Photo from left to right: Eric Hayes, Elee Jen, Henry Lorenzen, Roland Risser
Last week, Energy Trust welcomed four new members to its volunteer board of directors—Eric Hayes of Beaverton, Elee Jenn of Newberg, Henry Lorenzen of Pendleton and Roland Risser of Washington County. They bring expertise in high-performance building design, engineering, utility and government leadership, trade unions, workforce issues and law, and they represent communities in Eastern Oregon, the Willamette Valley and the Portland Metro area.
A resident of Beaverton, Eric Hayes is the state organizing coordinator for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He engages and organizes electrical workers to achieve better wages, pension, insurance and training. With 23 years at IBEW, Hayes’ multiple roles included recording secretary, vice president and president of Local 48. He was also president of the Electrical Minority Workers Caucus Portland Chapter, which promotes minorities and women in IBEW.
As principal marketing and business development manager at Energy Performance Engineering, LLC in Newberg, Elee Jen helps building owners construct and maintain high-performance energy-efficient facilities through system commissioning and building control services. Jen is also an accredited Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design professional.
Energy Trust’s first board member from Pendleton, Henry Lorenzen’s resume spans from working as a partner at Corey, Byler, and Rew law firm to running his family’s 4,000-acre wheat farm. From 2002 to 2018, he served as member on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which develops a regional power plan and fish and wildlife program. He has also served on the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and Oregon Environmental Quality Commission.
Washington County resident Roland Risser has extensive knowledge of energy-efficient program design, development and implementation, including low-income energy-efficiency programs. He recently retired from the U.S. Department of Energy, where he was the director of the Building Technologies Office and then deputy assistant secretary of renewable power. His decades of energy experience include multiple leadership positions at Pacific Gas and Electric and serving on national boards for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.
As volunteers, Energy Trust’s board of directors provide strategic and policy direction for the nonprofit organization as it designs and delivers programs that help Oregonians and businesses lower costs, save energy and generate renewable power.
Other members currently serving on Energy Trust’s board include Susan Brodahl, Heffernan Insurance Brokers, Portland; Melissa Cribbins, Coos County Commission, Coos Bay; Ernesto Fonseca, Hacienda Community Development Corporation, Portland; Roger Hamilton, retired consultant and past Oregon Public Utility Commissioner, Eugene; Lindsey Hardy, The Environmental Center, Bend; Anne Haworth Root, EdenVale Winery and Eden Valley Orchards, Medford; Mark Kendall, Kendall Energy, Salem; Debbie Kitchin, InterWorks LLC, Portland; Alan Meyer, retired from Weyerhaeuser Company, Salem; Janine Benner, Oregon Department of Energy; and Stephen Bloom, Oregon Public Utility Commission, Salem. Representatives from the OPUC and the Oregon Department of Energy serve as non-voting board members.