Management Team

Vincent "Vince" Canino joined Capstone Green Energy on March 11, 2024, bringing along a wealth of experience amassed over three decades in the Energy sector. His expertise spans various areas, including power generation, renewable energy, sustainability, and performance contracting. With a rich background encompassing Fortune 100, startups and mid-cap companies, Vince has honed his skills and abilities in connecting business strategies to operational excellence, leveraging the extension of human capital to drive success.

Mr. Canino has extensive experience in executive leadership, manufacturing effectiveness, product development, and sales/market strategy development. He has a strong track record of creating highly capable and accountable teams through employee engagement. He enjoys creating high-performing teams by prioritizing trust and encouraging healthy conflict, which accelerates problem-solving and drives action on key tasks. He drives real change by creating experiences and behaviors that build a culture of accountability and ownership, which in turn creates sustainable results.

Prior to joining Capstone, Mr. Canino was Chief Operating Officer at ESS Inc., where he led the operational organization of the world's leading developer and manufacturer of its iron flow long-duration energy storage systems. Before ESS Inc., he served as President and CEO of the Smardt Chiller Group, leading the entire global organization across five continents and seven factories whilst consistently delivering double-digit CAGR's. Prior to Smardt, Mr. Canino held senior leadership positions at Trane Commercial Systems (a division of Ingersoll Rand), where he most notably launched a renewable energy solutions business. Before Trane, Canino launched DG Energy Solutions, which built, owned, and operated cogeneration and district cooling plants; most notable projects were cogen plants for Home Depot, the Church of Scientology, and a central plant at NFL Film Labs. He began his career with General Electric during the Jack Welch era, where he started as a mechanical engineer at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and then held growing roles at GE's Power Systems business; most notably being one of the originators of GE's Long Term Service Agreement business and leading the Distributed Generation and Energy Rentals business for the Western US during the energy crisis in early 2000's.

Mr. Canino earned his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering Technology (Magna Cum Laude) from Binghamton University, NY, and his Master's in Engineering Mechanics (Cum Laude) from Penn State University.

John Juric joined Capstone Green Energy in March 2023.  Prior to joining Capstone, Mr. Juric spent two years providing management and financial consulting services to C-suite executives in multiple industries.  Previous to his consulting career, Mr. Juric served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for USALCO, LLC, a chemical manufacturing and distribution company, and as President Americas Industrial Division and Americas Region Chief Financial Officer for Fiberweb, PLC., a global nonwoven products manufacturer and distributor. Additionally, Mr. Juric’s career includes multiple leadership, finance, and accounting roles with publicly traded and privately held organizations.

Ms. Derstine was appointed to Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for Capstone on December 1, 2019, where she manages and directs the execution of the Company’s Distribution strategy and global marketing initiatives. Ms. Derstine joined Capstone in 2012 as Director of Policy where she served as the company’s government affairs lead. She then led a team with additional responsibilities for strategic market and competitive analysis as well as distribution channel development. Prior to Capstone, Ms. Derstine entered the civil service as a Presidential Management Fellow for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Working within the International Trade Administration, she represented U.S. government and business interests in a variety of roles covering EMEA geographies, energy industries and trade and investment concerns. Ms. Derstine represents Capstone in a number of trade association leadership roles, including the CHP Alliance, the Clean Energy Business Network, and the California Clean DG Coalition. She has also served on the Secretary of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee since 2014. She holds a Master of Arts in International Economics and European Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago.

Ms. Chidbachian was appointed as the Vice President of Aftermarket Customer Service for Capstone Green Energy on December 5, 2022. In her current role, she is responsible for providing support to the global distribution network, managing the Service department's strategies and initiatives, and overseeing the UK Integrated Remanufacturing Facility.

Ms. Chidbachian has been a part of the Capstone team since 2011 and has held various positions during this period. Prior to her time at Capstone Green Energy, she managed the 24-Hour Helpline for Medtronic Diabetes from 2008 to 2011. She also served as the Director of Call Center Operations at IndyMac Bank (later acquired by One West Bank) from 2005 to 2007. And during her 14-year tenure at Washington Mutual Bank (later acquired by JP Morgan Chase & Co) from 1990 to 2004, Ms. Chidbachian held various positions, including Division Manager in mortgage lending and Department Manager in retail banking.

Ms. Fanning was appointed to Chief Accounting Officer and Controller effectively on September 26, 2022 for Capstone Green Energy. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Fanning served as Vice President of Finance & Accounting at Groundwork Coffee Holdings, LLC from April 2018 to February 2022. From September 2015 to October 2017, Ms. Fanning served as Vice President Finance at Spencer N. Enterprises, Inc., Ms. Fanning served as Vice President Finance and Controller for Sentry Control Systems, LLC from February 2011 to September 2015, Ms. Fanning was employed by JAKKS Pacific, Inc. as Vice president Corporate Controller from February 2000 to February 2010.

Prior to joining Capstone, Higgins held several senior operations positions in prominent industrial manufacturing companies, including InBrace, Ormco Corp., Rolls Royce, Callaway, and Goodyear. She possesses a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, supply chain management, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Higgins holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Galway, Ireland, complemented by a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. 

Mr. Kong was appointed Vice President of Technology on December 11, 2023. In his role, he is responsible for shaping Capstone's engineering and technology activities and is a member of the Capstone leadership team. Mr. Kong brings a wealth of experience and strategic vision to overseeing the expansion of the technology department, ensuring its alignment with the company’s overarching goals.

Since 2005, Mr. Kong has been part of the Capstone team, holding roles of increasing responsibility from Development Test to Core Engineering & Compliance. Most recently, he served as the Director of Product Engineering and Product Integrity. He is known for his collaborative approach to problem solving and commitment to operational excellence. Prior to joining Capstone Mr. Kong held Research and Systems Test engineering positions at Frontier Energy and Solo Energy Corporation. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley.