry,academic, and government leaders working collectively to strengthen Ohio’s fuel cell industry and to accelerate the transformation of the region to global leadership in fuel cell technology. View complete list of members. 

Guiding Principles
The Coalition was established to ensure Ohio’s presence both regionally and nationally in current fuel cell discussions and will work to:

• Build upon existing industry and academic strengths of research and development, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials technologies, components, and services to advance the integration of a coordinated, robust fuel cell infrastructure and supply chain.
• Promote public awareness about the positive role fuel cell technology can play as an efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible source of energy in a wide variety of applications.
• Expand networking and information sharing opportunities that lead to greater alliances and understanding of the economic opportunities available to Ohio organizations.
  
• Encourage federal funding that will leverage state resources in the development of fuel cell technology and the locating of commercial development, manufacturing assets, and job creation in Ohio.

Organization
OFCC is a 501(c)(6) organization incorporated in Cleveland, Ohio.  We are co-located in Cleveland with NorTech (the Northeast Ohio Technology Council), which provides administrative support to OFCC.  

OFCC is governed by a 21 member Board of directors.

The OFCC Team 

Pat Valente, Executive Director, who for many years has been a leading proponent of Ohio's fuel cell industry through his past work with the Ohio Department of Development. Pat was recently appointed Executive Director of the OFCC.  This appointment represents the OFCC Board of Directors' commitment to maximizing Ohio's industry leadership, fostering active participation in collaborative opportunities, and increasing awareness of Ohio's industry cluster through advocacy and marketing outreach.
          For the last 16 years, Valente’s career has included serving as Deputy Director and Assistant Deputy for the Ohio Department of Development’s Technology and Economic Development Divisions. Valente most recently served as the top fuel cell advisor to Lt. Governor and Ohio Department of Development Director Lee Fisher. Valente is one of the key architects of the nationally recognized Third Frontier Program and has been the leading advocate for the development of Ohio’s fuel cell industry. He also has played an instrumental role in the success of the Entrepreneurial Signature Program (ESP) to foster collaboration and change for regional economic and development entities.Valente received his B.S. degree in Geography from Kent State University.

Krishna Kumar Srivastava, Assistant Director, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, India in 2008. Equipped with a diverse skill set and a proficiency in Software Programming, Krishna began his career working as a Software Engineer at Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd., Bangalore, India - a fully owned subsidy of Oracle Corporation. Working with the World’s No. 1 Banking and Financial Softwares Company, Krishna picked up strong programming skills and also attained a Certificate of Excellence in the Oracle Finance Professional Certification Program.
In April 2009, to enhance his skill sets along with gaining International exposure, Srivastava moved to United States in order to pursue Management studies at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH. As a student of the Master of Engineering and Management program by the TiME Dept. at Case, Krishna worked on 3 live projects – with Baxter Healthcare (as Product Development Consultant), American Greetings (as Market & Brand Analyst) and Dominion East Ohio Gas Company (as Six Sigma Analyst). During the course of his project with Dominion, Krishna also attained a Green Belt Certification in Six Sigma. In the final semester of his studies at Case, Krishna was hired by the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition as a Marketing intern and immediately upon completion of his Masters program, was hired as a full time consultant. Krishna is currently serving as the Assistant Director at the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition.

Ben Keller supports the technology needs of OFCC through his role as Director of Information Technology at JumpStart.  Prior to JumpStart, Ben served for eight years as the Program Director for JumpStart's predecessor organization, Enterprise Development, Inc (EDI), where he managed fundraising and recognition events including The Weatherhead 100, and the NorTech Innovation Awards. Ben graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College with a BS in Mathematics and a BM in Music (Cello) and continues his work on the side as a chamber musician.