Howard Unger
CEO/Managing Partner
Howard Unger is the Founder, Managing Member and CEO of VU Strategies LLC, an energy consulting firm specializing in the transformation of traditional fuel management to clean energy technology.
He successfully led a team of petroleum subject matter experts in a comprehensive multi-year consultancy for the State of Maryland’s $400 million Fuel Supply Management Program.
Howard was appointed to serve as an official member of the State of Maryland Electric Vehicles Rollout and Infrastructure Deployment Strategy Steering Committee.
Howard has owned and operated companies working with the federal and state government for over 30 years. Currently, the company is focused on educating and offering solutions to the government in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for transitioning to EV buses, trucks and cars.
He has extensive experience in real estate being an investor for 20 years in a vertically integrated commercial real estate investment management firm now managing nearly 20 million square feet valued at $2.5 billion.
In addition to owning companies in chemical manufacturing and distribution (later sold to International Utilities, NYSE), publishing and printing, Howard was the Co-Founder and Director of Resource Bank which was later acquired by Fulton Bank.
Jan Adams
Corporate Advisor
Jan Adams is the CEO of JMA Solutions, LLC (JMA) a nationally recognized aviation and technology-based government contracting firm. JMA provides long range radar, voice radio communications, engineering, financial management, cyber security and instructional training subject matter expertise to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jan is also the CEO of Ideal Electrical Supply Corporation (Ideal), a full-service wholesale electrical company that distributes complete lines of electrical, lighting, industrial and safety equipment, switchgear, wire, lighting and other equipment including EV infrastructure and EV charger products. Customers include Exelon, Pepco, DC Water, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), and Baltimore Gas and Electric.
Jan is a 24-year service-disabled veteran of the United States Air Force. She was inducted into the Washington, DC Hall of Fame for her astute business acumen and was appointed by the DC Mayor to co-chair her Build Back Better, Infrastructure Task Force. Jan has provided support to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of State and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
William Cohane
Financial Advisor
Mr. Cohane has over 25 years of commercial real estate, capital markets, real estate finance and securitization experience.
Most recently, he was the co-founder of Cazenovia Creek Investment Management, LLC. He was the CEO & President of Caz Creek for 10 years and made the private equity fund into the largest purchaser of tax liens in the United States (>$1.5BB). The Fund consummated 2 market-leading ABS securitization transactions both of which achieved overall advance rates of 98%. Mr. Cohane sold the Fund and its Manager to the Hunt Companies in 2016 and continued to run the business as CEO & President and as a member of Hunt’s Board of Directors for 5 years thereafter. Before that, he co-founded Tannery Brook Partners, LLC, a real estate advisory firm, which was sold to a subsidiary of Warburg Pincus in 2011.
Bill is the former Co-Head of Wachovia Securities Global Real Estate Capital Markets platform and the Head of its Irish Bank. He oversaw all origination, securitization, underwriting, servicing, sales and trading and related investment banking activities during his tenure in this capacity. Prior to being Co-Head of RECM, he was a Managing Director in Wachovia’s Investment Bank and headed up the Commercial Real Estate Securitization, Contract Finance and the Commercial Warehouse Finance/REPO Finance businesses. During his tenure at Wachovia, he securitized over $80BB (CMBS, ABS & CLOs).
Bill has a Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown Law Center and practiced real estate and corporate law in his early career at Clifford Chance in New York, NY and before that at Goodwin Procter & Hoar in Boston, MA. He also worked as an assistant clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger at the United States Supreme Court.
Robert S. Matthews
Financial Advisor
Most recently, Mr. Matthews has been investing in the renewable and alternative energy space as well as hydrocarbons. He also consults to the banking and wealth management space. Those investments have included solar, EV battery facilities and solar powered data server facilities, plastic recycling and vertical sustainable farming.
Prior to becoming private investor he was President and CEO of Fieldpoint Private. There he led the firm to revenue growth of over 400%, and status as one of the most-watched new players in Private Banking and wealth management. Bob has over 30 years of experience in the private banking industry. Prior to joining Fieldpoint Private, he led Citigroup’s Global Wealth Advisory Services, where he was responsible for a $120 billion diversified global balance sheet and served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
There, he oversaw a global team of thousands of professionals on four continents charged with building the firm’s private banking and wealth management services offerings worldwide. The lending operation originated credits in energy, construction and permanent real estate, aircraft and unsecured facilities, among others, with no loan losses.
Dr. Eduardo G. del Valle
Energy Advisor
Dr. Eduardo del Valle is a Senior Oil & Gas Industry Executive and Ph.D. Chemical Engineer with extensive experience in refining, supply, trading, marine transportation, project management of terminals and pipelines. and evaluation economics. 30+ years with Exxon and 18 years in consulting and oil trading.
Eduardo is a well established expert in project evaluation economics both in the supply logistic area as well as acquisition economics, and bidding strategies for Industrial customers. He is an Experienced negotiator of supply contracts and marine chartering agreements, as well as pipeline and storage terminal engineering design and construction project.
Ed Ducheny
Energy Advisor
Ed Ducheny is a professional Engineer and Petroleum Industry Management expert with over thirty-two years of experience and an additional ten years of experience as a Consultant in the Energy Sector including in Retail Sales, Product Trading, Supply and Distribution Facility Management, and Operational Process and Procedures implementation.
Ed provided safety and environmental guidance on various terminal projects in the Caribbean and Central America. As well as support in terminal layout, supply logistics, operational procedure, and safety practices in ExxonMobil Caribbean and Central America.
Thomas G. Steigerwald
Energy Advisor
Tom Steigerwald is a senior oil and gas industry executive and Civil Engineer with extensive experience in petroleum refining, logistics, terminaling, trans-shipping, tanker fleet management, petroleum terminal: sizing, design, economics and management.
Tom's certifications include: USCG accepted as PIC; ISM auditor; certified and ISPS auditor; participated in oil spill response drill; served as instructor for Exxon Refining Economics Seminars; Investment Economics Seminar; Supply and Transportation Seminars as well as seminars for supply contracts and vessel chartering.
Tom's Clients have included Exxon, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, various governments in South and Central America and independent trading companies.
Richard A. Johnson
Security Advisor
Richard A. Johnson has over 40 years of experience in the management and technical oversight of all aspects and phases of Safety & Security. His educational and practical experience in the development and implementation of complex business applications and networked systems includes performing requirements/capacity definitions; design; coding/development; testing; installation; implementation; and life cycle support. Mr. Johnson hands-on involvement in the development of Biometric Identification, Smart Card Technology, Security Applications, CCTV and Access Control Systems, TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter Measures), Law Enforcement/Public Safety Criminal Justice solutions development and deployments over the past 31 years has been his primary focus. His experiences in multiple Industry Sectors including Critical Infrastructures of Public Safety, Transportation (Ground & Air), Energy (including National Power Grids), Faith Based, and Education positions him with countless unique proficiencies.
Richard regularly consults and performs multiple types of Security and Vulnerability Assessments for Governments and Private Sector clients. Richard has been a sitting board member over twelve years of the National FBI Sponsored Program, InfraGard. He maintains an active FBI issued Federal Security Clearance.
Richard is regularly invited to speak to students of Higher Education on topics related to Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes trends and mitigation strategies coupled with career opportunities/Workforce Development within the computer science industry. He has been an invited Cybersecurity Panelist addressing both Public & Private Sectors. Richard is considered a SME (Subject Matter Expert).
Wanda Durant
Development Advisor
Dr. Wanda Durant is a dynamic leader and philanthropist who founded a non-profit, The Real MVP™ Foundation, Inc. Her vigorous advocacy and support extends to numerous regional and national charitable organizations, including Single Parents Support Network, Baller Moms, The Boys & Girls Club of America, NBA Cares and Mothers of Professional Basketball Players to name a few.
As a fiery speaker, Wanda has addressed corporate, non-profit, financial, community organizations, faith-based forums, college campus groups and youth audiences. She has been the keynote speaker for diverse audiences for companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase, the Ford Foundation, The White House United State of Women Summit, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, Thomson Reuters, and others. She has been featured in national and international media on CNN, ESPN and all other major networks and has had guest appearances on The Today Show and Tamron Hall’s Show. Wanda has also been interviewed in The New York Times and Washington Post.
Wanda serves on the Board of Tigress Financial Partners, the nation’s only disabled and woman-owned investment banking firm.
Wanda was conferred a distinguished Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bloomfield College in recognition of her achievements in the humanities and for her outstanding humanitarian work.
Moira O'Leary
Development Advisor
Moira O'Leary is an expert in service optimization, CX & UX, transformation. She has headed major transformational projects with major airlines, rail transport companies, transport networks in London and Paris.
Moira is particularly focused on employee engagement, managing change and new customer journeys. She embraces new methods of collective intelligence to bring realistic solutions and create buy-in.
Moira brings to VU Strategies approaches to enable institutions to align their strategy to end user needs. She enables increased capacity and speed in innovations and organizational transformations.