Staff

Wind Energy Project Coordinator

Jen Banks is the Wind Energy Project Coordinator at the North Carolina Solar Center. Jen leads the Solar Center’s efforts to educate North Carolina’s citizens and government officials on the potential for wind energy, both land based and offshore, to become a beneficial addition to our state’s energy mix. Before joining the Solar Center in January 2011, Jen worked at the American Wind Energy Association where she was the staff lead for offshore wind. She focused on offshore wind education and policy at the federal level, as well as various wind siting issues - such as sound, health and stakeholder involvement. Previous experience includes wind energy education along the North Carolina coast, preparing the regulatory portion of an offshore wind feasibility study with the South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies and recycling education for North Carolina citizens and local governments. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Environmental Technology from North Carolina State University and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree, with an environmental planning focus, from Clemson University. Phone: 919-515-3799 Email: jen_banks@ncsu.edu

Senior Policy Analyst

Justin Barnes joined the Solar Center in September 2007 as an energy policy analyst maintaining and updating the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE). Justin has a B.S. in Geography from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. Justin’s past research has focused on local opposition to wind energy facilities and barriers to the commercialization of lignocellulosic ethanol. Upon completing his graduate education, he worked briefly for Environment Michigan and Clean Water Action in Ann Arbor, MI. Phone: 919-513-0792 Email: justin_barnes@ncsu.edu

Solar Energy Engineer

Tommy Cleveland is a Solar Energy Engineer in the Clean Energy Applications team at the N.C. Solar Center. With this team, he leads the Center’s solar energy testing and demonstration program, conducts site audits, conducts photovoltaic interconnection research for the Solar ABCs, and provides technical support to a wide variety of energy consumers and stakeholders from across North Carolina and the nation. Since 2008, Tommy has taught the solar energy course in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at N.C. State. Tommy is a member of the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) Board of Directors. He has been a licensed professional engineer (PE) in North Carolina since 2007. Tommy is a native North Carolinian. He graduated Sum Cum Laude with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Management from N.C. State University in 2001. He continued at NC State, where he was awarded the Dean's Fellowship in the College of Engineering in 2002 and 2003, and finished his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May of 2004. His interest in renewable energy led him to the Solar Center where he performed his master's thesis on energy metering methods for domestic solar hot water systems. Phone: 919-515-9432 Email: tommy_cleveland@ncsu.edu

Residential Green Building Specialist

Marshall Dunlap has worked with the Solar Center’s High Performance Building team since early 2008 as an instructor on building science topics and residential green building programs. Additionally, Marshall coordinates the Solar Center's role as a Provider organization for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes program, assisting project teams and conducting inspections on participating homes. He received a BS in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent the next decade living in Prague, Czech Republic and working in international relations with the Atlanta Olympic Committee. In Prague he taught English, did postgraduate studies at the Central European University and established an import-export business dealing in Czech glass. After Marshall received a Master's degree in Architecture in 2004, he became a licensed general contractor in North Carolina and started a design-build construction company. Phone: 919-513-5677 Email: wmdunlap@ncsu.edu

Senior Policy Analyst

Amy Heinemann is a policy analyst for the North Carolina Solar Center. Her work includes researching state, local and utility incentives and policies for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). Amy has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the George Washington University and Master of Environmental Management from Yale University. While at GWU, Amy worked with the Rapid Assessment Program at Conservation International. In graduate school, she spent a summer in Alaska working for the Sitka Conservation Society and Sitka Electric Department on energy conservation and efficiency. Amy’s past research interests focused on renewable energy development, climate change policy, and corporate sustainability. Amy joined the N.C. Solar Center in January 2009. Phone: 919.515.5693 Email: amy_heinemann@ncsu.edu

Workforce Development Program Assistant

JoAnn Henry joined the N.C, Solar Center in April 2009 serving as Workforce Development Program Assistant. Her work involves assisting with coordinating and organizing all workshops for the Renewable Energy Technologies and Green Building Diploma Series. Before coming to the NC Solar Center she worked for Client Relations assisting with different areas of event planning for the McKimmon Center. Prior to coming to N.C. State and North Carolina in 2007 she owned her own real estate business in NJ for 17 years. Phone: 919-513-4790 Email: jehenry@ncsu.edu

Executive Director

Steve Kalland, Executive Director of the North Carolina Solar Center, has over 17 years of experience in the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields. Steve directs the strategic vision of the Solar Center and its programs, including activities in clean power and energy efficiency technologies, green buildings, and clean transportation. Programs range from technical assitance to economic development, public policy, STEM education and workforce development. Mr. Kalland also serves as primary liaison for legislative and regulatory requests at the Center and works closely with numerous state agencies on energy policy initiatives. Mr. Kalland currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), the NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA), and the NC GreenPower organization and is a past board member of the US Combined Heat and Power Association (USCHPA). He is also on the Advisory Board of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), based in Washington, DC. Previously, Steve served as project manager with McNeil Technologies, Inc. of Springfield, VA. Areas of emphasis included renewable energy programs support for the Department of Energy, as well as work with private companies and state government agencies on energy, transportation, and climate change policy issues. Before McNeil, he was the director for Government Relations and Grid-Tied Markets at Xantrex Technology, Inc. (formerly Trace Engineering). Steve is a former executive director of the Maryland-DC-Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA), the regional chapter of the national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). MDV-SEIA is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1984 to promote the economic application and public understanding of solar energy. Before that, he was the director of State Programs and Policy Analysis at the national SEIA. Steve graduated in 1991 from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a degree in Government and Psychology. In 1993 he received a Master of Science in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Rochester. He has been a member of the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM) since 1993 and in 2001 became a life member of the American Solar Energy Society. He received a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University in 2003. Email: steve_kalland@ncsu.edu

Policy Analyst

Kim Kooles leads DSIRE's policy research in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming. She is also strongly involved with DSIRE's local government policy research. Prior to joining the N.C. Solar Center in 2011, Kim coordinated the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Solar Panel Policy Guidance document, reviewed and provided feedback on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's guide on Implementing Solar PV Panels on Historic Buildings and in Historic Districts, and provided technical assistance to communities integrating solar into historic districts. Kim has a Master of Historic Preservation (MHP) degree from the University of Georgia and a B.A. in community planning and historic preservation from The College of Charleston. Phone: 919-515-1686 Email: klkooles@ncsu.edu

Senior Policy Analyst

Brian Lips is a policy analyst for the North Carolina Solar Center. His work involves the research of government and utility incentives and policies for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). After working with the policy team and the wind research team for a year as a temporary worker, Brian joined the N.C. Solar Center full time in January 2007. Brian received a degree in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, with a focus in Energy and Environmental Science. He moved to Raleigh after graduating and worked for some time at Progress Energy as a software contracts manager. Phone: 919.515.3954 Email: brian_lips@ncsu.edu

Training Programs Manager

Maria O'Farrell, Training Programs Manager, has been with the Solar Center since 2005. She began assisting with research in the Buildings Program and soon after transferred to the Outreach and Education division of the Center. As program manager, Maria oversees the Renewable Energy Technologies (RETDS) and the Green Building Diploma Series (GBDS), and customized renewable energy company training for dealers and installers. Under her supervision, the RETDS program has quadrupled, and the training programs staff has doubled. She also acts as co-principal investigator on the Center’s SMAPSIT program – a Department of Energy funded Train the Trainer program for solar electric and solar cooling and heating technologies. Maria has taken advantage of the training programs at the Solar Center and has received her Renewable Energy Technologies and Green Building diplomas. Maria graduated magna cum laude from NC State University with a B.S. in Zoology and a minor in Botany. She has done extensive personal research in the areas of green building, renewable energy and biomimicry. She is currently one of only four biologists in the world in the 2011 Masters level Biomimicry Professional Certification Program. Phone: 919-538-8287 Email: maria_ofarrell@ncsu.edu

Workforce Development Specialist

Lyra Rakusin has worked for the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University since April 2004 where she was tasked to develop and launch a series of renewable energy workshops and work on special projects. She has managed the outreach, communications and training programs of the Center, organized and provided support to Solar Center special events, coordinated the efforts of the North Carolina Wind Working Group to produce a model wind ordinance, and for a brief spell in 2005-2006, herded the members of the Landfill Gas to Energy Steering Committee. Currently, Ms. Rakusin helps direct the Center’s training workshop and other workforce development events. Prior to joining the Solar Center, Lyra worked for the Alliance to Save Energy in Washington as an intern and then as their Development Associate. From 1997 to 2000, she dabbled as a food technology sales associate, an environmental law researcher and as head of a team of consultants doing environmental impact studies for land development projects of a former provincial governor in the Philippines. In 2000, she earned a MS in Environmental Science from American University. Lyra was one of the Philippines’s first few graduates of B.S. in Environmental Science at the Ateneo de Manila University, where she graduated with the Departmental Award in 1997. Phone: 919-513-7769 Email: lyra_rakusin@ncsu.edu

Test Laboratory Manager

Michael manages the N.C. Solar Center Testing Laboratory. The NCSCTL will provide ISO 17025 accredited testing of solar thermal collectors (water heaters) for certification and rating by the Solar Ratings and Certification Company (SRCC). Michael is a BSME graduate of N.C. State University and has worked for North Carolina manufacturers Square D, Eaton Corporation, Caterpillar Inc., and Standard Motor Products as a manufacturing, product design and automation engineer since 1991. His experience with product development, machine design, testing, and data acquisition is particularly useful building and operating the test lab. Michael grew up in rural Ohio and Richmond VA. He enjoys the outdoors and has learned the importance of environmental conservation and stewardship while camping with his family, scouting, fishing, gardening, bicycling, etc. Phone: 919-513-0418 Email: michael_ross@ncsu.edu

Clean Transportation Program Manager

Anne Tazewell currently works as the Clean Transportation Program Manager at the Solar Center, where she helps coordinate statewide efforts to increase the use of advanced transportation technologies and alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane and electricity. Anne provides outreach to fleet managers, elected officials and other decision makers about transportation fuel alternatives. She is also the Policy Chair of Triangle Clean Cities - a coalition of public and private partners sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that encourages the use of alternative fuels as a means to reduce our dependency on imported petroleum and improve air quality. Prior to joining the Solar Center in July 2004, Anne worked at Triangle J Council of Governments as a Clean Cities Coordinator for four years. There she was responsible for securing over $500,000 in grant programs to provide incentives to expand the use of alternative fuels in the Triangle area. She also managed public education efforts that included conferences and workshops, radio and television advertising, website and newsletter development, as well as an educational video. Anne graduated from New College of the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. She has also worked professionally as a restaurant owner, textile designer and resource conservation consultant. Phone: 919-513-7831 Email: anne_tazewell@ncsu.edu

Associate Director of Finance

Henry is responsible for the financial, economic and business strategy development of the overall renewable energy initiatives at the N.C. Solar Center. Henry is also the lead for the sponsored research team at N.C. State working to examine the role of biofuels across different industry behaviors and market conditions. Henry joined the Solar Center in 2004 to serve as Principal Investigator for several state and federally sponsored policy research projects. His key experiences and expertise include: Valuation of commercial and industrial scale projects in biofuels and solar; portfolio and financial risk management in capital projects and capital markets; development of strategic relationships in higher risk business models; financial modeling and contract negotiations in large scale power projects that are significantly tied to emerging federal and state legislation; capital budgeting processes for complicated investment and ownership structures. Before joining the Solar Center, Henry worked managed the export department of a Fortune 500 logistics company, where he also served as a financial analyst. During his tenure at the company, Henry designed and initiated export protocols for the Central American business lane, cross-trained and merged services between the domestic and international divisions, and initiated export processes that resulted in year-to-year positive gains in revenue, profit margin, and overall net income for the department. Henry has a B.A. from Duke University and an MBA from NC State University. Phone: 919-515-5543 Email: henry_tsai@ncsu.edu

Energy Policy Program Manager

Amanda joined the N.C. Solar Center as a policy analyst for DSIRE (http://www.dsireusa.org) in October 2008 and became the Energy Policy Program Manager in August 2011. She continues to contribute directly to DSIRE and leads research in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, Vermont and the U.S. territories and helps manage the DSIRE project. Her areas of policy expertise include the viability of the third-party ownership models, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing and the deployment of distributed wind energy. Amanda manages the Energy Policy Program's fee-for-service activities, working directly with companies and organizations to create new customized policy and data services. Prior to joining the N.C. Solar Center in 2008, she was as a research analyst for an international recycling firm and has worked in Nicaragua as an environmental education specialist with the U.S. Peace Corps and later with several non-profit organizations. Amanda received a Master of Environment Management (MEM) degree from Duke University and a B.A. from Indiana University. Phone: 919-513-1587 Email: amanda_vanega@ncsu.edu