MREA Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Board Meetings

Board meetings are open to our membership and the general public. Meetings are held at the ReNew the Earth Institute in Custer, WI at 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Board meeting dates are:

June 20, 2010 (This meeting takes place at the Energy Fair, at 10:00 am)
July 26, 2010
November 29, 2010

2010 MREA Board of Directors:

All current MREA members are encouraged to vote for the Board of Directors. Each membership (either individual or family) receives one ballot. The next election is scheduled for February, 2011.

Board members are elected to two year staggered terms. In 2010 six of the eleven elected positions were up for election. (The remaining five elected positions will be up for reelection in 2011).

Individuals interested in running for the Board of Directors must be MREA members in good standing, and have attended at least one Board meeting. Nominations for the 2011 Board elections are due by January 22, 2011.

MREA Board of Directors

Michael Allen (2011)
Energy Law LLC, Madison, WI
Michael Allen is an attorney whose law practice, Energy Law Wisconsin, is devoted to assisting clients with renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and biomass power generation and with energy efficiency projects. His work includes helping clients structure deals, manage risk and obtain available financial support, including grants, low interest loans, tax credits, bank loans, and equity. Michael co-teaches the "Starting a Renewable Energy Business" course for the MREA.

Julie Brazeau (2012)
Master Electrician, Stevens Point, WI
Julie is a certified PV site assessor and served on the MREA Education Committee in 2006. She served a five year electrical apprenticeship through the IBEW and has worked as a construction electrician in the central Wisconsin area for the past 15 years. As a delegate to the Portage County Labor Council Julie hopes to help build a strong relationship between the MREA and building trade professionals.

Tom Brown (2012), President
Thomas Brown Architects, Stevens Point, WI
Tom is an Architect and LEED-Accredited Professional specializing in environmentally-responsive green design. He teaches environmental design courses at UW-Stevens Point and frequently presents at regional and national conferences. Tom has been a MREA member from its beginning, and is also a founding member of both the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA), a national organization devoted to high-performance buildings, and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA). He is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC).

Mark Dawson (2012)
Sand Creek Consultants, Amherst, WI
Mark is an environmental engineer working on chemical spill remediation throughout the upper Midwest. But his real interests are in renewable energy and sustainable living. He is in the process of building an offgrid, straw bale house in the Amherst area. His business is powered by both solar and wind.

Don Keck (2011)
Focus on Energy, Stevens Point, WI
Don Keck is an Energy Advisor with the Schools and Government Sector of Focus on Energy. He works with public and private K-12 schools and municipal governments in the state of Wisconsin to reduce the amount of energy they use in their buildings. He is a degreed electrical engineer with 15 years of experience in that field. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional. He has spoken on energy conservation at the last two MREA Energy Fairs.

Mark Klein (2012), Vice President
Gimme Shelter Construction, Amherst, WI
Mark is a founding member of the MREA, and served as Vice President of the organization for seven years. His business, Gimme Shelter Construction, specializes in energy efficient homes and masonry stoves.

Jennie Lane (2012), Secretary
Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program, Stevens Point, WI
Jennie directs the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program, at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. She has degrees in Education and Environmental Education, and extensive experience in curriculum development. She has served as Secretary and Vice President for the MREA Board of Directors.

Connie Lindholm (2011)
Franklin Energy, Milwaukee, WI
Connie Lindholm, a consultant with Franklin Energy Services, manages the We Energies Non-Profit Renewable Energy Grant programs, which helps not-for-profit organizations, schools, and units of government fund electric generating and solar thermal projects throughout We Energies electric service territory. Prior to joining We Energies in June 2008, she served as the Executive Director for the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance for nine years. Her educational background is in liberal arts and civil engineering and her other work experience has included "hands-in" projects at Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, several years as a traffic engineer for the City of Milwaukee, a hiatus as an art gallery owner in Shorewood, WI.

Doug Lindsey (2012)
Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, WI
Doug is the Dean of Agriculture, Apprenticeship, and Trade and Industry programs at Lakeshore Technical College. Recently, LTC became the first Wisconsin Technical College with an approved program for training wind energy technicians. With over 20 years of technical college administration, Doug brings experience with new program development, participant assessment, national accreditation, and fiscal management.

Mark Morgan (2011)
Bearpaw Design and Construction, Strum, WI
Mark has been at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association for nineteen years. He has been a volunteer, board member and instructor for MREA. Mark has also been an instructor for the last eight years at North House Folk School teaching Straw bale construction and solar thermal. Mark built his own earth berm home seventeen years ago using wind and solar electric, solar thermal and passive solar. He continues to run his twenty four year old business (Bearpaw Design and Construction) using sustainable design and renewable energy.

Tehri Parker
MREA Executive Director, Custer, WI
Tehri has been on the MREA staff since 1995. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member for the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program, and consultant for the Focus on Energy program. She teaches renewable energy courses around the Midwest, and is a frequent speaker at outreach events.

Marguerite Ramlow (2011)
Artha Sustainable Living Center, Amherst, WI
Marguerite is a founding member of the MREA, and served as the organizations financial officer for more than 5 years. She was co-owner of Snow Belt Energy Center and is currently co-owner of Artha Renewable Energy and Artha Yoga, where she is a Yoga Instructor. She is an active volunteer at the Energy Fair.

BJ Welling (2012), Financial Officer
Welling Woodworks, Stevens Point, WI
BJ is a founding member of the MREA and has volunteered in various capacities since its inception. For eight years BJ worked for Snowbelt Energy Center in Amherst, WI. There, he was involved in the design, installation and repair of solar thermal systems around the state. In 1997 BJ went into business building cabinetry.

Niels Wolter (2012)
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation, Madison, WI
Niels has been active as an energy professional for over fifteen years: as an oil company geologist, international energy efficiency consultant, and for the last five years as a renewable energy consultant, specializing in solar electric systems. Niels is a passionate advocate for solar energy and zero energy homes.

Ron Wroblewski (2011)
Productive Energy Solutions, Madison, WI
Ron built his first solar collector when he was seventeen and has been hooked on renewable energy ever since. His company, Productive Energy Solutions, helps industrial and commercial facilities reduce their energy use and tap into renewable resources. He has been a Board member since 1999, and would like to help the MREA reach a wider audience with the sustainable message.