2012 - 2013 Board of Directors
Back row L to R: John Bennett, John Hall, Linda McBrayer, Ross Reynolds, Tom Garry
Front row L to R: Ralph Dickinson, Eric Sandeen, Amir Nadav, Matthew Ides, Laura Cina
Bennett has 30 years experience in banking with specialties in commercial lending, business development, community development, fundraising, and nonprofit assistance. He is an engaged community leader with multiple organizational affiliations, including positions as commissioner at the Saint Paul Port Authority, treasurer of the Friends of Saint Paul College, board member of the Midway Chamber of Commerce, the Hmong Chamber of Commerce, and Sparc, plus professional connections to Regions Hospital, the District Councils Collaborative, Great River Greening, and many other organizations.
Laura Cina
Cina is managing director of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society where she assists the MRES Board with instituting the Society's goals of education, outreach, training, and advocacy in the renewable energy field. Her previous position was with Solarflow Solar Leasing. She is an active volunteer for environmental causes of all types. Although her expertise is in the solar arena, Cina recognizes "the need for all aspects of environmental stewardship to become mainstream practices," especially energy-efficiency techniques. Cina received a B.A. in Political Science and Sustainable Studies from the University of Minnesota.
Ralph Dickinson, President
As principal of Dickinson Associates, Dickinson provides customers with energy consulting services, R&D analysis, solar energy applications analysis and layout, and financial performance projections for energy projects. He has a history of energy conservation accomplishments at several companies, most recently as a product developer for Xcel Energy/NSP where he developed conservation and load management products and programs for the residential, commercial and industrial, and institutional market segments. He is a Minnesota Registered Mechanical Engineer, a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, and a senior member and former president of the Association of Energy Engineers - Twin Cities chapter. Dickinson received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming, an M.S. in Environmental Health and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.
Tom Garry
Garry is an attorney at the law firm of Best & Flanagan LLP in Minneapolis and a graduate student in public policy at the University of Minnesota. As an attorney he practices in the areas of real estate, finance, and corporate law. Previously, as a fellow at the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law, he researched and wrote on the legal aspects of sustainability issues. Garry is a proud member and promoter of HOURCAR, successfully shuttling two small children using a bike trailer and an occasional HOURCAR reservation. He graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota, and an L.L.M. in environmental law from the University of Auckland.
Hall has more than 32 years experience in the construction industry. For the last 16 years he has worked with Habitat for Humanity, and currently serves as their design and building technology manager. Hall leads Habitat's building science, green building, and LEED activities and was instrumental in developing and changing Habitat's building practices and standards to meet the requirements of ENERGY STAR and LEED certification programs. Hall has been a trainer and presenter at regional and national building science conferences and is considered the "green" expert among Habitat affiliates. He is an advocate for energy conservation and home ownership education within the affordable housing industry. Hall is no stranger to the NEC's work: during the 1980s, he supported the Como Park neighborhood launch of the NEC recycling program. He holds degrees from the University of St. Mary's in Winona, Minnesota, as well as from Dunwoody Technical Institute, and is a licensed contractor.
Ides is executive director of Sparc, a nonprofit community development organization in Saint Paul, where he is responsible for multi-family housing and commercial development, fundraising, and building community relationships. He has worked in the housing field in New York and Chicago for more than 10 years with experience in home improvements, residential energy conservation, and micro lending. Ides has been a happy HOURCAR member since moving to the Twin Cities in 2008, and appreciates how the program allows people to avoid car ownership. He received his B.A. in History from University of California - Berkeley and an M.A. in Urban Planning from Hunter College at the City University of New York.
Linda McBrayer is a management analyst with the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, a state agency responsible for creating uniform, determinate sentencing policy for felony-level offenders. Her primary responsibility is to train all practitioners of the guidelines, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, and probation agents statewide. Linda is also a volunteer teacher with the Minnesota Literacy Council, working with English language adult learners, as well as teaching citizenship. Linda is a 2008 graduate of St. Paul College. She brings her experiences as a member of the HOURCAR program, as well as her viewpoint as a lifelong, very devoted renter to the board.
As energy policy specialist at the Great Plains Institute, Nadav supports projects in the Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Electricity program. He conducts research on energy efficiency financing mechanisms, and supports Minnesota's GreenStep Cities, a statewide challenge, assistance, and recognition program that helps cities achieve their sustainability goals. He interacts regularly with energy-focused nonprofits and philanthropic foundations across the Midwest as the energy efficiency working group associate for RE-AMP. Prior to joining Great Plains Institute, Nadav worked as a policy analyst at Windustry. Nadav received a B.A. from Cornell University, and an M.A. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where he focused on energy and urban sustainability.
Reynolds is the director of human resources at Brown College/Career Education Corporation, providing human resources support to two local campus locations and consulting within the Career Education Corporation human resources team. Reynolds has a B.A. in Human Resources Administration, and 25 years of progressive human resources experience servicing professional organizations. He has been selected to serve on a number of national and international initiatives on behalf of his employers. In addition, Reynolds has served on several boards, including the Minnesota Affirmative Action Association, District 8 Council in Saint Paul, Kelix Soccer Club, and Table Tennis Minnesota. Reynolds' areas of expertise are in communications, performance management, employee relations, compensation/benefits, human resources information systems, federal and state regulations in employment and use of the internet in delivery of services. Reynolds is interested in helping the NEC continue in its delivery of services while providing valuable leadership within the Twin Cities area facilitating and encouraging energy conservation.
Sandeen is a principal software engineer at Red Hat, Inc., an S & P 500 company in the open source software sector. Apart from his family and employment, he takes a strong interest in all things energy related. In 2008 he graphed his home energy use and decided to push consumption numbers down. Using the combination of a home energy monitoring system, energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, new insulation and air sealing, and behavior changes, Sandeen successfully reduced his household's electric consumption to about half the state average. On top of these conservation measures, he installed a 2.5 kW solar PV system which, together with conservation measures produces about 70% of his home's electrical demand. Sandeen writes a lively blog that often discusses energy at http://sandeen.net/wordpress.
