NCSEA received more than 20 nominations for the 2010 Board of Directors.  NCSEA’s Nominating Committee was very pleased to have received such a large number of very qualified candidates, including four who currently serve on NCSEA’s Board of Directors or a Committee.  After careful consideration of NCSEA’s bylaws, eligibility criteria, and a thorough analysis of NCSEA’s needs, the Nominating Committee is pleased to present the following slate of candidates for election to the 2010 Board of Directors. Each of these qualified individuals has pledged their time and willingness to ensure the advancement of NCSEA and its mission. Please review each candidate’s bio below before you complete your ballot.

Click here for more information on NCSEA's 2010 Board of Directors Election or to access the ballot. (Voting has closed)

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John Ganzi is a start-up expert with over 30 years of experience working in the energy, finance, and environmental areas. Currently, he is the President of Environment & Finance Enterprise and serves on NCSEA’s Board of Directors as its Treasurer. In 2008, he successfully launched and became CEO of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, a well funded quasi-governmental agency focused on establishing a multi-billion dollar biofuels industry in the state. John has led several other start-up operations this decade, including: The Finance Institute for Global Sustainability, a 501(c) 3 non-profit and Eco Inn Experiences, a for-profit.  Before establishing Environment & Finance Enterprise in the early 1990’s, John was a banker at Salomon Brothers and Citicorp. John lives in Chapel Hill.

Richard Harkrader is the CEO and Founder of Carolina Solar Energy where his primary responsibility is to ensure a complete and timely execution of system design, project financing, construction and operations.  Richard is a current member of NCSEA’s Board of Directors and has served as its Chair three times over the years.  An architect emeritus, building contractor, solar installer and real estate developer, he is  also founder and partner in two other businesses: New Morning Solar Realty built and managed 45 passive solar apartments with solar hot water and now owns and manages commercial real estate. Richard is Treasurer and Projects Manager for Sister Communities of San Ramon, Nicaragua where he and his wife, Lonna, manage community development projects and an international award-winning eco-tourism business, as well as raise organic, shade-grown coffee.  He has also served for seven years as the environmental representative on the NC Legislative Study Commission on Electric Utility Deregulation and was instrumental in starting NC GreenPower, where he was Vice Chair for two years. Richard lives in Durham.

Fred Hutchison founded the Hutchison Law Group in 1996 where he has represented more than 300 entrepreneurial companies over the years, including some of the Research Triangle’s leading technology companies, on venture capital, securities and mergers and acquisitions. Fred currently serves on NCSEA’s Board of Directors. Recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America by many organizations and media outlets and is a recipient of the Order of the Long  Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor given by the state of North Carolina, Fred is active in several organizations. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NC Technology Development Authority and is a current member of the Congress of Fellows of the Center for International Legal Studies and NC IDEA. He was the founding President of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the country. He has also served as the Chairman of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of the Business Innovation Technology Advancement Center, an incubator for early stage companies. Fred lives in Raleigh.

Rick Waechter is an active member of the North Carolina community supporting sustainable energy. Already actively involved in NCSEA’s leadership, he has served for the past year as an “outside” member of NCSEA’s Audit Committee and would like to continue his financial service to the organization as its Treasurer in 2010, if elected to the Board. He is a founding partner of Dandelion Energy, a renewable energy development company based in Chapel Hill, which focuses on commercial-scale solar, landfill gas and other renewable energy projects in North Carolina and the southeast. For over 20 years, Rick has led teams that raised $15 billion from investors around the world for companies and projects, and has advised on another $30 billion of corporate transactions. He also volunteers with the Chapel Hill and Durham Public Schools. Rick lives in Chapel Hill.  

Zoë Gamble Hanes works with the law firm of Blanco Tackabery in the Charlotte area. Her practice focuses on representing energy developers and their equity partners. She has handled all aspects of equity syndication and finance for renewable energy projects utilizing federal and state tax credits. She has drafted and negotiated power purchase agreements, renewable energy certificate agreements, equipment installation agreements and site lease agreements. Zoë represents clients before the NC Utilities Commission and the Department of Revenue. She has drafted and advised clients on both energy and tax credit legislation. Zoë lives in Charlotte.

Kurt Johnson is the Business Development Manager for the Utilities & Power Plants division of SunPower Corporation, where he leads efforts to deploy utility scale solar PV in the Southeastern United States. Kurt was formerly the Southeast Regional Sales Manager for SunPower Corporation.  He managed a dealer base for both commercial and residential systems from Maryland to Florida and the Caribbean.  The systems ranged from 1KW to 1MW and were primarily grid-tied systems that were either roof top or ground mounted. He is a former contractor, with over 20 years of experience in construction and photovoltaic’s.  Prior to joining SunPower, Kurt worked as the Director of Operations for PowerLight’s new home division, as a Project Manager for GE / AstroPower’s solar division, and as a builder and solar contractor in North Carolina. Kurt lives in Burnsville, which is northeast of Asheville.

Maria Kingery is Co-Founder of Southern Energy Management, a NC-based company with offices in Raleigh and Charlotte that combines expertise in energy efficiency and renewables to offer a balanced approach to sustainable energy solutions for residential, corporate, and public-sector clients. Having built a company from 0 employees and $0 in sales in 2001 to almost 50 full-time team members and more than $5 million in revenue in 2008, Maria understands first-hand the challenges facing the Southeast's fledgling sustainable energy industry and is eager to share her experience to help NCSEA achieve its mission of ensuring a sustainable future for citizens of NC and beyond.  Prior to 2001, Maria served as retail operations manager for Burt's Bees, where she helped create a business framework that led to increasing the availability of Burt's Bees products across the state and country, and opened the company's first retail store in Carrboro.  She also has sales and marketing experience in the commercial printing and business products industries. Maria lives in Raleigh.

Brownie Newman is FLS Energy’s Director of Financed Projects, and he has been a leader in bringing third party financing strategies to the solar industry. His work has enabled the development of some of the largest solar thermal projects in the nation, right here in North Carolina. He currently serves on Asheville’s City Council and the Airport Board of Directors. Previously, Brownie served as the political director at the NC Conservation Council and the Executive Director of the Western North Carolina Alliance.  He played a key role in the development and passage of NC’s Clean Smokestacks Act in 2002. Brownie lives in Asheville.

Larry Ostema has 17 years of experience representing domestic and international energy technology, renewable energy, high-tech, emerging growth and sustainable real estate entities. Practice areas include project and corporate finance; fund formation; mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures; securities and technology transfer.  He was the eighteenth attorney in the nation and first in NC to receive the designation of LEED Accredited Professional from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).  Currently a managing partner at Abundant Power Group, Larry is the former head of Green Initiatives Group at Horack & Talley, Charlotte, where he focused on transactions generating renewable energy certificates, White Tags and carbon offsets. Previous employment included a Partner in the Colorado office of a 680-lawyer national law firm focusing on renewable energy and clean technology transactions and an outside counsel for London Stock Exchange listed carbon offset developer under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.  Larry lives in Charlotte.


Dr. Rusty Stephens, Ed.D. is currently the President of Wilson Community College, which is on the cutting edge of implementing renewable energy equipment on its campus and continues to take the lead through education programs promoting green resources to keep up with our civilization’s ever-increasing power demands. Earlier this year, he was named co-chair of the NC Community College system’s statewide “Code Green Initiative,” which focuses on green workforce development, educating students about the environmental and economic advantages of going green, and the need to make community colleges more energy efficient. In his over 30-year community college career, Dr. Stephens has served as an instructor, director, dean, vice president, and president. His interest in sustainability came as an epiphany when he served at a community college located in a major strip mining region and saw the devastation wrought upon the land and the people. He has become convinced of both the peril and the promise inherent in a paradigm shift to sustainable thinking with its great opportunity for fundamental improvement in the human condition.  Dr. Stephens lives in Wilson.

Thyron Williams is a Program Officer for Sustainable Communities at the NC Association of Community Development Corporations (NCACDC). NCACDC is the non-profit trade association for community economic development (CED) organizations that serves a statewide network of member organizations. Over the last 20 years, NCACDC has worked with organizations that connect people to opportunities that create life-changing improvements to the working families, communities, and governing systems of North Carolina. Thyron lives in Morrisville. (Photo unavailable.) 

Jim Wood is a principal of Alternative Energy Concepts, a solar installation company in Fayetteville. Additionally, he is a home energy/light commercial auditor and owns a restaurant. Jim is a successful small business owner, has served on a number of non-profit organization boards, and is an active and engaged community leader and volunteer. He has served in several different positions with the Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, including chair of the Ambassador Committee and a member of its Government Affairs Committee.  He has also served on the boards of the Cumberland County Child Advocacy Center and Methodist University, and as a member of the United Way of Cumberland County and NC GreenPower’s Speakers Bureau. Jim lives in Fayetteville.