Staff - Energy Systems Network

Paul Mitchell

President and CEO

Paul Mitchell serves as president and CEO of Energy Systems Network (ESN). Prior to joining ESN, Paul served in the Office of Governor Mitch Daniels as policy director for Economic Development, Workforce, & Energy. In this capacity he oversaw legislation, policy, and program development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and Indiana Department of Labor, and acted as the Governor's liaison to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. During his tenure with the Governor's Office, Mitchell also led the formation of and directed the Indiana Office of Federal Grants and Procurement. A native of West Lafayette, Indiana he holds a Masters of Public Affairs from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington, Ind. where he graduated as valedictorian.

Ben Wrightsman

Executive Vice President

Ben Wrightsman serves as executive vice president for Energy Systems Network (ESN). He is a strategic industry executive with over 19 years of experience in high-tech manufacturing, electronics, advance battery, and product development companies. Wrightsman has a passion for finding and utilizing untapped resources and capabilities within a company to open new opportunities for growth and revenue generation. Wrightsman's diverse background in executive leadership, engineering, business development, operations, and supply chain gives him abroad range of understating to tackle problems at all levels of the organization. Wrightsman has held key positions with one of industry’s leading electronics contract manufacturers, large format lithium battery manufacturer, along with owning and advising several small business ventures/startups. Wrightsman attended Purdue University at Indianapolis majoring in Electrical Engineering where he was co-captain of the Electric JAG (Indy) Car Team. He is APICS-CPIM accredited, received Lushin (Sandler) President’s Sales Training, and is a dedicated Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt. He also serves on the advisory board for Indiana IoT Lab and Eclipse Energy.

Drew Tharp

Manager of Communications

Drew Tharp serves a manager of communications for Energy Systems Network (ESN). Tharp has served a number of marketing and communications roles in his career. He previously served as an account executive at Indianapolis agencies Element Three and Caldwell VanRiper, where he managed marketing communications for national brands such as Allison Transmission, Republic Airways, and ConvergeOne, among others. Tharp’s responsibilities at ESN include overseeing internal and external communications, public relations, digital strategy, and social media management. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Latoya Botteron

Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operations Officer - CICP

Latoya Botteron serves as the chief financial officer and chief operarions officer for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), the parent organization of ESN. In a shared services role, Botteron assists the ESN team in the areas of finance, human resources, compliance and contracts. She joined CICP in 2010, after serving in several roles in public accounting and auditing, including her role as Senior Auditor at Katz, Sapper & Miller. Botteron graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a bachelor’s of science degree in Accounting and Business, and is a licensed CPA in the state of New York and Indiana.

Cinthya Kauffman

Director of Operations and Compliance - CICP

Cinthya Kauffman serves as director of operations and compliance for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). Kauffman is responsible for overall operations including office administration, project management, risk assessment, commercial insurance policies, vendor/consulting contracts and agreement, human resources oversight and compliance, legal compliance filings and the information technology (IT) function, including cybersecurity compliance. She is also responsible for compliance with deliverables, invoicing, reporting, and regulations associated with grants and other funding contracts. Kauffman joined CICP in 2016 as grants accountant and compliance manager and was promoted to director of administration in 2017. Prior to joining CICP, Kauffman served as grants manager and office manager for Charter Schools USA-TC Howe High School. In addition, she has served as a bilingual assistant for the Indianapolis Public Schools and Carl Wilde Elementary and as a lead client associate for JPMorgan Chase. Kauffman has an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business where she majored in Finance and Management/Entrepreneurship, and a Bachelor of Science from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business where she majored in Management and Human Resources Management. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Theresa Tetrault

Director of Finance - CICP

Theresa Tetrault serves as the director of finance for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). Prior to joining CICP, she served as an accountant for Clifton Larson Allen LLP and as a staff accountant for Katz, Sapper & Miller, both in Indianapolis. Tetrault also held roles as vice president and director of development for WFYI Public Broadcasting. Tetrault earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Anderson University and a Master of Science, Accounting from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.