Kevon R. Makell

Kevon R. Makell

Mr. Kevon Makell is the Founder, Chairman, CEO, & President at Sun, Earth, Wind & Water or SEWW Energy Incorporated where he leads the company’s strategic direction, executive team development, and global operations to deliver sustainable Smart Micro and Macro Grid Development and Integration internationally.

Mr. Makell has over 30 years of experience in the energy, technology and construction industries. He has successfully completed both small and large-scale projects throughout the U.S., Bermuda, Caribbean, Latin America and Africa including a $6.4 billion nuclear facility in The US.

Mr. Makell’s personal experience living on the island of Bermuda galvanized the vision and mission for SEWW ENERGY. Island nations have been some of the most significantly impacted by global climate change and severe weather conditions, resulting in energy reliability issues. When Kevon was faced with these issues, he leveraged his vast experience in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Consulting, Energy Services and in Electric Utilities to build a smart islanded and interconnected micro- grid solution to power his own home and provide energy security for himself and his family. It was through this effort that he realized he wanted to provide similar solutions for populations that suffer from clean energy and water access and affordability challenges.

Mr. Makell and his team at SEWW ENERGY served as an Energy Partner with Lime Energy in support of Carolinas Healthcare Systems’-Med 1 mobile hospital deployment during the 2012 Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte, NC. The MED-1 team showcased Energy Efficiency retrofits and sustainable micro-grid design optimized for disaster recovery deployments. Results from these efforts led to the publishing of SEWW Energy data and results in Medical and Homeland Security Journals in 2014.

Additionally, Mr. Makell was one of 20 CEO’s throughout the Unites States selected by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to join The West Africa Trade Mission to Ghana and Nigeria. After securing a $175 Million Scoping Agreement with The Electricity Company of Ghana to upgrade Greater Accra’s Network T&D infrastructure, Secretary Pritzker then appointed Mr. Makell to the newly established President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA). As a member, he is tasked to advise President Obama on strategies to strengthen commercial engagement between the United States and Africa.

In 2014, Mr. Makell was also selected by the US Department of Energy as a panelist during The US- Africa Energy Ministerial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was also selected by The White House and Department of Commerce to join President Obama's Inaugural US-Africa Leaders Summit and Business Forum and designated by the US Department of Commerce as a private sector panelist during the Discovering Global Markets Global Missions Forum.

Prior to founding SEWW ENERGY, Mr. Makell was the Founder and General Manager of PureNERGY Renewables Ltd, a subsidiary of The Ascendant Group of Companies and sister-company to Bermuda Electric Light Company. PureNERGY Renewables is a sustainable energy technology company featuring hybrid Renewable Energy solutions for island nations, ranging from 1.5 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. These efforts were preceded with an assignment to reengineer several business processes within the Island based utility.
Mr. Makell previously held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility for FirstEnergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 utility in Akron, Ohio. He held several leadership positions managing utility integrated resource planning and capacity expansion activity, governmental affairs, operations, new ventures, alternative energy, and regulatory compliance. He received the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Innovators Award for his contributions to an Availability Cost Optimization Methodology (ACOM) for Fossil Reheat Units. He was also recognized as the leader and manager the first-ever Open- Wheeled Electric Vehicle performance demonstration conducted as a fully sanctioned support event to the IndyCar World Series.
Mr. Makell has always had a passion for building a highly trained technical work force to meet the growing needs of the energy sector in the future. He has developed apprenticeships and an educational curriculum for electric vehicle propulsion systems and charging infrastructure testing equipment for high schools and universities throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mr. Makell currently serves as: 1) Customer Advisory Board for ABB’s Automation and Power World 2017 and 2019, 2) an Executive Fellow for ProSidian Consulting of Charlotte, NC., 3) a Member of The Board of Advisors for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Energy Production & Infrastructure Center (EPIC), 4) a North Carolina State Advisory Committee Member of The United States Global Leadership Council, 5) a Board Member of Teach for America- Charlotte and Corporate Cabinet Board Member for Teach for America – Charlotte, and 6) a Director on The National Board of Directors for the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE).
Mr. Makell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.