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Program Chair: Steve Sherr, Foundation Windpower 

 Steve is an owner and a member of the Board of Managers at Foundation  Windpower.   Steve plays a central role in the identification and development  of relationships with Foundation Windpower’s customers (including Wal-  Mart, Nestle Waters, CEMEX, Safeway, Anheuser-Busch and NorthWestern  Energy) and in the design and implementation of innovative renewable energy  solutions to meet their needs. Steve has structured and negotiated project financing arrangements and power purchase agreements which have, so far, enabled the development of fifteen operational “behind-the-meter” wind energy projects in California sized between 1.0 and 3.2 MW, and two utility-scale projects in Montana sized at 10MW (operational) and 25MW (under development). Steve also helps lead Foundation Windpower’s public policy efforts, including advocacy for initiatives aimed at increasing access to renewable energy for commercial and industrial enterprises. In his career, Steve has invested in and consulted with various other energy and project development ventures, including a 240 MW solar project in Central California and a water reuse & reclamation venture servicing industrial customers such as Barrick Goldstrike, Boeing and SAP. Prior to joining Foundation Windpower, Steve, who is a member of the California Bar, served as counsel for Fortune 500 companies, California state agencies, a California public utility, and a wide variety of industry leaders in energy, cleantech, semiconductors, software, real estate and financial services. Steve holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley.

 

Mike Bergey, Bergey Windpower

A co-founder of BWC and president since 1987, Mike Bergey is a  mechanical engineer and an internationally recognized expert in the field  of small wind turbines, distributed generation, and rural electrification.  He has authored more than 70 technical papers and articles in the field,  provided testimony to Congress, and serves as a consultant to numerous  government and international agencies. He holds one patent in the wind  energy field. He has twice served as president of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and served on the AWEA Board of Directors from 1981 to 2007. He is a past chairman of the U.S. Export Council for Renewable Energy, member of the U.S. Department of Commerce “Environmental Technology Trade Advisory Committee”, and a past president of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council. Mr. Bergey is the acting-president of the newly formed national trade association, the Distributed Wind Energy Association. He chaired the AWEA Small Wind Turbine Committee for over 20 years and authored the 2002 AWEA “U.S. Small Wind Turbine Industry Roadmap: A 20-year Industry Plan for Small Wind Technology”. He chairs the AWEA Small Wind Turbine Certification Committee, which drafted the AWEA 9.1-2009 certification standard has been adopted in the U.K. (as a BWEA standard). U.S. and Canadian adoption is pending. Mr. Bergey initiated the formation of and serves on the board of the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC). In 1981 he was recognized by AWEA for development of the “For Leadership in the Development of a National Performance Standard for Small Wind Turbines”, which was the basis for the IEC 61400-12 performance testing standard. In 1994 he was recognized as AWEA’s “Wind Industry Man of the Year”
In 2003 Mr. Bergey served on Oklahoma Governor Henry’s EDGE Committee, which prepared a strategic plan for economic development in Oklahoma. He then served two terms on the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development. Mr. Bergey was Workforce Oklahoma’s “Cleveland County Businessman of the Year” in 2005. He was president of the Norman Chamber of Commerce in 2008 and served on the Chamber Board from 2003-2010.

 

Chris Dearth, Energy Trust of Oregon

 Chris Dearth is a Sr. Project Manager for Energy Trust of Oregon.  He is  responsible for supporting a variety of renewable energy projects, including  small wind, micro-hydro and bio-mass. Prior to his work at Energy Trust, Chris  was Legislative Director and Environmental Projects Director for the Governor  of Oregon.  He has degrees from the Yale School of Management and the  University of California at Davis.

Jennifer Jenkins, DWEA

 Jennifer Jenkins is the Executive Director of the Distributed Wind Energy  Association (DWEA). Ms. Jenkins has over ten years experience in the  wind industry including her tenure at Southwest Windpower in their  Government Affairs department. In this role, she was an integral part of  the team that successfully sought passage of the Federal 30% tax credit  for small wind systems. In her current role as Executive Director of  DWEA, Ms. Jenkins works directly with members, stakeholders, and policy makers to find opportunities to grow the distributed wind market. Ms. Jenkins earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with an emphasis on policy and public administration from Northern Arizona University and is the 2012 recipient of the Women of Wind Energy’s Rising Star award.

 

Peter Mostow, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Peter Mostow is a partner in the Seattle office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &   Rosati, where his practice focuses on the representation of emerging and    mature companies in the fields of energy and clean technology. Peter’s    background in energy, regulatory, natural resources, and environmental law   allows him to assist this client base with the development and finance of    energy-generating plants and manufacturing facilities. He represents solar,  wind, geothermal, and biomass project sponsors in site acquisition, permitting, power transmission, and offtake agreements; distributed solar power purchase agreement companies in developing their key commercial and financing agreements; and producers of new technologies from renewable fuels to thin film solar modules in drafting and negotiating key commercial transactions. Peter’s prior energy industry experience includes project development work for the sponsors of hydroelectric projects, gas-
fired power plants, underground natural gas storage facilities, gas pipelines, and liquefied natural gas terminals. In addition, Peter applies his knowledge of energy and infrastructure project development to assist clients with diligence, negotiations, and legal opinions on a variety of transactions including joint ventures, asset and membership interest acquisitions, venture and later-stage investments, project development and finance, and corporate finance. Prior to joining the firm, Peter was a partner at Stoel Rives, where he chaired the renewable energy practice. Following law school, in 1993-94, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Betty B. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle, Washington. In addition to English, Peter is fluent in German.

 

Charles Newcomb, Endurance Windpower  

 Charles serves as the Director of Technical Strategy for Endurance to  align the company’s technical solutions with business strategies. He  brings more than 15 years of experience in nearly all aspects of the wind  industry from sales and project development of wind projects to  procurement and implementation strategies. He works with Endurance’s  technical team on the company’s future product roadmap and business  models. Prior to joining EWP Newcomb held several senior engineering roles at NREL.

 

Ryan Storke, CEC Energy

 Ryan joined CEC in the summer of 2012 as a Wind Turbine Technician.    Ryan holds a Associates in Diesel Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in  Renewable Energy Technology from Morrisville State College. Ryan is the  Division Manager for CEC Energy, overseeing all project and company  developments. Ryan enjoys running, biking, swimming, rock climbing and  all other activities that get him into the great outdoors.

 

Jaimes Valdez, Northwest SEED

 Jaimes is responsible for regulatory, market and legislative policy issues  for Northwest SEED. Based out of Portland, he is often in Seattle, Salem  and Olympia. He brings over a decade of experience in renewables,  including in project development, energy planning, utility marketing,  and advocacy. Before joining Northwest SEED, Jaimes worked for the  City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability for over five years, helping launch a number of energy initiatives and representing Portland in regulatory proceedings. In 2012, Jaimes spent a year in Germany as a Robert Bosch Fellow researching the integration and development of renewables in German energy markets. While there he worked for the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin and a regional energy utility in Freiburg. Jaimes holds a B.A. in Physics and Environmental Studies from Whitman College. He has served on numerous non-profit boards, helping build local sustainability efforts in communities around the Pacific Northwest. During his scarce free time, Jaimes can be found fixing some vintage biodiesel vehicle, cycling roads and trails with his wife, or camping under drizzly skies.