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 

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

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“Very great class that better equipped me to handle the art form that is solar pv.”

-Ben Peters