Executive Team

Encore is blessed to have an extremely strong and gifted group of leaders that have worked together in collaborative harmony for many years. Our leaders are tasked with staying agile and flexible in an ever-evolving energy space to ensure Encore remains the premier energy partner for our customers. In addition to a strong leadership team, all Encore associates are mindful that we owe everything to our customers and work to find ways to say “yes” to each customer’s specific needs.

Brief Biographies

Bret Feller – President and CEO

Bret is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Encore Energy and has direct day-to-day responsibility for all segments of the business. Bret joined Encore in 2012 as an Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer where he supervised all day-to-day operational aspects of Encore. As one of the owners of Encore, he has demonstrated great success in building a highly successful company and team, while always looking for opportunities to expand offerings to ensure Encore remains the premier energy partner for its customers. He has the ability to see the big picture and also enjoys rolling up his sleeves to get things done. Bret has been in the energy industry his entire professional career, dating back to 1991. Bret has extensive experience in the natural gas industry and has held several key positions including sales, marketing, gas trading, and overall business management with multiple organizations including Aquila Energy, Cornerstone Energy, Constellation NewEnergy, and Strategic Energy Partners. Bret was the President and CEO of Cornerstone Energy and the Co-Chief Commercial Officer of Constellation NewEnergy Gas. Bret graduated magna cum laude earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

bret.feller@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card

Kim Herzog – Chief Commercial Officer

Kim is a proven and tested leader with extensive, wide-ranging experience in energy, engineering, sales, and strategy management fields. She is highly knowledgeable with vast experience in the energy industry and has gained valuable executive experience and achieved great success while under the tutelage of Ken Graeber and Bret Feller since 2017. Most recently, Kim has been Encore’s Vice President of Sales where she managed Encore’s sales efforts to significant and continual growth. Kim possesses unlimited energy and is committed to finding the best solution for each customer’s unique requirements. Her leadership skills feature a natural ability to collaborate cross-functionally and interact with all levels within an organization. Kim has been in the energy industry since 2015 when she joined a successful catalysis start-up company where she fulfilled a key leadership role as Director of Strategy and Market Development. Kim joined Encore in 2017 as a Sales Manager where she displayed an immediate talent for proactively “partnering” with each of her customers. Kim earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

kim.herzog@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card

Dawn Bradburn – Chief Operations Officer

Dawn is a critical component to Encore’s overall success. Dawn oversees all of Encore’s day-to-day operations including scheduling, load forecasting, pricing, transportation management, and risk management. Dawn is a gifted multitasker who juggles multiple tasks and priorities at the same time, and somehow makes all the pieces fit perfectly. Dawn was one of the very first Encore employees for good reason and leads a highly capable team that ensures customers receive competitive supply and transportation pricing, and that all transactions are “papered” correctly and ultimately fulfilled in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Dawn has worked side by side with Bret since 1995 and has held several key backroom positions including deal structure, risk management, gas accounting, volume administration, and gas control at various energy companies including Cibola, Aquila Energy, Cornerstone Energy, and Constellation NewEnergy. Dawn is a highly skilled professional and provides motivation by leading by example through an extraordinary work ethic. She is a well-deserving recognized go-to leader at Encore. Dawn graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

dawn.bradburn@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card

Diane Michalski – Chief Financial Officer

Diane is Encore’s Chief Financial Officer and has overall responsibility for managing all the financial and accounting functions of the company. Diane oversees all day-to-day treasury/cash management actions and analyzes Encore’s financial wherewithal on an ongoing basis. Diane heads the accounting group that manages all Encore AR and AP responsibilities. Diane also supervises and participates in the tracking of all gas supply, pipeline, and utility transportation charges. In addition, Diane manages all invoicing efforts that ensure customers receive accurate and timely bills each month. Prior to joining Encore as one of its first employees, Diane held a number of accounting positions with accelerating levels of responsibility for several energy companies including Peoples Natural Gas, Aquila Energy, Cornerstone Energy, and Constellation NewEnergy. Diane is a proven, highly dedicated, and intelligent professional. Her diverse experience, strong skillsets, and go-getting attitude make her Encore’s ideal CFO. Diane holds an Associate's degree in Business Administration from Iowa Western Community College.

diane.michalski@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card

Joe Stappert – Chief Administrative Officer/General Manager

Joe is a gifted, highly dedicated individual and Encore’s “can do, go to” secret weapon. Joe has acquired an impressive resume of energy experience dating from 1990, including customer support, quality assurance, natural gas supply and sales, hydrocarbon measurement and chromatography, measurement engineering and design, and project management. Joe has extensive experience in operations, operating standards, utility tariffs, natural gas and power deregulation, marketing, extensive data analytics disciplines, and various managerial positions. Joe's responsibilities at Encore include sales, market analysis, project management, feasibility analysis, green energy initiatives, and development of pipeline infrastructure and energy supply projects. Joe honed his extensive experience with Daniel Measurement & Control, Peoples Natural Gas, Cornerstone Energy, and Constellation NewEnergy before joining Encore. His ability to successfully lead multiple priorities concurrently emphasizes the breadth of his skills and capabilities. Joe graduated from Northeast Community College with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Electronics Technology.

joe.stappert@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card

Duane Korth – Chief Information Officer

Duane began his information technology career in 1988 and has worked in increasing levels of responsibility with five different energy companies. Duane has held a variety of direct hands-on and supervisory technical positions including hardware, software, application development, communications, and cyber security. Duane has held executive level IT positions in other organizations including being the IT Manager at Cornerstone Energy and serving as the Director of IT for the Retail Gas Division at Constellation Energy. Duane is highly recognized within the industry for his in-depth knowledge of the gas and power businesses, and how available technology can bring speed, accuracy, and efficiency to every aspect of the energy business. Duane has a history of creating highly customized systems for a wide range of areas, including Radiochemistry, atmospheric dispersion analysis, natural gas management, and accounting. Duane led the redesign and development of the Natural Gas Division’s systems while at Constellation Energy. Duane has designed and developed the proprietary system of record that Encore uses every day in all departments to efficiently monitor and control our business. He has an unwavering dedication and his drive to achieve maximum efficiency using technology has enabled Encore to thrive. Duane holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

duane.korth@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card