First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, announced that Michele Beasley has joined the company as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Ms. Beasley comes to First Wind with extensive experience in the development and financing of wind and other energy projects. In her role, she will oversee the company’s legal affairs and manage its legal team.
“We are excited to have Michele join our executive management team, which will benefit from her talent and experience,” said Michael Alvarez, President and CFO of First Wind. “Her expertise in the space is unparalleled and positions her perfectly to support our projects in operation and under development across the U.S. from the Northeast to the West and to Hawaii.”
Ms. Beasley most recently served as Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco and Boston, serving as senior legal counsel to the Securities Investment Group of its division of Wholesale Division, supporting a multi-billion high-yield investment portfolio and large street- and customer-facing sales and trading groups. She served on the Securities Investment Risk Management and Firewall Committees, and represented commercial real estate financing teams.
Prior to Wells Fargo, Ms. Beasley spent more than a decade working on all aspects of the development and financing of energy projects at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Chadbourne & Parke, including the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of equity investments, project contracts, and third-party limited- and non-recourse financing, and related real estate and governmental approvals work. She also served as staff counsel to the then-new Women’s Rights Project of Human Rights Watch, under the Georgetown University Law Center’s Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship.
Ms. Beasley received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Beasley currently resides in Natick, MA.