The power of community
The power of community
ASES Members – This year we have seven (7) eligible candidates and five (5) open seats on the board. Listed below are the candidates and their statements. Please review the candidate statements below and vote for up to five (5) candidates via the Survey Monkey ballot that has been emailed to you.
Note, voting ends on December 11, at midnight PST.
A list of the current Board of Directors is here. Questions about the elections or about any other ASES matter can be addressed to info@ases.org.
Catherine V. Beath
I believe that the climate is warming due to humans, I believe that climate change is an existential threat to the planet on which I live but I also believe that individuals can do something about it before the worst happens. That something is why I want to be a part of the ASES Board. I believe that individuals can make a difference if they understand the threat and are given tools with which to address the threat and ASES is uniquely positioned to provide that education and those tools.
Solar panels were installed on my roof in 2013 so I am a consumer of solar energy and would bring that perspective to the Board. I am not a solar energy expert, but, from my years of leading a large, multinational organization, I would bring some general management skills to ASES such as strategic thinking, critical thinking and good judgement with a high degree of integrity. I have a talent for synthesizing complex information to a level of understanding by nontechnical audiences which, I believe, could help ASES in reaching potential consumers like me.
Kaycee Chang
I am honored to be considered for election to the ASES Board of Directors. In a few weeks, I will be completing my first term on the ASES board and I ask for your support as I seek a second term as an ASES board member. Serving on the ASES Board for the past 2 years has been an extremely rewarding experience. I have been involved with the student chapters of ASES and engaging emerging professionals in ASES. If given the opportunity to continue serving, I will continue to bring the perspective of a young energy professional working in state government, administering clean energy programs, and use perspective gained by starting a student chapter of ASES at my university, hosting large-scale events, developing projects, and mentoring. I believe in the future of young leaders and creative minds because they are our future, and they have the potential to change the world. My goal is to increase student and emerging professional engagement in ASES and in the renewable energy industry. I am excited for the future of ASES and look forward to continuing to serve this community. I hope I can count on your votes and sincerely appreciate your support.
Abraham Ellis, PhD.
It is an exciting time for renewable energy. Within two short decades, solar PV has become truly mainstream. But there is more work to be done. Going forward, within the next two decade, solar can reach its full potential to the extent that we are able to address major systems integration, institutional transformation (including social equity), and long-term sustainability. I believe that ASES has a critical role to play and I want to be a part of it. I have spent the bulk of my 25-year professional career working on solar and other renewable technologies from the point of view of research (performance modeling, reliability, manufacturing), grid integration (systems analysis, inverter technologies), and applications ranging from rural development to large-scale PV power plants. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on solar as part of an educational institution, an investor-owned utility and a national laboratory, where I led a $15M/year R&D program. I am excited about the opportunity to apply my professional experience, my network in the public and private sectors, and my lifelong passion for solar to help guide an organization and team with whom I share a vision for a bright solar future.
Marc Perez
Those most marginalized by society are often the ones most adversely impacted by unaccounted-for external costs resulting from human activity—pollution to air, water, and land, changes to the climate, the surrounding ecosystem and violence surrounding the inequitable geographic distribution of finite resources. Ecologists and natural philosophers like Alexander von Humboldt, William Vogt, and Rachel Carson have long trumpeted the essential truth that the health of our surrounding ecosystem is inextricably linked to our collective health and welfare. It was clear to me from a young age, and becomes increasingly clear the more I learn, how central a role the generation of energy and its use plays in affecting the present and future health, welfare, and security of American and global citizens.
It is through the transition to the predominant use of solar energy that some of the most jarring of these inequalities in society can be healed. I believe ASES is and has been an integral part of that mission since 1954 and I hope to continue contributing to its future.
Joshua Peterson
Joshua Peterson is a renewable energy advocate and very active in the community having served on environmental and education boards such as, The Colorado Sierra Club, The Cottonwood Institute and mPowered. He also volunteered with community solar organization Grid Alternatives, installing solar power installations in Western Colorado. His interests include solar policy and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid in solving climate related issues and the optimization of solar power operations. He is also a though leader in climate change related issues, artificial intelligence and machine learning policy and operational optimization. He is committed to the clean energy transition and working with individuals and companies to develop adaptation strategies. Joshua currently works for Kaiser Permanente managing a team of data scientists and data engineers. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Chancellor University, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and an MA from American Military University in International Relations and Conflict Management. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Management from Case Western University. Joshua also served in the United States Army, deploying to several locations in the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Stephen Snyder
I come as a civil/ nuclear/ solar engineer-turned-management consultant. As a senior partner in Accenture for nearly 30 years, living for half that period in Asia/ abroad, I’ve worked closely with high tech, utility and telecom companies driving strategic change. Now retired from consulting since 2016, I’ve remained heavily involved in the energy space through the Clean Energy Venture Group (https://cevg.com/ ) and New York Angels (https://www.newyorkangels.com/ ). I teach the capstone course at Temple University (Fox MBA) and work with early stage companies as an Exec-in-Residence at Princeton University. Additionally, I’ve had long-standing board involvement with Penn State as part of the Schreyer Honors College board (https://shc.vmhost.psu.edu/about/boards/).
Today many organizations advocate for clean energy – solar, wind, renewables of other sorts. However, it can be difficult for non-profit organizations to identify their true advantage, making the hard choices on how and where to have maximum impact. My background and depth of industry/ regulatory and practical engagement in this space can be helpful to guide ASES to maximize impact, leading advocacy of solar going forward. I very much look forward to the opportunity to have direct, hands-on, board-level involvement to help enhance the impact and mission of ASES.
Karen Soares
My name is Karen Soares and I’m a small business owner with over 20 years of experience in leadership, technology, training, and energy. Over the past 12 years, I’ve developed a passion for sustainability and renewable energy. I’m reminded of the aunt I never got to meet. My father-in-law is from the hot desert climate on the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. He shared the story of how he lost his sister due to dehydration because the island lacked a clean
On a flight to Canary Islands, I read an article about how renewables could shape a more sustainable future. I visited a water desalination plant, powered by wind turbines and was reminded of my aunt and the technologies today that could have saved her life back then. I believe I would be a great asset to the ASES family! I am on the Board of Trustees for a 153-year-old HBCU, offering a degree in renewable energy.
It is my desire to help underserved communities and expand the ASES organization’s reach by sharing its mission and values with students and institutions across the globe to make an impact on preserving the environment for future generations.