OUR ORGANIZATION

Get to know Solar Energy International.

SEI’s Purpose

Our purpose is to empower students, alumni, and partners to expand a diverse, inclusive, well-trained and educated solar workforce and spread the knowledge of how to safely deploy industry-leading technology. Our aim is to mitigate climate change, promote sustainable economic growth, and support energy independence.

SEI’s Values

SEI is a dedicated community of hardworking professionals who believe in a world where all people have equal access to clean energy resources to ensure the safety and health of their communities, natural environments, and the planet. Our Core values are to Educate, Engage and Empower each other and the world through our work, aligning with our mission of a world powered by renewable energy.

Realizing this vision takes committed hearts, and we work every day to ensure that the people and communities we engage are educated and empowered to make a difference. These beliefs create the bedrock for SEI’s actions and programs and our core values guide what we do and how we do it, including a loyalty and commitment to our staff, students, instructors, and collaborators.

Educate

We Educate through reliable and quality educational products and services designed to provide a pathway to a skilled, knowledgeable, and equitable workforce.

We believe that training and building a global renewable energy workforce is essential to our collective futures. SEI is dedicated to continuous innovation in providing reliable, relevant, and quality services that are accessible to all, delivered by experienced industry thought leaders. We strive for a learning environment that puts service to students first and provides a pathway to a skilled, knowledgeable, and equitable workforce.

Engage

We Engage by building a community in all levels of our organization that is rooted in integrity to our mission.

We recognize the power in collective engagement, and knowing that diversity equals success, we endeavor to create a culture of inclusion amongst our community that focuses on taking care of each other and the planet. SEI is grounded in integrity, compassion, professionalism, and excellent service, and we engage with our work, our staff, instructors, students, and our collaborators to develop solutions and curate experiences with wide-ranging impact.

Empower

We Empower all those we work and collaborate with to believe in their potential, have a curiosity to learn and the determination to make a difference in their own lives and in the world.

We strive to empower as a way of life at SEI. We encourage people to apply their education to make a difference in their life and communities by providing resources, fostering connections and creating career opportunities. SEI’s work environment is focused on harmonious and productive teams, encouraging work/life balance, individual responsibility, and spirited fun. We advocate for personal and professional growth and prioritize quality of life.

 Board of Directors 

Gerald Espinosa

SEI Board President

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Paul Bony

SEI Board Vice President

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Cathryn Peterson

Treasurer

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Kathy Swartz

Interim Executive Director, Western Slope Conservation Center; Former SEI Executive Director

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Kristan Kirsh

Vice President, Global Marketing at Nextracker

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Zach Krapfl

Electric Vehicle Engineer/ Renewable Energy Engineer/Consultant

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Johnny Weiss

Co-Founder, Solar Energy International (Retired)

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Kevin King

Founder and Owner, Solar Tools USA

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Josh Rogers

Senior Director of Safety, Workforce Training, and Operations at ACP

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Dr. Cynthia Finley

VP Workforce Strategy and Innovation, IREC

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Kim Strickland

Global Head of Execution – Energy and Sustainability, Prologis

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Shannon Welch

Onsite Renewable Energy Construction Program Manager, Amazon

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Naveed Hasan

VP of Strategy and Marketing, SunGrow Americas

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 SEI Advisory Board 

Jean-Philippe (JP) Denruyter

World Wildlife Federation, Manager, Applied Energy Solutions

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Scott Ely

Sunsense Solar, President

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Keith Fouts

Interconnection Systems, Inc, Solar Program Manager

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Sean Murphy

AES, Sr. Cx Superintendent

Rick Naranjo

Paradise Energy, VP of Technical Services and Training

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Liam O’Brien

Kilawatt Consulting, Founder & Sr. Staff Engineer C&I Products

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Rudy Saporite

IBTS, Program Director

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Gavin Watson

SEI Advisory Committee Chair | NABCEP PVIP

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Robert Youngberg

Sustainable Development International, President

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 Industry Partners 

MidNite Solar
PVpallet
RevoluSun
Azimuth Energy
Solar Pathfinder
Sol-Ark
FLIR
NorthStar
Alternatex Energy Solutions
Ilsco
Panasonic
Duke
O2 Energies
Baywa r.e.
Enphase Energy
Solmetric
SMA
S-5!
Quick Mount PV
Mitsubishi Electric
Seaward Solar
SolarTools USA
CED Greentech
SPS - Solar Panel Store
REC Solar
Wakulla Mat
Wiley
Tritec Energy
Terra2
Solar Island Energy
HellermannTyton
Solar Edge
Trojan Battery
First Solar
Hannah Solar
Sky Blu Energy
Gardner Engineering
OnGrid Solar
CertainTeed
Outback Power
Fluke
PanelClaw
Morningstar
SnapNrack
Mission Solar Energy
IMO Precision Controls
Scanifly
KACO New Energy
RBI Solar
SOLV Energy
Iron Ridge
Crown Battery
Strata Solar
Solectria
Fimer
Magnum Energy
Trina Solar
Fortress Power
King Products
DPW Solar
MT Solar
MK Battery
Schneider Electric
Unirac
Victron Energy
Petzl
Discover Battery
GoodWe
General Specialties Manufacturing
AMtec Solar Products
ABB
CAB Products

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“Eight years after getting my business going after attending SEI, I can still report their instructors are the very best”

-Scott Oman