2008 MRES Board
of Directors
MRES Board members are elected each December
to begin in January of the following year. MRES Board member terms
are three years in length. The Executive
Committee consists of MRES Board Officers and meets on an as-needed
basis. To nominate yourself or another person for the Board of Directors,
contact MRES at (612) 308-4757.
| 
|
David Boyce, Chair
David Boyce is an attorney and renewable energy
advocate who lives in a PV-powered house. David has been an
MRES Board Member since 1999 and the President since 2002.
He is a core member of the Sunny
Side Project, which placed photovoltaics on a local coffee
shop and provided the catalyst for the community solar movement
in Minnesota.
E-mail: davidb@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Doug
Shoemaker, Co-Chair
Doug Shoemaker is a recent retiree of NSP/Excel.
He is an active MRES Board Member, fundraising, publicizing,
and helping host the Minnesota
Solar Tour and the Solar
Boat Regatta. Outside of MRES, Doug's current volunteer
projects include a solar thermal application and wind project
with area schools, a solar roof initiative partnership, and
a feasibility project for a photovoltaic installation.
E-mail: dougs@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Loren
Abraham
Loren Abraham has over 30 years experience
in the building and construction industry. Loren's primary
focus since 1990 has been ecologically sound, healthier, more
energy and resource effective buildings and the creation of
sustainable, livable communities. He has passionately supported
widespread education about energy and environmental issues
as well as the intelligent use of our limited natural resources.
A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited
Professional (LEED AP), Loren is a practicing architect and
principal of Abraham + Associates in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He is also a certified Industrial Designer and an adjunct
assistant professor in the Architecture department at the
University of Minnesota, College of Design.
E-mail: lorena@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Christopher
Childs
Christopher Childs is the former National Speaker
for Greenpeace USA; he is the author of The
Spirit's Terrain: Creativity, Activism, and Transformation.
He is co-chair of the Clean
Air and Renewable Energy Committee of the Sierra Club's
North Star Chapter and is the chapter's Conservation Chair.
Christopher has actively promoted wind power across southern
Minnesota. He is currently working on a book about his years
with Greenpeace, and is in process of installing 3 kW of solar
photovoltaics on his home in St. Paul.
E-mail: christopherc@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Pat Dreese
Pat Dreese is a scientist who has long been
concerned about what humans are doing to our earth. Pat has
volunteered at the Solar
Boat Regatta and the MRES displays at the Living Green
Expo and the Eco-Experience
at the State Fair. He often commutes to work on a recumbent
bicycle. Pat has added a ground-source heat pump, solar water
heater, and a 3.9 kW photovoltaic array to his house in Plymouth.
E-mail: patd@mnrenewables.org |
| 
|
Jon
Higgins
Jon Higgins is the Managing Director of Lotus
Energy Consulting and Management, a firm specializing
in custom energy solutions with emphasis on energy efficiency
and sustainable technologies. Jon recently moved to Minnesota
from Boston, Massachusetts, with training from Solar
Energy International, and has more than four years experience
in energy auditing, site evaluation, system design, and installation
of PV, solar thermal, hydro, and small wind.
E-mail: jonh@mnrenewables.org |
| 
|
Jan
Hubbard
Jan Hubbard has over 30 years of experience
working in the electronic communications manufacturing industry,
where he filled various business development, marketing, sales
management, and leadership roles. He has an MBA from St. Cloud
State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics
and Business Administration from the University of Minnesota,
and an electronics diploma from Anoka Technical College. Jan
believes renewable energy is important for environmental sustainability.
He has worked as an active volunteer for MRES on projects
for the Outreach and Curriculum & Training Committees,
the Eco-Experience,
the Solar Tour,
and he attended MRES/MREA
training in solar thermal, solar PV, and wind energy technologies.
E-mail: janh@mnrenewables.org |
| 
|
Ralph
Jacobson
Ralph is CEO of Innovative
Power Systems. He is a certified solar installer and energy
auditor with over 25 years experience as a building contractor.
Ralph is North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
(NABCEP) certified and has a B.S. in Materials Engineering
from the University of Minnesota.
E-mail: ralphj@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Stephen
Jenkins, Secretary
Stephen Jenkins is just beginning his career
in advocating for renewable energy. Since learning about MRES,
Steve has spent time volunteering at the Eco-Experience
and the Solar
Home Tour. Outside of MRES, he was recently elected Hennepin
County Soil and Water Supervisor for District 4. He attended
the University of Michigan, where he received his B.A. in
Economics and Political Science. At Michigan, he served as
the Vice-President of Communications for Alpha Phi Omega -
Gamma Pi Chapter, a co-ed community service fraternity.
E-mail: stephenj@MNRenewables.org |
| 
|
Kellye Rose,
Treasurer
Kellye Rose owns and operates Rose Consulting
Services, assisting agriculture producers, rural small businesses,
and civic organizations in exploring and acquiring grants
for Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, and
Value-Added Production. She possesses a MBA from the University
of MN Carlson School of Management, where her studies focused
on Strategy, International Business, and Sustainability. Kellye
attended the University of North Dakota, where she received
a BSBA in Airport Administration. She was employed by Northwest
Airlines from 1985–2005 in various revenue management,
sales, and marketing roles.
E-mail: kellyer@MNRenewables.org |
Board Member Job Description
Purpose
To serve the Board as a voting member, to assist
in the development of and approve policies, procedures, and regulations
to govern the operations of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society,
and to monitor the finances, programs and performance of the organization.
Board members are chosen because of their commitment and long-term
vision.
Duties & Responsibilities
|
1) |
Prepare for each Board of Directors
meeting by reading material distributed prior to the meeting,
and gathering whatever information may be required or requested. |
|
2) |
Attend all Board meetings and
participate in the proceedings. If a Board member is absent
from three or more consecutive Board meetings, or one-half
of the meetings in a twelve-month period — except in
extraordinary cases — then he or she has officially
resigned, and the Board may proceed to filling their position. |
|
3) |
Attend Board retreats, planning sessions,
and Board development workshops. |
|
4) |
Attend and take an active role in the promotion,
funding, planning, and presentation of the Minnesota Solar
Tour, the Solar Boat Regatta, and other MRES designed special
events. |
|
5) |
Serve on at least one committee and actively
participate in meetings of that committee. |
|
6) |
Maintain knowledge of current programs. |
|
7) |
Establish and monitor policies. |
|
8) |
Monitor finances, and bear responsibility
for the fiscal condition of the organization. |
|
9) |
Be a current paid member of the organization. |
|
10) |
Assist in fundraising by soliciting the
financial support of others and by sharing resources and talents
with the organization, including contacts for support. |
|
11) |
Serve as an advocate of the organization
to the public and constituent groups. |
|
12) |
Act in loyalty to the organization,
its vision and mission. |
Board Meetings
MRES Board meetings are held the second Thursday
of the month. These meetings are open to the public — MRES
welcomes you to join us!
January 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, January 10, 2008
6:00 p.m.: Guest Speaker
7:00 p.m.: Meeting
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Join us for the next MRES board meeting on
January 10 at Flannery Construction. Check back here soon for information
on the pre-meeting guest speaker.
February 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, February 14, 2008
6:00 p.m.: Matt Bye, City of Minneapolis
7:00 p.m.: Meeting
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Join us for the next MRES board meeting on
February 14 at Flannery Construction. Our guest speaker will be
Matt Bye, who will discuss the Energy Management Plan for the City
of Minneapolis and the 600 kW solar PV installation at the Currie
Maintenance Facility.
Matt Bye recently joined the City of Minneapolis
and is responsible for developing a comprehensive energy management
program for the City. He brings nearly 14 years of experience from
the energy management and utility industries. His most recent position
was with Trane Global Control Systems where he worked as a Senior
Product Engineer specializing in Enterprise Energy Management (EEM)
control applications. Prior to Trane, he was with Honeywell where
he served as Global Product Manager, Energy Solutions. He led commercialization
of several leading edge products including Honeywell Real Time Pricing
Control™ (RTPC) and EBI Energy Manager™. Products Matt
has managed have supported nearly $50 million in energy savings.
Matt has also provided support and training
to utility personnel who use Electric Power Research Institute's
(EPRI) economic analysis software applications. EPRI's applications
are used by electric utilities around the country to analyze demand
side management (DSM) programs and to aid in integrated resource
planning (IRP). Matt started his career with Moorhead Public Service
department in the energy conservation department. He holds a Bachelor
of Science degree in Energy Management from Minnesota State University,
Moorhead.
March 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, March 13, 2008
6:00 p.m.: Guest Speaker
7:00 p.m.: Meeting
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Join us for the next MRES board meeting on
March 13 at Flannery Construction. Our guest speaker will be Gerardo
Ruiz of FreEner-g.
FreEner-g
(pronounced "free energy") is a residential solar leasing
company, offering an innovative service that combines financing
and maintenance of solar PV systems for homes and small businesses
under a net-metering arrangement. Their market approach eliminates
the up-front cost barrier that most consumers face when going solar
and it also positions the company as a distributed solar generation
asset owner and operator. This model creates revenue projections
based on predictable monthly service contract fees as well as green
tag trading and peak MWh sales as an aggregator of solar generation.
They are fortunate enough to have been selected
for a $1.5M grant from Xcel Energy's Renewable Development Fund,
thus providing the public capital that they plan to mix with financed
private capital (an additional $900,000 that they have already committed)
to deliver a 280 kW pilot project in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan
area starting around July 2008 (schedule driven by the Renewable
Development Fund). Ultimately, they intend to create a national
brand for solar residential electricity.
Gerardo Ruiz has over 20 years of experience
in business development, start-up ventures, project management,
sales and sales management, product development, and technology
management, with half of those years working in the electric utility
sector. Mr. Ruiz has worked for a diverse range of companies, including
ACD Sistemas de Control de Energía, Empros Power Systems
Control, Alstom ESCA Corporation and Mincom Inc. He has also provided
consulting and business development services to companies such as
ACERIsoft and UnitedHealth Technologies. In addition, he is founder
of two startups, Grupo diMex and Pegasus Consortium. Late in 2006,
Mr. Ruiz founded FreEner-g to explore renewable energy alternatives
through residential solar electricity production.
April 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, April 10, 2008
6:00: Guest Speaker
7:00: Meeting
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Join us for the next MRES board meeting on
April 20 at Flannery Construction. Our guest speaker will be Jason
Edens of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL).
Jason Edens is the founding director of the
Rural Renewable Energy
Alliance (RREAL), a non-profit with a mission of making solar
energy accessible to people of all income levels. RREAL accomplishes
its mission primarily by delivering solar heat to low-income families
on heating assistance. Jason will be discussing RREAL's primary
program, Solar Assistance: Solar Heat for Low-Income Households.
The federal Fuel Assistance Program is an important social service,
but it is not offering a lasting solution to fuel poverty. RREAL's
solar assistance program does offer a lasting solution, and it does
so with clean, renewable heat. Jason will also be discussing solar
air heat and the newly developed solar air heat panel that RREAL
manufactures.
Jason has a M.S. degree in Environmental Studies
Policy and Planning, and is also the founder the international cycling
organization, Bicycle for Everyone's Earth.
May 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, May 8, 2008
6:00–9:00 p.m.: Strategic Planning Meeting
(Board Only)
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
There will be no public meeting this month.
Instead, the Board of Directors will be concentrating on establishing
our strategic plan.
June 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, June 12, 2008
6:00–9:00 p.m.: Strategic Planning Meeting
(Board Only)
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
There will be no public meeting this month.
Instead, the Board of Directors will be concentrating on establishing
our strategic plan.
July 2008 Board Meeting
Thursday, July 10, 2008
6:00 p.m.: Guest Speaker
7:00 p.m.: Meeting
Flannery Construction, 1375
St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Join us for the next MRES board meeting on
July 10 at Flannery Construction. Our guest speaker will be Steve
Peichel from the University of Minnesota.
Steve Peichel is an Electrical Engineering/Physics
student at the University of Minnesota who is involved in the 2009
Solar Decathlon. Steve is a team lead for the Engineering/Solar
Integration group of the decathlon and is involved in designing/selecting
the PV system and the control system. Steve has been an active member
of MRES since Fall 2006.
The Solar Decathlon (www.solardecathlon.org)
joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design,
build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered
house on the mall in Washington, DC. The first part of the presentation
includes an introduction to the 2009 competition contest, examples
from the 2007 Solar Decathlon competition, and the timeline of the
project. The 2009 Solar Decathlon competition consists of 10 separately
scored contest: Architecture, Market Viability, Engineering, Lighting
Design, Communications, Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home
Entertainment, and Net-Metering. The second part of the presentation
involves describing the University's most current design, a few
the interesting aspects and goals of the design, and some of the
challenges the team is facing. The students of the 2009 Solar Decathlon
look forward to talking with you!
Other MRES Events
|
