2013 Board of Directors

Tim Abate

From 2004-07, Tim was the local National Solar Tour coordinator for Bellingham.  From 2005-10 he organized an active subchapter of Solar WA called the Bellingham Chapter of Solar WA.  There he and other volunteers held monthly educational meetings free for the public revolving around various energy topics.  In 2007 they raised $1200 for Solar WA.  More recently, in 2012, Tim received a Professional Certification as a Solar Sales Technician from Solar Energy International and co-coordinated the Bellingham Solar Tour that started with a site visit at Itek Energy, solar panel manufacturer in Bellingham.  From 1995-99, Tim lived “off the grid” with 300 watts of solar and an Air 403 wind turbine.  Tim has been an ASES professional member since 2002.

tim@solarwa.org

360-739-0178

Jim Avery

Jim joined Spectrolab in 1971 and worked as a Research Engineer on advanced silicon aerospace solar cells. In 1977, he joined ARCO Solar to develop low cost crystal silicon thin-film amorphous-silicon and cadmium telluride terrestrial solar power products. He joined the research staff of the Boeing High Technology Center in 1986 where he contributed to the development of high efficiency multi-junction solar cell assemblies, especially in the areas of processing and testing - including building state-of-the-art flash test systems. He joined JX Crystals in 1995 and has contributed to multiple Thermo and Solar Photovoltaic product development efforts, most recently 400kW of high efficiency and low concentration PV demonstration arrays in Shanghai China. Jim received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Seattle University in 1969.  Jim currently serves on the board of Solar Washington.

jim@solarwa.org

425-444-6584

Kendall Bodden

Kendall is an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where his focus is renewable energy project development and project finance.  He is knowledgeable about regulatory and commercial issues facing the development of utility scale and distributed generation solar projects.  Because many past of his past projects were outside of Washington, he has the ability to apply a national perspective on the issues facing our state’s solar industry. Kendall is a graduate of Garfield High School, Brown University and the University Of Washington School Of Law (With Honors) and a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the Energy Bar Association. He is an active in the Solar Services Division of SEIA.  Kendall believes that a clean energy economy is inevitable but work must be done now to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

kendall@solarwa.org

206-883-2558

Ryan Bradt, Secretary

Ryan is the Assistant Training Director at the Northwest Washington Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NWEJATC) training center located in Mount Vernon, WA. Additionally is an acting Instructor in Electrical Apprenticeship courses for First and Second Year Commercial/Industrial Electricians Apprenticeship.  Ryan is specialized in renewable energy and efficiency curriculum for the center, focusing his research and curriculum development in the areas of: Solar Photovoltaics, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Building Automation, and Distributive Power. After receiving an AAS Degree from Wenatchee Valley College he was indentured into the NWEJATC Inside Wireman Electrical Apprenticeship program. As a fourth generation IBEW Electrician Ryan spent 10 years in the field of Commercial and Industrial Electrical construction as a Journeyman and Foreman Electrician.

ryan@solarwa.org

425-210-9105

Linda Irvine

Linda is a project manager at Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development, where she promotes community-scale solar energy and efficiency projects. She authored The Solarize Guidebook and co-authored NREL’s Community Solar Guide. She is a founding board member of Island Community Solar, LLC at Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island.  Before moving to Whidbey Island in 2003, she worked as a Program Manager for Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. helping to create and deploy on-the-ground efficiency programs for the grocery sector.

linda@solarwa.org

503-680-6610

Dave Kozin, President

dave@solarwa.org

206-618-3620

Howard Lamb

Howard has been a Solar Washington Board Member since 2010 and has also served as a past President.  He was instrumental in launching Solar Washington’s Sponsorship program and is a very effective fundraiser. Howard is also the Founder and President of one of Washington State’s larger and well established solar contractors, Sunergy Systems, and has been active in the solar industry since 1994.  He has a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering with extensive alternative energy and electric vehicle experience, including being part of the development of the world’s first large-scale solar electric carport at the University of South Florida back in 1994.  Howard’s experience also includes being an electrical engineer at Trace Engineering, and designing and coordinating the research at Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s Electric Vehicle Battery Test Laboratory.  Howard will continue to bring his extensive industry knowledge and relationships, thorough understanding of Washington State’s solar dynamics, and business savvy to serve and guild Solar Washington as it moves into the ensuring years.

howard@solarwa.org

425-213-2194

Josh Miller

Joshua is Design & Installation Manager for Western Solar in Bellingham and has been involved in the solar industry since an early age where he grew up in a Passive Solar Adobe Home in Arizona.  After graduating from Business Management School at Northern Arizona University he spent several years traveling the world, before finding himself back in Arizona working for a small Green Building Company.  Over the next two years he took over managing projects and the business quickly grew to be one of the premier solar companies in Arizona with several hundred kilowatts of installed projects around the state.  He then moved onto the corporate side of solar as a Regional Sales Manager for Alpha Technologies in Bellingham, working on projects from 100 watt wifi nodes for Cisco Systems to the largest single solar parking structure in the world at 1 Megawatt in New Jersey. After three years installing solar throughout the United States, he realized that his passion was for installing and designing local residential solar projects.  Joshua joined Western Solar in early 2009 and has helped the company design and install over 500kWs of residential, commercial and institutional projects throughout the state in just the last two years.  For 2013, Joshua will be working to expand Western Solar throughout the Puget Sound region with plans to open a second office in the Seattle area shortly.

josh@solarwa.org

360-746-0859

Debbie Stecher

Debbie recently completed her AAAS degree in Clean Energy Technology at Shoreline Community College. She is now Certified as a Photovoltaic Designer, Energy Auditor, and LEED GA. She is also a Certified Purchasing Manager, Sub-Contract Manager, Certified Scuba Sport Diver and a White Water Photographer. Debbie is a past president of the Greater Seattle Employees Recreation and Services Organization and has volunteered all of her life as she believes in giving back. She has also volunteered as a teacher’s aide working with Special Education students, and has taught kindergarten, first and second grade students. Debbie loves gardening and grows vegetables for the neighbors and the food bank. Additionally she hikes, river rafts, shoots traps, and takes photos. Debbie strives to learn something new every day. Education is a thirst for her; she loves learning and says: “you can do anything if you can read.”

debbie@solarwa.org

425-422-9857

Staff: Patrick Nugent

Patrick Nugent comes to Solar Washington with years of non-profit and publishing experience under his belt. He currently serves many roles with Early Music America, a national non-profit service and membership organization. Patrick also has volunteered his time performing outreach with People For Puget Sound and most recently worked with the Washington State Parks Foundation handling grant writing, publicity and other projects. Patrick joins Solar Washington to assist the organization in its efforts to serve the solar energy field.