Congratulations to the 2022 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards Winners and Nominees!

In an ongoing effort to honor the collaboration and innovation within the Northwest, each year NEEA’s Board of Directors and staff recognize individuals, teams and organizations from across the region for their exemplary dedication and performance in energy efficiency. Nominations were submitted for the 2022 ceremony in the categories of Rising Star, Innovative Collaboration and Lifetime Achievement. The alliance will also recognize an individual with the Chairperson’s Award, an honor bestowed by NEEA’s Board chair and executive director.

This year’s judges have selected winners from all the submissions for the Leadership in Energy Efficiency awards the region sent in on neea.org. Without further ado, the 2022 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award recipients are:

The Leadership in Energy Efficiency Rising Star Award:
Reilly Loveland Falvey, New Buildings Institute

“Reilly Loveland Falvey is a Senior Project Manager at New Buildings Institute (NBI) whose professional focus is energy efficiency in schools, including carbon neutral schools and districts. She puts tremendous effort into seeing that educational facilities are transformed into healthy, energy-efficient spaces.

Not only does Reilly do this as part of her job, but she also volunteers her time to help spread the word about the benefits of healthy school buildings at events and public meetings. Reilly does this work with a lens of equity, advocating for best-in-class opportunities for economically disadvantaged communities. Her enthusiasm for healthy, energy efficient schools--and the people in them--has driven her career.”

Leadership in Energy Efficiency Innovative Collaboration Award:
Bridger View Market Research Project: Shawn Fredrickson, Whitney Jurenic, Tucker Kramer, Danie Williams and Deb Young, NorthWestern Energy; Natalie Meyer, City of Bozeman; BJ Moghadam, Emily Rosenbloom, Anu Teja and Amy Webb, NEEA; Jeff Mitchell, Resource Innovations (formerly NEEA staff); Christine Walker, Navigate, LLC

“Bridger View is a housing development in the heart of Bozeman Montana that boasts innovative designs with 62 highly efficient homes, shared greenspaces, and pathways that will improve walkability to downtown. In addition, Bridger View will be priced at levels more Bozeman residents can afford with below market pricing being enabled via private philanthropy and public investment. This development’s use of technologies such as cold climate heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, heat pump dryers, triple pane windows, and other advanced building practices coupled with its cold climate location and diverse owner pool provided a unique opportunity for research. Through collaborative partnerships with NEEA, NorthWestern Energy, the City of Bozeman, and Navigate, a research design was developed to maximize learnings from this unique opportunity - truly an innovative collaboration.”

Tom Eckman Leadership in Energy Efficiency Lifetime Achievement Award:
Don Jones, Jr., PacifiCorp

“For nearly 3 decades at PacifiCorp, Don Jones, Jr. honed an expertise that his utility depended on, his customers benefited from, and his many regional stakeholders trusted. It wasn’t just his management of PacifiCorp’s multi-state demand-side management strategy and program portfolio, or his many years as an advisor on NEEA’s Market Transformation work and at the Regional Technical Forum, or the subliminally interwoven wit with every contribution he verbalized… it was that Don invested “Don” in all of it, and he made our collective work smarter, and more fun.

His strategic thinking, “street smarts” and extreme diligence in preparing for all possible outcomes kept the portfolio running cleanly for the benefit of all. It’s not easy to keep our work as smart and fun as when Don was part of it. For decades, Don gave the region so much of his time and thought and energy, and of himself. On behalf of a grateful region, thank you, Don!”

Chairperson's Award:
Deb Young, NorthWestern Energy

"Deb Young served on the NEEA’s Board from its inception in October 1997 until her retirement in September 2022. Her commitment to regional collaboration shined throughout this time. She was very involved in many of NEEA’s leadership activities including the Board and its committees, along with advisory committees and several work groups. Deb’s ability to put on and adjust her NorthWestern and NEEA “hats” allowed her to demonstrate the navigation of regional collaboration. Through all her engagements, Deb has been an advocate of the alliance and ensuring that rural markets and Montana realize the value of market transformation initiatives. She served as an important voice to connect local efficiency efforts with regional efforts and vice versa to ensure efforts were complementary and additive, ensuring stronger impact. Energy efficiency in Montana and the Northwest would not be where it is today without Deb Young’s perseverance and tenacity."

And congratulations to all of this year's nominees. It is an honor to be chosen by your colleagues for this recognition. On behalf of NEEA and the region, thank you for your leadership in energy efficiency!

Leadership in Energy Efficiency Rising Star Award:

• Nate Baker, Cadeo Group
• Amy Burke, Bonneville Power Administration
• Charlie DeSalvo, Columbia REA
• Reilly Loveland Falvey, New Buildings Institute
• Tyrone Henry, Energy Trust of Oregon
• Rebecca Hovey, Cadeo Group

Leadership in Energy Efficiency Innovative Collaboration Award:

• Andrea Axel, Spark Northwest
• Kirk Anderson, Nidec
• Advanced Water Heating Initiative: Paul Campbell, ICF; Owen Howlett, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Amruta Khanolkar and Joseph Wachunas, New Buildings Institute; Keshmira McVey, Bonneville Power Administration; Geoff Wickes, NEEA
• Appliance Standards Awareness Project Team: Emily Chang, Andrew DeLaski, Jeremy Dunklin, Brian Fadie, Rachel Margolis, Joanna Mauer, Madeline Parker and Kanchan Swaroop
• Bridger View Market Research Project: Shawn Fredrickson, Whitney Jurenic, Tucker Kramer, Danie Williams and Deb Young, NorthWestern Energy; Natalie Meyer, City of Bozeman; BJ Moghadam, Emily Rosenbloom, Anu Teja and Amy Webb, NEEA; Jeff Mitchell, Resource Innovations (formerly NEEA staff)
• End Use Load Research Steering Committee: Richard Arneson and Ray Johnson, Tacoma Power; David Clement (NEEA); Michael Colgrove (chairperson), Energy Trust of Oregon; Debbie DePetris, Clark PUD; Andy Eiden, Portland General Electric; Ryan Finesilver, Avista; Suzanne Frew, Snohomish PUD; Mark Lenssen, Puget Sound Energy; David Moody, Bonneville Power Administration; David Nemtzow, U.S. Dept of Energy – Building Technology Office; Peter Schaffer, PacifiCorp; Kevin Smit, Northwest Power and Conservation Council; Craig Smith, Seattle City Light
• Energy Trust Program Marketing Team: Ashley Bartels, Lenora Deslandes, Mana Haeri, Susan Jowaiszas, Juliette Poff
• Suzanne Foster Porter, Kannah Consulting
• Nancy Goddard, Pacific Power
• HVAC Sales Data Team: Suzi Asmus, Ryan Brown, Debbie Driscoll, Mike Psaris, NEEA; Joan Wang, and Bonnie Watson, Bonneville Power Administration
• Morgan Hood and Richard Donnelly, Vermont Gas
• Keshmira McVey and Robert Weber, Bonneville Power Administration; Geoff Wickes, NEEA
• David Moody, Bonneville Power Administration
• NEEA Coordinating Committees Continuous Improvement Project Team: Matt Babbitts, Clark PUD; Anne Curran and Beth Littlehales, NEEA; Mattias Jarvegren, Clallam County PUD; Emma Johnson, Seattle City Light; Michael Lane, Puget Sound Energy; Shelley Martin, Idaho Power; Josh Mitchell, Chelan PUD; Lis Saunders, Tacoma Power
• NEEA LLLC Installation Team: Mary Matteson Bryan (contractor), Jessica Collier, Michael Poplawski and Ruth Taylor, Pacific Northwest National Lab; Chris Wolgamott, NEEA
• Partnership for Advanced Window Solutions Leadership Team: Katie Cort, PNNL Homes / Residential Buildings Research; Grace Diller and Isaac Smith, MN CEE; Rick Dunn, Jesse Largent and Elaine Miller, NEEA; Deepti Dutt and David Lis, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership; Robert Hart, Berkeley Lab; Marc LaFrance, U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office; Jeff Mitchell, Resource Innovations for Nicor Gas; Maziar Shirakh, California Energy Commission Center for Energy and the Environment; Walter Zalis, Energetics
• Robert Weber, Bonneville Power Administration

Tom Eckman Leadership in Energy Efficiency Lifetime Achievement Award

• Jim Jerozal, Nicor Gas
• Don Jones, Jr., PacifiCorp
• Teri Ottens, Idaho Association of Building Officials
• Kevin Watier, Snohomish PUD
• Deb Young, NorthWestern Energy

Congratulations again - join the alliance on December 5 to celebrate the work of all the nominees!