AWEA’s New Board of Directors Takes Helm with Wind Industry at Crossroads

“As a Board, we will use our collective expertise to seize the historic opportunity we have today for the U.S. to become a leader in wind turbine manufacturing and wind power production. But the industry cannot achieve this alone—the government must also play its part by providing policy certainty and a national renewable electricity standard as a clear signal for investors that this nation is committed to renewable energy for the long term,” said Vic Abate, the new President of AWEA’s Board of Directors, who is also Vice President of GE’s Renewable Energy business.

Abate was named President when the Board met at WINDPOWER 2010. He replaced Don Furman of Iberdrola Renewables. Ned Hall of AES was named President-elect.

The new members joining the Board are:

* Jan Blittersdorf of NRG Systems,
* Michael Brower of AWS Truepower,
* Evelyn Carpenter of Solas Energy Consulting,
* John DiDonato of NextEra Energy Resources,
* Ray Harris of MasTec, Inc.,
* Jan Kjaersgaard of Siemens Energy,
* Steve Lockard of TPI Composites,
* Steve Trenholm of E.ON Climate & Renewables North America, and
* Greg Wetstone of Terra-Gen Power.

Also joining the board as advisors are:

* Mike Garland of Pattern Energy Group,
* John Grabner of Cardinal Fastener, and
* Susan Reilly of RES Americas.

Members continuing their service on the board include:

* Vic Abate of GE Energy (now President of the Board),
* Gabriel Alonso of Horizon Wind Energy,
* Patrick “Barry” Butler of the University of Iowa,
* Tom Carnahan of Wind Capital Group,
* Karen Conover of DNV Global Energy Concepts,
* David Drescher of John Deere Renewables,
* John Eber of JPMorgan Capital Corp.,
* Don Furman of Iberdrola Renewables,
* Jay Godfrey of American Electric Power,
* Ned Hall of AES Wind Generation,
* Randolph Mann of Edison Mission Energy,
* Lars Moller of Broadwind Energy
* Michael Polsky of Invenergy LLC,
* Hal Romanowitz of Oak Creek Energy Systems, Inc.,
* Martha Wyrsch of Vestas Americas, and
* Edward Zaelke of Chadbourne & Parke LLP.

“The AWEA board includes leaders from every aspect of the industry, and will provide expertise and guidance to our association and to our industry as a whole,” said Denise Bode, AWEA’s Chief Executive Officer. “I want to thank our Board members for their commitment and look forward to working with all to unleash the tremendous benefits that this industry can bring to our country, from job creation to environmental health and energy security.”
For the full list of the members of the Board of Directors of the American Wind Energy Association, see www.awea.org/about/board_of_directors.html .

AWEA is the national trade association of America’s wind industry, with more than 2,500 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s largest wind power trade show. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America.

www.awea.org