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CRES Officers,
Board &
Committees
 he
Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) is a nonprofit (501-c3)
organization that derives most of its funding and direction from its
members. CRES was founded in April 1996 by
Ronal Larson and Paul Notari, who organized the first board and membership meetings.
CRES members elect the board of
directors yearly and may attend meetings and give input to the board.
The paid staff serves part-time. Key projects of the organization are
organized by volunteer committees, including:
Colorado Renewable Energy
Conference
Finance
Fundraising and Membership
Outreach
Policy
Tour of Solar Homes
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CRES Staff Members |
Operations Director
 Sheila Townsend
. . .
became Operations Director of CRES in 2010 after 9 years as
Executive Director. She works for CRES about 20 hours
a week, and has organized our membership database, solicited
sponsorships for CREC and the Tour of Solar Buildings, and
plays a vital role in keeping our organization moving
forward on a daily basis.
Sheila has a Masters of Arts degree in Political Science from
Colorado State University. She has a long history as a volunteer
organizer, working on numerous local and state political and
environmental campaigns. She served for 11 years on Golden's Earth
Day and Clear Creek Canyon Cleanup. |
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Membership
Director
 Pat Grossman
You usually see Pat at most registration
tables for CRES events. But she has been Membership Chair for CRES
since 2002, chair of the Tour of Solar Homes for several years and
part of the Conference Committee for the last 5 years. Work with
CRES began as a volunteer and progressed after retirement from the
industrial water treatment field. As a graduate of Colorado State
University in Microbiology, early work was in the laboratory. This
lead to an interest in the solar technology in the early 1970's
with a Jimmy Carter inspired solar hot water system.
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Communications
Director
 Phil
von Hake
. . . has
promoted CRES's monthly meetings since 2002, and their average
attendance has tripled since he started. As lead promoter for
the American Solar Energy Society's SOLAR 2006 Conference in
Denver, Phil helped to generate the most thorough and diverse
press coverage the conference has ever received.
Phil is a Communications Consultant for
Clean-Technology and Green-Future Issues. Through PvH
Communications, Phil strives to create "a message to help clear
the air," telling the story of those who work for a more
sustainable future, and educating others to make more
sustainable choices in their behavior and consumption. |
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CRES EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
CRES has Officers and Board
Members nominated by and voted for by the society's members. The officers and board members are listed below. The Board chooses candidates for officers; Board members are nominated and voted upon by CRES
members. The Vice-President serves as next year's president. |
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2010
Officers
(Click link for
bio and photograph)
President -
Thom Johnson
Vice President -
Gerry Fitzpatrick
Secretary -
Nina Ward
Treasurer - Larry
Christensen
CRES Past President -
Steve Sargent |
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Thom Johnson, President
 Thom
is Senior Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager at EMC
Engineers, Inc. He is a Professional Engineer (PE) in Colorado, a
Certified Energy Manager (CEM) by the Association of Energy
Engineers, a LEED APTM by the US Green Building Council, a
Certified Geo-Exchange Designer (CGD) by the International Ground
Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA), among other certifications.
He is an energy-efficiency and renewable energy expert with over
35 years of construction experience including solar thermal
systems, photovoltaic systems, hydronic radiant floor heating
systems. He was a past-President of CRES and is a CRES life-member. Thom also served on the Board of
Directors of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association from
2004-2007.
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 Gerry
Fitzpatrick, Vice President
Gerry Fitzpatrick, has a graduate degree in
electrical engineering and a master in business. He has over 25
years of diverse practical experience in multiple technical
disciplines (electrical, energy, mechanical, thin-film
technology, physics, etc.) and over 10 years of practical
business management experience. |
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 Nina
Ward, Secretary
Nina
Ward is a corporate attorney with Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP,
a regional law firm based in the Rocky Mountain region. Nina's
practice focuses on finance, bank, and securities law. She has
handled a wide variety of financing transactions, including
taxable and tax-exempt bond financings and commercial loans, and
regulatory matters for various businesses including green
businesses. She is also a member of her firm's renewable energy
practice group. In addition to her J.D. from the University of
Michigan, Nina has a B.A. in environmental science from Middlebury
College and an M.A. in from the University of Michigan School of
Natural Resources and the Environment. |
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 Larry
Christensen, Treasurer
Larry is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Rocky Mountain
Communities, a non-profit organization that provides affordable
housing and program services to help low income families succeed
in life.
Larry’s 25 years of financial management experience has covered
all aspects of accounting, finance, information technology,
human resources and risk management. His professional experience
has involved both public and private companies, as well as
non-profit organizations and an international CPA firm.
His interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency began
many years ago when he built super-insulated houses. His current
super-insulated home was his business prototype that has new
solar electric panels.
Larry currently serves on the board of a national reciprocal
insurance captive. He also has served as the President of a
local non-profit involved in environmental education for
teenagers and as Treasurer for a land trust dedicated to
preserving Colorado open spaces.
He is a CPA, received an MBA degree from Arizona State
University and a BS degree in accounting from Brigham Young
University.
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 Steve Sargent,
2009 President
Dr.
Sargent has worked in the solar energy field since 1963, when he
became interested in it while a mechanical engineering student
at Arizona State University. After graduation from ASU, he
received a Fulbright fellowship to study solar energy in Israel,
after which he received his master’s and PhD degrees from the
University of Wisconsin, where he was affiliated with the UW
Solar Energy Laboratory. He was assistant professor of
mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, where he
initiated a course on solar energy building applications for
engineering and architecture students.
He joined the solar energy program of the
Energy Research and Development Administration (now the
Department of Energy) when it was established in 1975, and has
been with DOE since then, working primarily as a renewable
energy program and project manager. He retired from DOE in 2004.
He has been an ASES/ISES member since 1963 and
has served on numerous divisions and committees, as well as the
ASES board. He was the first recipient of the ASES Special
Recognition Award (now the Vories Award) in 1993, and was named
a charter Society Fellow at the 2000 annual conference in
Madison. He was a member of the International Organizing
Committee for the 1991 ISES Congress in Denver, and the 2005
ISES Solar World Congress in Orlando, for which he served as
Water Program chair. He was a founding member of CRES and was
elected to the Board in December of 2006.
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2010 Board Members at Large
(Click link for bio and photograph)
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 Becky
English
Becky English's lifelong interest in
environment and sustainability morphed into a concentration on
energy issues several years ago when her concern about climate
change caused her to seek ways to help meet the great challenge of
our time. A former university instructor, IT & telecommunications
sales & marketing professional, and educational foundation
president, Becky now works with businesses to achieve triple
bottom line results emphasizing sustainability in governance and
operations. One tool in her operations toolkit is to reduce
business travel by providing state-of-the-art teleconferencing and
webinar services. Some of Becky's clients are engaged in emissions
reduction as a core business enterprise. She also works with
government agencies, developers and others on documentation for
NEPA environmental compliance. Currently she serves on the
Windsource Advisory Board, Sierra Club's Rocky Mountain Chapter
executive and legislative committees, and the Sustainable Business
Group's executive committee. She chairs Sierra Club's energy
committee for Colorado, and actively engages in various campaigns
to reduce carbon emissions and pollution at the municipal, state
and national levels. |
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 Barbara Farhar
Dr. Farhar is adjunct professor at
the University of Colorado, and was a senior analyst at the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado. She has
been directing research on technology/society interactions and
diffusion of innovations for more than 25 years. A Senior Policy
Analyst, she gained national recognition for her work on the
human dimensions of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dr.
Farhar has worked in energy since 1977 when she initially joined
the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), now the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She is an expert on public
perceptions and preferences on energy and environmental policy.
She has published on geothermal facility siting issues at
federal lands, including geothermal resource assessment and
policy analysis, and on Native American interest in geothermal
energy. She has recently completed a comparative market
assessment and utility analysis of the first production builder
development of high-performance homes in the United States. Dr.
Farhar has produced more than 240 publications and papers on the
relevance of behavioral analysis to energy policy, strategic
planning for federal research, public opinion about energy and
environmental policy, societal response to weather modification
technologies, energy efficiency R&D planning, and technology
transfer. She also publishes on the relationship between gender
and energy. She has been published in Annual Review of Energy
and the Environment, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Science.
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 Chris Fullerton
Chris started out his professional career as
an engineer working in highway construction in Arizona. Deciding
to shift his focus during the energy crisis of 2008, he resigned
and moved to Denver with the goal of entering a field that would
help the nation become more energy responsible. Upon arriving in
Denver, he became actively involved in CRES and ASES. He has
enjoyed his experience thus far and is thrilled to have a more
active role as a board member. Chris now works for EMC Engineers
as a Mechanical Engineer with a focus on energy-efficiency. In
2009 he achieved LEED AP by the U.S. Green Building Council and
has served as a commission agent on numerous LEED projects, in
addition to performing re-commissioning services and energy audits
on existing buildings. |
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Matt Futch
Matt Futch is the Utilities Program Senior Associate at Colorado
Governor Bill Ritter’s Energy Office. From 2006 to 2007, he was a
project manager for the Alternative Transportation Fuels
Initiative at the bi-partisan Western Governors’ Association. The
report can be found here:
http://www.westgov.org/wga/publicat/TransFuels08.pdf
This initiative resulted in a living policy document which
continues to serve as a comprehensive analysis of technology and
policy options available to the Western Region. The policy
recommendations made in the electric transportation section of
this report became a guiding document for several energy titles in
the 110th Congressional session. Prior to his position at the WGA,
he completed an M.A. in Global Finance and Energy at the
University of Denver with an emphasis on national energy policies
and financial analysis of joint venture energy projects.
Matt’s responsibilities at the Governor’s
Energy Office include managing the non-investor owned portion of
the Utilities Program, which is focused on advocating for the New
Energy Economy the Governor’s Climate Action Plan. He helps to
lead the implementation of a variety of state renewable energy and
energy efficiency laws. He is currently leading the development of
the Climate Action Plan report for the Governor, which will detail
how the state’s public utilities are addressing the emissions
goals set in the Climate Action Plan. The report will be submitted
to the Governor and released for public consumption in the summer
of 2009. In addition to this report, he is working on several
public utility initiatives, program development, and procuring
additional Federal funding to stimulate the development of energy
efficiency and renewable energy in Colorado.
Matt engages many external industry
associations including the Western Interstate Energy Board, the
Western Governors’ Association, the American Wind Energy
Association, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and the
American Public Power Association. Matt lives in Denver, and is
married to Cynthia Futch, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
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 Rich
Garb
Richard has
worked in the Energy Efficiency/Sustainability field since 1989.
While at the University of Arizona during the 1990's he began
research on a new product from waste glass that was patented in
2002. He has been in charge of a variety of public and private
sector programs directed at pollution prevention and waste
minimization. Technology transfer has been a large interest as he
worked to set up new programs with the schools of Architecture,
Agriculture and Engineering at the University of Arizona. He is
and has been on the boards of many environmental and service
organizations in both Colorado and Arizona. In addition to his
environmental work he has been with the Broomfield Economic
Development Corporation and a few start up ventures. He is with
B&H Solar Industries as a Senior Project Director.
Richard has a Bachelor of
Science in Natural Science from Colorado State University and an
MBA in Services Marketing from the University of Denver. |
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 Michael
D. Haughey
Michael started
Silvertip Integrated Engineering Consultants in 2003. His
experience includes 35 years in Mechanical consulting, facilities
engineering, energy analysis, systems commissioning, and
sustainability consulting. His professional involvement has
included: President Rocky Mountain ASHRAE; USGBC Colorado Board,
Education Director, Programs Coordinator, Greenbuild 2006 Host
Committee Chair.; AIA COTE, ASES, CRES, AEE, RMAEE, and the
Colorado Earthquake Hazard Mitigation Council. He has given over
50 seminars and meeting presentations on various topics including
Low Energy Mechanical Systems, USGBC-LEED Overview, Ground Source
Heat Pumps, LEED EB, High Altitude Design, Ice Thermal Storage,
Economizers, Living Buildings, Seismic Risk in Colorado, Living
Buildings, and Sustainable Design. Michael has been a Guest
Lecturer in HVAC Design at CU Boulder and CSU, and an instructor
of HVAC Design at CU Denver and CU Boulder.
In addition to
traditional mechanical design experience, Michael has specialized
in alternative and energy-conserving systems such as
indirect-direct evaporative cooling, mass thermal storage, ice
thermal storage, ground-source heat pumps, solar heating, energy
audits, energy retrofit design, daylighting and natural
ventilation integration with mechanical systems, commissioning
peer review, troubleshooting, sustainability & LEED consultation,
net-zero energy systems, with a career specialization in energy
efficient design. His interest in RE began in college in the early
‘70’s and he has been advocating, designing, and encouraging RE
and energy efficiency in a reluctant market ever since. |
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 John
Hambright
(bio to come)
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 Wendy
Larsen
Wendy is a long-time member of the staff at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory where she has organized and participated in
outreach and education projects ranging from PV Applications
Workshops and Educational booths at the National Western Stock
Show, Solar Independence Exhibit at the Museum of Science &
Industry in Chicago, IL, and team member for three successive
Solar Decathlon events in Washington DC. She has supported
technical meetings such as the World Renewable Energy Conference
in Denver and has managed registration and logistics for RE
Conferences & Workshops in Cairo and in Alexandria, Egypt and in
Sharjah, UAE. She has served as Registration Chairperson and
Member of the Organizing Committee for the IEEE, Photovoltaic
Specialists Conference since 1987. Member of WISE – Women in
Sustainable Energy. |
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 Jeff
Scott
Jeff Scott is the founder of SolSource. He
traces his commitment to high-performance buildings back to his
seven years living in Japan during the 1990s. While there, Jeff
began his research into green building practices and was
impressed by the country's 'whole systems' construction methods.
Upon returning to the U.S., Jeff began linking his belief in
sustainable design to strong environmental values and business
skills and founded SolSource in 2003. Jeff holds two BAs
(Business and Computer Science) from Miami University of Ohio.
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 Carol
Tombari
Carol Tombari is the
Manager of Stakeholder Relations at the U.S. Department of Energy’s
(DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where she works on
electric utility and economic development issues.
Prior to joining NREL’s Public Relations office, she directed
the laboratory’s State and Local Initiatives office.
Ms. Tombari previously was self-employed as
president of Mountain Energy Consultation, specializing in public
policy and programs related to energy efficiency, renewable energy,
and the environmental impacts of energy use.
In this capacity, Ms. Tombari led three delegations of State
Energy Officials to the People’s Republic of China, to discuss public policies to
facilitate the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Ms. Tombari has specialized in energy and
environmental policy and programs for more than twenty-five years. She
directed the State of Texas’
energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for a decade.
She worked for two Texas governors, served as an electric
utility regulator, and was natural resources advisor to the lieutenant
governor. She was a founder of the National Association of State
Energy Officials; chaired an advisory committee to Congress on
renewable energy joint ventures; and was appointed to by the Secretary
of Energy to DOE’s State Energy Advisory Board.
Ms. Tombari’s educational credentials include a
master’s degree in public affairs and an undergraduate degree in
geography. She is the
author of Power of the People:
America’s New Electricity Choices (Fulcrum Publishing).
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 Bolko
Von Roedern
Bolko moved to
Colorado in 1983 when he was hired by NREL (then SERI), after
working on a SERI subcontract as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard
University. He developed amorphous-silicon-based (a-Si) solar
cells within SERI's in-house amorphous silicon group as a senior
scientist. In 1985, he joined a start-up company, Glasstech Solar,
Inc. (GSI) in Wheat Ridge, CO, managing all aspects of the
technology developments as well as day-to-day operation. GSI
developed turnkey a-Si photovoltaic module manufacturing lines. In
1990, he returned to SERI as a Project Manager in the Amorphous
Silicon Research Project. This project was merged into the Thin
Film Partnership Project, and since 1992, he was part of a
three-person team responsible supporting amorphous and crystalline
Si, cadmium telluride, and copper indium diselenide thin-film
photovoltaic R&D and technology through subcontracts. Together
with his colleagues, he was among the finalists of the 1999 World
Technology Award for Energy; the Thin Film Partnership, and in
collaboration with subcontractors has also won several awards and
recognitions (RD100 etc.). Since 2007, he has become involved
managing projects for the Solar America Initiative, and he
continues an evaluation of how material quality parameters will
affect solar cell performance. Dr. Von Roedern received his Ph.D.
in physics at Stuttgart University in 1979. |
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 Liz Wester
Since launching her consulting business more
than 17 years ago, Elizabeth has teamed with corporate management
in a variety of industries as a business consultant, marketing
strategist and project manager. She uses her extensive experience
and leadership abilities to bring team building and communications
skills to field, regional and corporate level initiatives. She
specializes in new product development and product revitalization
and has worked with both private and non-profit organizations.
Prior to launching her consulting
business Elizabeth was National Director of Marketing for United
Artists Cable Television. She was solely responsible for relations
between the executive management, the corporate marketing
department and five company divisions totaling 86 cable systems
and 2.6 million customers. Prior to United Artists she served
similarly for 11 years in all levels of marketing management for
Jones Intercable. She is a certified focus group moderator and is
a charter fellow of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, Women
in Cable Television, and the Women’sVision Foundation.
Most recently Elizabeth has become
passionate about matters concerning conservation, sustainability
and renewable energy as necessary initiatives to renew balance
between the needs of humanity and those of our planet. She
recognizes the need for responsible stewardship of our world and
strategic planning regarding environmental policies in government,
corporate and public arenas. She is currently dedicated to the
encouragement of sweeping transformations in the way we live and
work to create a sustainable future for ourselves and as a gift of
love for generations to come.
Elizabeth relishes living in the splendor
of the Rocky Mountain Region with her husband, two young sons and
an adult daughter in Ft Collins.
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Regional Representatives |
 Roger Alexander,
North - CRES
Roger preaches
the energy gospel in Northern Colorado. REDUCE > PRODUCE. He
founded Sirius Energy Solutions to help people understand the need
to, the how to and the benefits of reducing energy consumption in
their homes and small businesses. Sirius will work on implementing
the recommendations and test out to assure the quality of the work
and the effectiveness of the recommended measures. Roger works
with SolSource on the PRODUCE side of the equation when solar
electric and/or solar thermal systems may be the logical next step
for a consumer.
Roger is in his third year on the NCRES
Board and happy to serve as the liaison to the CRES Board this
year. He also serves on the Board of his local electric co-op,
Poudre Valley REA.
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 Terry Meikle,
Southeast - CRES
Terry is
Energy Supply Manager at Colorado Springs Utilities. He has a
master’s degree in business administration, mechanical engineering
degree and is a Licensed Professional Engineer. He is a renewable
energy production expert with over 38 years of power generation
experience including woody biomass co-firing and co-combustion
operations and maintenance experience with stoker, cyclone,
pulverize and fluidized-bed technology utility size boilers. He
has extensive experience in, processing; blending and co-firing
various alternative and renewable fuels within coal fired power
plants. Mr. Meikle has been a plant manager, has been published in
Power Magazine and has been a speaker at a Biomass Finance
Symposium in Washington DC. He is a proponent for the utilization
of renewable and waste or recycled landfill re-direct fuels. He
has conducted testing and engineered modifications in coal
combustion systems to allow for efficient and successful
utilization of waste urban renewable fuels. He has been
instrumental in co-firing paper pellets, rubber tire chips,
plastic chips and high carbon recycled waste boiler ash. He is a
successful grant writer. He is a founding member of the Woodland
Park, Colorado, Healthy Forest Initiative and has developed a
positive relationship with personnel of the Governor’s Energy
Office. Mr. Meikle is a great statesman promotes activities
conducive of healthy environments for our great Country as well as
the World. Mr. Meikle is a professional, an activator, a past
president of a local Rotary club, an elected school board member
and a great resource for the development of alternative energy
utilization.
Terry and his wife feel intrinsically blessed
to have the privilege of living in the splendor of Colorado
Springs and the Rocky Mountain Front Range.
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2010 CRES Board Retreat
New 2010 Board Photos by Bob Reed |
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