Northern California Solar Energy Association

Erin Middleton

Office Manager

Erin Middleton has always been passionate about environmental and social justice. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in 2008 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Mathematics, Erin worked at the United Nations Environment Program in Paris, and taught English to High School students. Upon returning to the Bay area, Erin interned at Green For All before jumping on board with NorCal Solar. Erin also works at the California Food and Justice Coalition, based out of Oakland.

Elaine Hebert has about 13 years of service on the NorCal Solar board. She’s been interested in solar since the late 1970s and started her renewable energy career as a volunteer for Boston’s Urban Solar Energy Association in the early 1980s. Before earning her B.S. degree from University of California/Davis in Environmental and Resource Science, she worked in the wind energy industry and continued to volunteer in solar. In 2005 the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) awarded her the prestigious Rebecca Vories Award for outstanding volunteer efforts supporting ASES’s mission. In 2007, ASES named her an ASES Fellow.

Elaine works at the California Energy Commission and has been there since 1994. Her current position is in the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program, where she manages contracted research work in zero energy homes and sustainable communities. In her spare time she renovates a 1910 Victorian house to be as “green” as possible.

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Jamie Cutlip

Secretary

Jamie is an Associate Planner and Certified Green Building Professional (CGBP) ^TM with the City of Sacramento’s Long Range Planning Division.  Her expertise extends from permitting and entitlement review to sustainability program management and policy development with emphasis in green building, solar permitting and infill development.  Jamie also serves as Energy Committee staff for Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Greenwise Initiative and program manager for the City of Sacramento’s Solar America Cities grant award from the Federal Department of Energy.

With over 10 years of experience within the government and nonprofits sectors, Jamie has an extensive background in community planning, economic development and environmental advocacy.  Prior to joining the City of Sacramento, she had worked with several nonprofits including Sonoma County Conservation Action, Bay Area Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), Urban Solutions and Greenbelt Alliance in San Francisco. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from San Francisco State University.

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Sequoya Cross
Treasurer

Sequoya Cross is Co-Owner and Vice President of Sales for Backwoods Solar, a solar, wind, and micro-hydro systems retailer and wholesaler.  Backwoods has been in business for over 32 years and works nationwide educating homeowners and businesses on the benefits of alternative energy. Previous to her involvement at Backwoods Solar, Sequoya was the Vice President of Operations for AEE Solar, a wholesale renewable energy distributor.

She has co-owned and managed a marketing and advertising agency in Northern California, has a strong financial background working within the banking industry as well as managing small business accounting and bookkeeping for over 20 years. She enjoys giving back to her community and has served within several non-profits, including Board Chair of CASA of Humboldt.

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Noah Eckert

Noah is Senior Manager of Development for TSMC Solar North America, a newly created subsidiary of TSMC, the largest semiconductor foundry on the planet.  Headquartered in Taiwan, TSMC is investing in cutting edge CIGS technology (thin film solar) with plans to be a global leader in the PV marketplace in 5+ years.  Prior to TSMC Noah spent nearly 3 years at BP Solar where he developed, built and financed over 10MW of PPA solar projects with Walmart, FedEx and Palo Verde College.  He has demonstrated success in both the boardroom and the field.  He is adept at working with disparate stakeholders, across the entire value chain, to drive projects from concept to operation.  Noah is excited to leverage his skill-set and industry expertise to enhance Norcal Solar’s relationship with the community.

Before getting bit by the renewable bug, Noah spent 7 years in telecommunications and helped start up a private equity fund.  He holds an International MBA and MS Finance from the University of Denver where he co-founded the Sustainable Energy Society and was President of the Association for International Management.   He received his BA in Anthropology & Geography from Northwestern University.

Noah is a lifelong athlete and competed in the Big Ten as a springboard-diver.  He has been coaching on and off since college, whenever work life allows, and loves those ‘a-ha’ moments that light up kid’s eyes when a challenge is overcome.  He is looking forward to working hard with the Board to help make solar accessible.  

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Franz Feuerherdt

Photo and Bio coming soon! 

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Kenny Paul

Kenny Paul grew up in Palm Springs and is a third generation native of California’s Coachella Valley. As a child he put the, “So hot you could fry an egg” idiom to the test, successfully cooking an egg on his street in a matter of minutes. The results, (although inedible), instilled a keen appreciation for the power of the sun.  Kenny is a 25 year veteran of the high tech industry, with a wide range of experience in enterprise scale infrastructure programs and acquisition integration. Over the years this experience has helped to develop the strong teamwork ethic, collaboration skills, creativity and sense of humor Kenny brings with him to the NorCal Solar board. Kenny currently runs the Engineering Program Management Office at VCE, the Virtual Computing Environment Company.  Prior to VCE Kenny was a Senior Program Manager with a data security firm and spent many years with Cisco Systems as the Senior Manager of the Corporate Defect Tracking and Product Lifecycle Management organizations.  He is married with a son in the physics program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a daughter in high-school. His twin step-daughters are both married and he will be a grand-father in June 2011.   Outside of his job and his work with NorCal Solar, Kenny enjoys on-line Sim-Racing, (a green alternative to the real thing), Geocaching and constructing museum quality models out of LEGO, a hobby which led to working on an episode of Discovery Channel’s”Mythbusters” in 2009.

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Pete Shoemaker

Pete Shoemaker is the Renewables Program Coordinator at the PG&E Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco. He teaches a variety of courses for the PEC, including those on solar electric (PV) systems, solar water heating systems, and combining energy efficiency and renewables.

Pete has much experience in the renewables industry, including two years as head of the PV division of Poco Solar Energy, Inc., of Santa Clara.  He is well-versed in sales and system design for both residential and commercial customers.  Pete has worked as a PV consultant for green building projects in the City of Pacifica, assisting in design, permitting, and environmental impact reports.

Pete's educational background includes workshop and classroom teaching and curriculum design, including ten years as a lead educational software designer for The Learning Company.  He has a B.A. from Stanford University.

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Donald Aitken

Dr. Donald Aitken, a LEED^TM Accredited Professional, is currently Principal of his own consulting company, Donald Aitken Associates, Affiliate Faculty Member at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and Senior Consulting Scientist for the Energy Department of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Previously he has been a staff research physicist and astrophysicist at Stanford University, where he founded and directed three laboratory research programs, and founder and Chairman of the Department of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University, where he was named "Professor of the Year". Dr. Aitken has also served as the Executive Director of the Western Regional Solar Energy Center for the U.S. Department of Energy, and Senior Staff Scientist for Renewable Energy Policy and Economics with the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has over 100 publications in these various fields.

Andy Black is owner of OnGrid Solar performing Solar Financial Analysis & Purchaser¹s Consultations. He specializes in the financial payback of solar electricity systems. He holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a Certificate in Marketing. He is a NABCEP certified solar installer. Andy is also a board member of the American Solar Energy Society, former board member and Treasurer of the NorCal Solar Energy Association and Solar Tour coordinator for the annual San Jose Solar Tour.

Phone: (408) 428-0808.

Tom Chatagnier

Mr. Chatagnier has been teaching electrical, electronics and computer courses at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA for 23 years. In the last 6 years, he has started courses in Alternate Energy Systems and Photovoltaic Design and Installation. The present PV Design course is NABCEP approved to offer completing students the opportunity to take the Entry Level Exam by NABCEP. Tom has worked with electric cars, wind systems and biodiesel.

Bruce Lymburn

Bruce is the General Counsel of Clif Bar & Company.

As a real estate, land use, and business lawyer since 1982, Bruce has represented companies and entrepreneurs in a very broad mix of matters and in hundreds of real estate and business transactions.

Bruce was a partner at Oakland law firm of Wendel, Rosen for many years, where he headed up the firm’s Green Business Practice Group.  He also was one of the first lawyers in the US to become a LEED® Accredited Professional.  Bruce also served as the Co-chair of the California State Bar’s Task Force on Sustainable Practice.  Bruce's other experience includes stints as a geologist with the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park, and as a criminal justice planner for Santa Cruz County.  He has been a pilot and aviation enthusiast for many years and was a special deputy sheriff for the City and County of San Francisco, where he served as the Commander of the San Francisco Sheriff's Air Squadron.

Joe McCabe

Joe has been involved with the solar industry for the last 18 years. Currently Joe is Vice President of Business Development at Ascent Solar in Colorado. He is on the Advisory Council of Solar Today Magazine and is Chair Elect of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Solar Electric Division. He has been on the Board of Directors of: ASES; NorCal Solar; the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association; and Solar Cookers International. Joe is a life member of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and ASES.

Joe has a Master's of Nuclear and Energy Engineering, University of Arizona; an MBA, Regis University; and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Dayton; and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Gwen Rose

As a renewable energy advocate with Vote Solar (www.votesolar.org), Gwen works with local partners in different states to remove regulatory barriers and create the policy infrastructure necessary to build solar energy markets. Prior to Vote Solar, she coordinated a climate protection and solar outreach program for the County of Marin. Gwen received her B.S. from UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources in Environmental Sciences.

David Springer

A 1973 graduate of the University of California at Davis, Mr. Springer now manages operations, and participates in mechanical design, technology development, market transformation, standards development, and other projects, and is currently leading one of the four National Renewable Energy Laboratory Zero Energy Home program teams. He is an ASHRAE member and serves on the board of the Radiant Panel Association.

Tom Starrs

Sam Vanderhoof

Photo and Bio coming soon!

Claudia Wentworth

Claudia Wentworth is the President of Quick Mount PV, a PV, solar thermal, HVAC, and satellite code compliant roof mount manufacturer sold throughout the US and Canada.  Quick Mount PV manufactures  a standard mounting product line sold through distribution in the US. QMPV also does custom manufacture mounts for commercial, industrial and residential applications.

Claudia Wentworth served as Board President of the Northern California Solar Energy Association to help the Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal and Passive Solar markets bring education to the consumer for new market penetration. Claudia has been granted one utility patent and currently has a few more pending in the mounting field. Claudia is certified NABCEP PV with entry level of knowledge and is an Adjunct Professor at Diablo Valley College and sits on the Advisory Board of Solar Universe Network. Claudia held a seat on the Intersolar North America Conference Committee 2009 as she did in 2008.  Claudia Wentworth has been active in the solar industry for over ten years and the green building and construction industry for more than twenty.