ABOUT US.
Storage, Reimagined.
The Energy Transition Needs Better Storage.
The global energy system is at a crossroad. Power demand is rising, renewable generation is expanding, and new loads such as AI data centers are reshaping how electricity is generated, delivered, and consumed.
Yet many energy storage solutions remain constrained by safety concerns, supply chain risks, and technologies optimized for a different era.
Our story
ESS is addressing these challenges.
We develop non-lithium energy storage solutions that help utilities, businesses, and critical infrastructure operators build a safer, more resilient, and more sustainable energy future.
From high-power applications that support AI infrastructure to long-duration storage that enables renewable energy integration, our solutions are designed to deliver reliable performance, operational flexibility, and long-term value.
Our Vision
Improving Upon Today's Energy Storage Model.
ESS was founded on the belief that the energy transition requires more than incremental improvements—it requires a broader approach to energy storage.
Our roots trace back to pioneering work in the United States developing and commercializing iron flow battery technology. Through years of engineering, deployment, and operational experience, we gained a deep understanding of what energy customers need: safer technologies, reliable performance, resilient supply chains, and solutions designed to operate for decades.
Today, ESS combines proven expertise in long-duration iron flow batteries with next-generation sodium-ion technology and advanced energy management software. This diversified approach allows us to address a broader range of customer needs—from minutes to multiple days of energy storage—while reducing dependence on constrained critical minerals and supporting emerging domestic supply chains.
Energy stakeholders asked for more flexibility, more resilience, and more choice.
ESS was built to deliver it.
Our Team
Board and Leadership.
Drew Buckley
Chief Executive Officer
Raffi Garabedian
Board of Directors
Sandeep Nijhawan
Board of Directors
Alexi Wellman
Board of DirectorsGET STARTED.
Discover the right solution for your business.
Drew Buckley
Chief Executive Officer
Kelly Goodman
Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel
Kate Suhadolnik
Chief Financial Officer
Brian Lisiecki
Interim Chief Operating Officer
Randall Selesky
Chief Commercial OfficerGET STARTED.
Discover the right solution for your business.
Harry Quarls
Chairman, Board of Directors
Mr. Harry Quarls brings over 40 years of energy experience to the ESS Board of Directors. His extensive background spans financial, transactional and other energy investing responsibilities. Over his long and storied career, Quarls served as managing director at Global Infrastructure Partners, leading their efforts in North American energy midstream investments, and as practice leader for global energy as well as a member of the board of directors at Booz & Company. He currently serves as chairman of the board for Key Energy Services, Mesquite Energy and CHC Helicopter and has previously served on the boards of a number of private and publicly traded energy companies.
Mr. Quarls holds BS and ScM degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University and MIT, respectively. He also holds an MBA from Stanford University.
Drew Buckley
Chief Executive Officer
Drew Buckley brings nearly two decades of experience focused exclusively on investing in publicly traded small- and mid-cap technology companies, where disciplined execution, capital efficiency, and credibility with investors determine long-term success. He joined ESS in August 2025 to lead the company’s investor relations and capital market strategy, shaping the company’s financial strategy while managing investor relations, financing activities, and market positioning to support long-term value creation for shareholders. Prior to ESS, he spent 17 years at William Blair as a Partner and sector leader focused on technology.
Throughout his career, Drew has worked closely with management teams globally to navigate key inflection points: scaling operations, strengthening commercial execution, accessing capital responsibly, and building durable investor trust in public markets.
Raffi Garabedian
Board of Directors
Mr. Raffi Garabedian was the Chief Technology Officer of First Solar, Inc. from 2012 through 2020. Mr. Garabedian joined First Solar in 2008. Before joining First Solar, he founded Touchdown Technologies, Inc. and served as its Chief Executive Officer. He worked in the semiconductor and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industries for over 15 years, developing and manufacturing new technology products ranging from automotive sensors to telecommunications switching systems.
He holds over 20 issued patents and has deep experience in strategy, product development, engineering, manufacturing technology, management and team building. Mr. Garabedian holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic University and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Davis.
Sandeep Nijhawan
Board of Directors
Mr. Sandeep Nijhawan is co-founder and CEO at Electra, whose mission is to decarbonize iron and steelmaking through an electrochemical, renewable-energy-powered process. Prior to starting Electra in May 2020, he was an operating partner of True North Venture Partners from February 2018 until December 2019 and president of two electrochemistry-focused cleantech startups: AquaHydrex, which developed an electrolyzer for the hydrogen economy, from February 2018 until December 2019, and Staq Energy, which developed distributed energy storage solutions, from February 2016 until December 2019.
Earlier in his career, Nijhawan was a senior vice president at Intermolecular, specializing in accelerating R&D of innovative semiconductor, photovoltaic, battery, and energy-efficient glass materials; founded and was CEO of LED start-up Siorah Incorporated; and progressively held senior roles at Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT). Mr. Nijhawan holds a B-Tech in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India, an MS in Aerospace Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Alexi Wellman
Board of Directors
Ms. Alexi Wellman is the Chair of the ESS Board Audit Committee. Ms. Wellman has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial and Accounting Officer of Altaba, Inc. since January 1, 2022. She was Vice President, Finance and ultimately Vice President, Global Controller of Yahoo Inc. from November 2013 to June 2017, and Chief Financial Officer of Nebraska Book Company from December 2011 to June 2013. Prior to her role with Nebraska Book Company, she was a practicing certified public accountant with KPMG LLP for 18 years, over seven years of which she served as an audit partner.
Ms. Wellman currently serves on the Board of Directors and is an audit committee and compensation committee member of Werner Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: WERN) and Bilander Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:TWCB). Previously, she served on the Board of Directors of numerous companies including Endurance International Group, Inc., Yahoo Japan, TWC Tech Holdings II Corp., and Nebula Caravel Acquisition Corp. Ms. Wellman holds a BS in Accounting & Business Management from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Drew Buckley
Chief Executive Officer
Drew Buckley brings nearly two decades of experience focused exclusively on investing in publicly traded small- and mid-cap technology companies, where disciplined execution, capital efficiency, and credibility with investors determine long-term success. He joined ESS in August 2025 to lead the company’s investor relations and capital market strategy, shaping the company’s financial strategy while managing investor relations, financing activities, and market positioning to support long-term value creation for shareholders. Prior to ESS, he spent 17 years at William Blair as a Partner and sector leader focused on technology.
Throughout his career, Drew has worked closely with management teams globally to navigate key inflection points: scaling operations, strengthening commercial execution, accessing capital responsibly, and building durable investor trust in public markets.
Kelly Goodman
Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel
Kelly Goodman is the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel of ESS, Inc. Kelly has nearly 20 years of experience in the clean energy legal sector both in the U.S. and internationally supporting matters related to project development, technology agreements (wind, solar, hydrogen, and storage), and project and corporate financing. Kelly received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Santa Clara and her law degree from the University of Washington.
Kate Suhadolnik
Chief Financial Officer
Kate joined ESS, Inc. in September 2021 and has served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer since August 2026. Prior to her appointment, Kate served as the SEC Reporting Manager, Assistant Controller, and Controller. Kate has 14 years of experience in the financial and accounting sector.
Prior to joining ESS, Inc., Kate was the Corporate Accounting & Reporting Manager at The Standard, an insurance and financial services company, from July 2020 to September 2021. Kate also held various positions of increasing responsibility at Deloitte & Touche LLP from September 2011 to June 2020. Kate received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Gonzaga University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Brian Lisiecki
Interim Chief Operating Officer
Brian is the Interim Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer for ESS, Inc. He is transforming strategy into execution across the company’s core operational and technology functions through workforce performance, process efficiency, cost optimization, and scalability.
For his Chief Information Officer role, Brian has led the initiative to standardize cross functional business process, including enabling Oracle ERP to provide scalability and better decision insights. Prior to joining ESS, Brian spent 19 years at the Campbell Soup Company in various technology and finance leadership roles. These roles included Business Intelligence, SAP, Business Acquisition Integrations, Global FP&A and Financial Consolidation. Brian holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Clarkson University and a M.S. in Management Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University.
Randall Selesky
Chief Commercial Officer
Randall “Randy” Selesky leads the global commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, product management, and business development for ESS, Inc. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in the energy sector and more than a decade in battery energy storage, Randy has helped commercialize and scale innovative clean energy technologies across both Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups.
Before joining ESS, he held executive leadership roles at VoltStorage, EnerVenue, Greensmith Energy, and Rockwell Automation, where he built high-performing commercial organizations and accelerated the adoption of advanced energy storage solutions.