Bob has served as Executive Director of the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) since 1997. Under his leadership, SELF has installed more than 650 solar energy systems in 25 countries, helping pioneer the use of decentralized renewable energy to support sustainable development in communities without access to electricity.

A longtime advocate for energy access as a foundation for economic opportunity and climate resilience, Freling developed SELF’s Whole Village Development Model, which uses solar power to strengthen health care, education, food security, and local economies.

Today his work focuses on combining decentralized clean energy with emerging technologies such as AI and IoT to help communities design intelligent systems for managing energy, food, and water.

Freling holds a BA from Yale University and a Master’s degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He received the King Hussein Leadership Award from Her Majesty Queen Noor at the Aspen Institute.

From 2011 to 2016, Jean-Baptiste (“JB”) lived in Haiti and was responsible for the local coordination of all of SELF’s solar projects, logistics, interactions with partners and government, and the hiring and supervision of installation crews for a wide variety of solar applications such as schools, healthcare facilities, water facilities, agricultural projects, refrigeration, mini-grids, rural micro-enterprise and service centers, and solar street lighting in transition camps.

Since 2016, JB has been responsible for coordinating the implementation of SELF’s solar projects and energy assessments in a variety of countries, particularly in Africa. Under SELF’s umbrella, JB also works as a technical advisor to the World Health Organization.

In 2009, he completed training with the Solar Energy International (SEI) focusing on Rural Electrification for the Developing World and Sustainable Development for Rural Communities. Upon completing his studies, he spent eight months living in Sabana Grande, an Indigenous rural community in northern Nicaragua where he was involved in manufacturing solar modules, designing and installing PV systems in local schools and households for Grupo Fenix. A native French speaker, JB is fluent in Spanish and English and is also conversant in Haitian Creole.

As special projects manager, Jeff combines a strong and varied management background, solar expertise, and international development experience to manage SELF’s unique and challenging projects.

Previously, he worked in the solar energy industry as a system designer and specifier, as well as a community college instructor. He first became involved with solar electrification for international development as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1993 to 1995, when he managed the Kingdom of Tonga’s solar electrification program. Jeff’s career in solar started over 20 years ago when he founded a company that designed and built solar homes.

Georgia leads SELF’s communications strategy, working across brand, media, and digital engagement to expand the organization’s visibility and impact. She has a background in public relations, working primarily for tech startups and innovators. Prior to that, she served as a television news reporter covering policy and economic development, among other topics. She studied international affairs, environmental studies, and journalism at George Washington University, with environmental research experience in Costa Rica. Georgia is based in Portland, Oregon. For press inquiries: georgia@self.org

His expertise includes facilitating SEIA, EIA, LEED, and EDGE. A champion of community empowerment, actively addresses poverty and climate change through community-based livelihood projects, such as water initiatives, conservation programs, and greening programs in semi-arid Kenya. Currently, Cyrus is responsible for community and stakeholder engagement and management, compliance oversight, and the implementation of water projects. This includes the installation of solar-powered water pumping stations and related distribution systems at Njapit, Community, and Rhino Sanctuary. This will contribute to sustainable water access, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and poverty alleviation through the use of clean energy.