Award category

Leadership

Year released

2024

A Chicago native with a background in urban planning and community organizing, Angela Tovar takes a community-led, justice-first approach in her role as the City of Chicago’s Chief Sustainability Officer. Since her appointment in 2020, she has established the City’s first Office of Climate and Environmental Equity and led the development of the Cumulative Impact Assessment, which identifies Chicago environmental justice neighborhoods and essential action items. She is leading the effort to transform the city’s climate office into the Department of the Environment, which will be responsible for the implementation of the 2022 Chicago Climate Action Plan. With her collaborative leadership approach, she is working across city departments and neighborhoods to create change for all Chicagoans, especially those who have experienced legacies of environmental discrimination.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2023

As an Energy Efficiency Consultant at Ameren Illinois, one question drives Angie Ostaszewski: “How can we do it better?” This passion for challenging the status quo serves as a catalyst for innovative new programs. Angie plays a key role in designing and managing these programs, from inception to completion. Where she excels most is with projects that empower people – especially regarding diversity and inclusion in the workspace and the community. From Ameren Illinois’ one-of-a-kind Market Development Initiative to an accessibility pilot project, Angie plays a key role in taking Ameren Illinois’ Energy Efficiency Program into innovative new directions.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2023

Senior Services Plus, Inc. (SSP) in Alton, IL is a nonprofit agency established to help enrich the lives of older adults through programs and services that encourage independent living and wellness. In collaboration with Ameren Illinois, Leidos and Resource Innovations, SSP offers no-cost energy efficiency installations to at-risk senior citizens who own their homes and are at or below 200% of the poverty level in Madison, Jersey and St. Clair counties in Illinois. After the installation of energy-saving products, SSP staff take the time to educate seniors on how to best utilize their new equipment, so they are getting the best energy savings possible. In addition to at-home education for the residents, SSP recently opened an energy efficiency room dedicated to teaching seniors the benefits of energy efficiency products.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2023

Rudolph Chahine is one of the Principals of Consumers Energy’s Business Energy Efficiency programs. He is an industry leader with more than 25 years at Consumers Energy and over 30 years of experience in the energy industry. Rudy’s career in energy efficiency started in 1992 as an Energy Advisor for Consumers Power’s DSM program and he has held various positions within the Energy Efficiency department including residential programs, the Small Business program and the C&I Prescriptive program. He currently manages the Custom Incentive Program at Consumers Energy for its Business Energy Efficiency Program which provides additional savings to customers for measures that are not currently offered through the prescriptive program. Rudy was part of the team that established this program in 2009 when energy efficiency became law in Michigan. His strong leadership has resulted in enormous year over year growth of the custom rebate program, audit programs and the midstream instant discount programs.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2022

Representative Zack Stephenson (D) and Senator Jason Rarick (R) fought tirelessly to pass the Energy Conservation and Optimization Act (ECO) of 2021. ECO is the first significant update to Minnesota’s highly successful Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) since 2007 and the result of four years of intensive stakeholder discussions and negotiations about the shape and future of utility-funded energy efficiency in Minnesota. ECO builds on CIP’s success by safeguarding traditional energy efficiency and increases customer choices by expanding CIP to include load management and efficient fuel-switching. Additionally, Rep. Stephenson and Sen. Rarick successfully championed multiple clean energy bills, including Natural Gas Innovation Act and market transformation in 2021. Their great challenge and success are underscored by Minnesota having the only divided state legislature in the U.S.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2022

Carla Walker-Miller is the Founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services (Walker-Miller). The high performing firm helps electric and gas utilities achieve mandated energy reduction goals that reduce energy waste, create local jobs, decrease energy burdens on families, and reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Carla is a visionary who leads with both empathy and tenacity and has molded Walker-Miller into one of the largest African American and woman owned energy waste reduction companies in the country. A tireless advocate for the representation of Black people and people of color, women, and historically underrepresented communities, Carla believes that the inclusion of all voices elevates business, drives sustainable policies, and creates equitable opportunities for all. As a result, she is a highly sought-after speaker on issues related to entrepreneurship, diversity, equity and inclusion, energy efficiency, workforce development, utility affordability, and sustainability.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2021

The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) has been a force behind environmental policy in Ohio for over 50 years. The OEC has a long-standing commitment to energy efficiency and has worked to educate decision makers—including state legislators, Governor’s office, PUCO staff and local officials—on the economic significance of the energy efficiency industry and the importance of policies that support the industry’s vitality. OEC has intervened in countless utility regulatory processes, served as a statewide leader on lifting up the value of energy efficiency (including workforce development) and serves as the in-state expert on clean energy.

In recent years, legislation harmful to energy efficiency has been introduced annually and the OEC has taken a leading role to support clean energy and energy efficiency. In 2019, House Bill 6 was introduced and gained momentum under the new DeWine Administration. The OEC stepped up to help to coordinate the preparation of critical research and analysis, as well as testimony, that detailed the benefits of energy efficiency in how it positively impacts Ohio utility customers and the larger state economy. Unfortunately, HB 6 passed into law, effectively ending energy efficiency programs in Ohio. However, with current legal issues around the passing of the law, there is immediate debate on potential to repeal HB 6 and replace with legislation that could reinstate energy efficiency in some form. We believe that much of this change in conversation can be attributed to OEC’s groundwork with partners over the past decade and their continued leadership in navigating the political landscape.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2021

The Winneshiek Energy District (WED) leads, implements, and accelerates the locally-owned, inclusive, clean energy transition in northeast Iowa’s Winneshiek County. Andy Johnson, executive director of the WED, has been a tireless advocate of efforts to make energy conservation a part of life in Winneshiek County and adjacent communities for more than 10 years. Johnson brings a down-to-earth, quiet resolve in his tireless leadership of a “movement” to champion locally led, clean energy efforts across the Midwest. He applied his education in ecology and natural resources management with the Peace Corps in Guatemala and worked toward sustainable agriculture with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Johnson returned to his hometown of Decorah and became the founding Director of the WED in 2010. His leadership helped to inspire 10 energy districts in Iowa and Wisconsin. Groups in Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota have also formed to pursue Energy Districts.

A notable, long-term effort has delivered efficiency and helped build the next generation of energy professionals through the Green Iowa AmeriCorps (GIA) program (part of the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education). At the local level, he’s been a key part of a regular energy breakfast series to inform the local community about energy issues and opportunities. To extend their outreach, Johnson has told the story of WED and energy as a contributor in local publications. Today, Johnson continues to serve as WED Executive Director and took the parallel position as Executive Director of the newly formed Clean Energy Districts of Iowa (CEDI) in 2019.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2020

Senator Megan Hunt is an entrepreneur, activist, and parent elected in 2018 to represent District 8 in the Nebraska Legislature. As a first term senator, she championed a vital update to the Nebraska state energy code, when few senators would, given that previous attempts had rarely moved out of committee. Through Senator Hunt’s efforts, this bill was skillfully shepherded through the legislative process, with no harmful amendments, gaining support and momentum. She was able to work with stakeholders of all political affiliations to have this bill pass three separate votes, per state requirement. Due to her leadership, LB 405 was signed by the governor May 8, 2019 and the 2018 IECC was adopted as the Nebraska state energy code. This update brought Nebraska’s state energy code to the 2018 IECC from the 2009 IECC, leading to a 30% - 35% increase in building energy efficiency across the state.

Senator Hunt has lived and worked in the Dundee area of Omaha for over 13 years. Her good work and impact have been featured Forbes, INC, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and numerous other publications. Megan is motivated by her goal of helping others translate their experiences into positive action and change in the real world.

Award category

Leadership

Year released

2019

The City of Chicago under Mayor Rahm Emanuel has undertaken numerous sustainability initiatives that position the city as a national leader in energy efficiency. The Sustainable Chicago Action Agenda spearheaded by Mayor Emanuel identified energy efficiency goals and the actions to achieve them. The City of Chicago’s Smart Lighting is working towards the goal of replacing 270,000 of the city’s aging street lights with energy efficient LEDs and install a smart network. The new LEDs will use approximately 50% less energy than the existing lights. The project, which is the largest LED street lighting conversion in the U.S., demonstrates to residents and businesses within the City of Chicago and to communities across the nation how projects that save energy and money can also improve lives.