Meet Our Team

Frank Wolak

President & CEO

Mr. Wolak is the President and CEO of the Washington, DC based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA), the industry association for hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies in the United States. FCHEA has been the stable, unified voice of industry leadership for more than 30 years, advocating for funding and policies to support and encourage fuel cell and hydrogen development and deployment at all levels of government and in the private sector.

Prior to FCHEA, Mr. Wolak was a Senior Vice President at FuelCell Energy, Inc. During his tenure at FuelCell Energy, Mr. Wolak initiated and developed some of the most innovative and largest fuel cell technology applications in the world and worked closely with the US Department of Energy and Congress to define and sustain programs for hydrogen and fuel cells.

Mr. Wolak has experience in all facets of energy including executive positions outside the fuel cell and hydrogen industry at an international energy services company, a power development and investment company, public energy resources corporation and as management consultant providing insight to clients in emerging technology and utility segments.

Mr. Wolak serves as Vice Chair of the Global Hydrogen Industry Association Alliance (GHIAA) and serves at the appointment of the Secretary of Commerce to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. Mr. Wolak holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Western New England University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford.

Connor Dolan

Vice President of External Affairs

Mr. Dolan is the Vice President of External Affairs for the Washington, DC based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).

Mr. Dolan has worked for FCHEA since 2010 building relationships and connections across the public and private sector to support the growth and development of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. Mr. Dolan has successfully advocated for establishment of clean hydrogen infrastructure programs, development of hydrogen and fuel cell tax policies, and expansion of hydrogen and fuel cell research and development funding within the Department of Energy.

Mr. Dolan has significant experience in trade association management and subject matter expertise in the fuel cell and hydrogen industry and related policy developments. Prior to FCHEA, Mr. Dolan worked for the U.S. Fuel Cell Council and Methanol Institute.

Mr. Dolan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Christopher Newport University and an MPA and Nonprofit Management Certificate from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Jennifer Gangi 

Director of Communications and Outreach

Jennifer Gangi is the Director of Communications and Outreach at the Washington, DC-based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).

Jennifer has been with FCHEA since 2014 and focuses on communications efforts to educate key stakeholders of the environmental and economic benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. This includes writing and editing articles, fact sheets, and other outreach materials, as well as industry and market reports for FCHEA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and others. She also concentrates on new member recruitment and member engagement, and leads FCHEA’s external event management, including the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Seminar (formerly the Fuel Cell Seminar & Energy Exposition) and National Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Forum.

Jennifer has been analyzing and reporting on the hydrogen and fuel cell industry and market sectors for 25+ years, previously serving as Program Director of the Fuel Cells 2000 education and outreach program at the Breakthrough Technologies Institute. Prior to joining Fuel Cells 2000, Jennifer worked as a Marketing/Communications Specialist for a public relations firm in North Carolina, handling only high-technology clients. She graduated from Binghamton University (New York) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Karen Quackenbush 

Senior Technical Specialist

Karen Quackenbush is the Chief Editor of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety Report. She also facilitates the coordination of association Regulatory Affairs activities among industry, government, academia, and standards development organizations.

Mrs. Quackenbush has 22 years’ experience in developing consensus-based codes and standards relating to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, and is active in a number of national and international technical committees and working groups.

Mrs. Quackenbush received a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from the Johns Hopkins University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Welding Engineering from the Ohio State University.

Tobias Hanson

Policy and Communications Coordinator

Tobias Hanson is the Policy and Communications Coordinator at FCHEA. In this role, Tobias supports a broad range of association activities from newsletters and social media to government affairs. Prior to joining FCHEA, Tobias was a policy intern at Cardinal Infrastructure, a bipartisan federal advisory group specializing in transportation and infrastructure policy. Tobias also worked as a Research Assistant for the University of Minnesota Solar Commons Project and as a social media intern for the American Solar Energy Society.

Tobias holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Minnesota. He is also a graduate of the Foreign Students Learning Center, an intensive Spanish language program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Mhamed Samet

Technical & Regulatory Affairs Coordinator

Mr. Samet is the Technical & Regulatory Affairs Coordinator for the Washington, DC based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).

Mr. Samet Joined FCHEA in September 2024 to support the development of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry codes and standards. Before joining FCHEA, Mr. Samet previously worked for bp`s Gas and Low Carbon Energy Business as a Hydrogen Regulatory Affairs Analyst advocating for clean hydrogen safety standards and coordinating with industry to advocate for enabling policies for U.S. and international hydrogen projects. He was part of the team that was awarded a $1B grant from the Department of Energy to fund the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) project.

Prior to bp, Mr. Samet was employed by Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) where he built subject matter expertise in the codes and standards governing the energy sector. He focused on applicable engineering, building, and safety codes and standards for more than 300 new greenfield oil and gas production facilities and associated gas transport, processing, and compression infrastructure.

Mr. Samet holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wyoming, is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and a 2016 graduate of the U.S. Department of Energy Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) program.