Recharge!
Recharge!
Each summer, Focus the Nation selects and funds 20 rising clean energy leaders from across the country to spend one week together on Oregon's iconic Mt. Hood: 5 students each of our Collaboration Quadrants of Technicians, Innovators, Politicos and Storytellers. These 20 ReCharge! Delegates viscerally experience an area of the country where energy is accelerating toward renewables. Transitioning your community and campus toward renewables takes guts. It takes smarts. It means bringing people together that don't always get along. And it takes new kinds of dedication and commitment because it doesn't happen over night. In a highly collaboartive environment, each class of ReCharge! Delegates explores this deeper set of skills that they will need to stay committed to clean energy throughout the entirety of their careers. Upon returning home to their campus communities, FTN continues to support each class of Delegates as they strive to put what they learned on the mountain to use on the ground.
Event Details
Focus the Nation has partnered with Center for Whole Communities to provide 20 students from across the nation with this life changing opportunity. The one week retreat includes a balance of intellectual rigor, collaborative practices, reflection and physical activity as it applies to building our clean energy future. We create opportunities for shared learning and effective collaboration among the diverse perspectives present for the retreat. When not hiking Elliot Glacier and attending an energy tour of a wind farm, hydro-dam and coal plant; students also spend intimate time with some of country’s (and Portland's) leading examples of FTN’s four clean energy career quadrants: Innovators, Technicians, Politicos and Storytellers. Check out our speakers below!
Application Requirements
College students between the ages of 18-28 who have a passion for clean energy are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be available to participate in the entire retreat. The cost of participation is covered by Focus the Nation.
Focus the Nation has designed the ReCharge! Retreat to not only enhance and explore the deeper-set of skills needed for Clean Energy Leadership but also to provide a supportive framework through the Forum-to-Action (F2A) program to implement what you learn at the retreat in your own community when you return to your campus in the fall.
To be considered as a Delegate for the 2012 ReCharge! Retreat, students will have either participated in the F2A program in the past or will make a commitment to serve as a Focus Coordinator, team member or peer mentor in the 2012-2013 F2A program cycle.
Two letters of reference are required as a part of your ReCharge! Application. At the end of the online application there is a space to upload these documents.
- an Academic Letter of Reference (from a professor, academic advisor, former teacher etc)
- a Community Letter of Reference (from a member of an organization, neighbor, faith-based institution, volunteer coordinator etc.)
In addition to describing why you should be chosen as a 2012 ReCharge! Delegate, each letter must indicate the name, relationship and contact information of the person writing the recommendation.
Please contact us with any questions about the application criteria and/or selction process.
Focus the Nation is seeking a diversity of participants with equal representation of all four quadrants
The participants selected will also represent economic and ethnic diversity and come from both 4-year and 2-year campuses in rural and urban environments.
All applications will be reviewed by our ReCharge! selection panel and decisions will be made on the basis of
- meeting our diversity requirements
- assessment of applicant’s leadership skills
- passion for clean energy
- positive personal and/or professional references.
Event Facilitators
Assistant Professor, California State University, East Bay
(pronounced sahl-mohn), is a Raramuri (Tarahumara). He has dedicated his studies and work to Ethnoecology and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in order to better understand his own and other cultural perceptions of landscapes, philosophy, and place. Enrique has a B.S. from Western New Mexico University, an MAT in Southwestern Studies from Colorado College, and a PhD. in anthropology from Arizona State University, where he studied how the bio-region of the Raramuri people of the Sierra Madres of Chihuahua, Mexico influences their language and thought. Enrique has published several articles on indigenous ethnobotany and traditional knowledge. A former program officer for the Greater Southwest and Northern Mexico regions for the Christensen Fund, Enrique is now the Director of American Indian Studies Program, Department of Ethnic Studies, Cal State University. He is also an accomplished bassist playing Jazz, Latin Beat, and Avant Garde Freestyle sounds.
Founder, Creative Facilitations
Having traveled extensively in 35 countries and on six continents – living in Australia, Thailand, Nepal, and numerous places throughout the United States, Stephanie has gained a unique global perspective, which when added to her diverse experiences working in not-for-profit and corporate environments, greatly benefits her clients.
As a change agent, Stephanie supports organizations and people in transition. She uses her extensive organizational development and facilitation experience to focus on increasing communication and building positive relationships.
Creative experiential strategies, “Theatre of the Oppressed,” improvisational theatre, visual arts, and literary arts – are all Stephanie’s passion. They provide insight and enliven discussion; this guides people toward clarity and, ultimately, success. Stephanie excels when developing start-up educational programs, including study abroad, leadership, mentoring, and service-learning.
Event Speakers
The 2012 Event Speakers featuring experts from each of the Collaboration Quadrants will be announced this spring. Check out the 2011 speakers below to get an idea of the diverse types of inspiring professionals delegates have the opportunity to engage with.
Visiting Scholar at University of Queensland
Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Co-founder and Chief Technical Advisor at GIVE Eco Energy
My passion for renewable energy innovation started during my PhD studies at MIT. There, I researched novel ways to produce biofuels and renewable chemicals, a work that resulted in three patents (one fully licensed) and one start-up company. The company, which focused on production of renewable propane (the third most-used fossil fuel in the US), did not materialize in spite of the promises of the technology. This frustration, but also my interactions with venture capital and industry leaders, inspired me to work even harder on the problem.
World Champion Extreme Skier Founder, Save Our Snow Foundation
Alison Gannett is a World Champion Extreme Skier, Founder of The Save Our Snow Foundation, and an award-winning global cooling consultant. In 2010, Ski Magazine named her "Ski Hero of the Year", while Outside magazine named her "Green All-Star of the Year", next to Leonardo DiCaprio and Arnold Schwarzenegger. An accomplished ski mountaineer with a plethora of worldwide 1st descents, she also photo documents climate change as a environmental scientist. Most importantly, she trains individuals, businesses and governments on her four-step, cost-saving, climate change solutions framework, including Al Gore's team, Fortune 500 companies and businesses around the world, the ski and outdoor industries, school districts, and the US Congress.
Vice President of Communication and Government Affairs, Horizon Wind Energy
As the Vice President for Communications and Government Affairs, Roby Roberts is responsible for ensuring the successful strategic direction and development of policy, communications and regulatory activities in the United States and Canada.
Roberts leads the company's efforts to manage interactions with the media, the public and policy-makers plus relationships with key external stakeholders aimed at understanding market needs and driving the continued expansion of wind power in North America.
He joined Horizon Wind Energy in 2010, bringing more than 20 years experience in renewable-energy policy, communications, business development and regulatory affairs. During his career, Roberts has been president and board member of the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, D.C., the Board of Directors of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, in Ottawa, Ontario, as well as on the boards of many prominent regional renewable-energy advocacy organizations across the United States.
Prior to joining Horizon, he was the Senior Vice President of External Relations for Vestas Americas and was responsible for ensuring the successful strategic direction and development of externally-focused activities in the United States and Canada.
Roberts also has held a number of energy-related positions at the following companies and organizations: Goldman Sachs, PPM Energy, PacifiCorp, the Renewable Energy Policy Project, KENETECH Windpower, and the Northwest Power Planning Council.
Electrical Engineer, McKinstry
Grayson spent his early childhood in rural Alaska, where living without electricity or running water provided valuable lessons about sustainability and energy conservation that have remained with him his entire life. Following graduation from Portland State University, he found the perfect employment match with Glumac, a company dedicated to and specializing in sustainable engineering practices. Grayson has worked at Glumac since 2004 and leads the company’s green retail marketing efforts as the Retail Market Sector Champion.
Director of Government Affairs, Portland General Electric
Sunny was appointed Director of PGE Government Affairs in January 2010 and oversee Portland General Electric’s federal, regional, state and local government policy matters. Ms. Radcliffe's responsibilities include public policy development and analysis relating to a variety of government entities, including the Oregon Legislature and the U.S. Congress. In her 10 years with PGE, she has provided leadership in developing and executing successful public policy positions on behalf of customers, employees, shareholders and the community. Formerly, Ms. Radcliffe served as general counsel for the Tree of Life Adoption Center and was the executive director of Oregon Women Lawyers. Sunny serves on the boards of the Northwest Energy Coalition and Volunteers of America, and volunteers with the Portland Symphonic Girl Choir. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Washington and a law degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.
Manager of the Renewable Power Program, Portland General Electric
As Portland General Electric’s renewable power program manager, Thor Hinckley manages the nation’s leading green power programs. These renewable power programs are ranked #1 in the nation for residential customers by the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Labs
PGE’s Renewable Power Program serves more than 79,000 residential and business renewable customers. Hinckley also developed the nation’s fastest-selling renewable energy program, Renewable FutureSM, and oversees the Habitat Support option in coordination with The Nature Conservancy, the nation’s first utility salmon habitat restoration option.
Customer revenues from these renewable power programs in conjunction with contributions from other investors have been used to fund construction of several large utility scale Solar PV projects . These include the Oregon Solar Highway project, Sunway I & II totaling over 3MW and Oregon’s Solar Pioneer making the State Capitol the first in the nation to receive solar energy.
Hinckley’s leadership in business sustainability includes developing one of the nation’s leading renewable power programs for medium to large businesses — Clean WindSM. Customers include Intel, Burgerville, the City of Beaverton, Legacy Health System, and several other leading Oregon businesses and cities. The renewable power program has also launched a green community Web site, GreenPowerOregon.com, to bring residential and business renewable customers together.
Hinckley’s professional activities include serving as board member of the Oregon Natural Step Network, one of the leading sustainability non-government organizations, and chairman of the board for the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. Hinckley also serves on the Renewable Advisory Council for the Energy Trust of Oregon and previously served as a commissioner for the Portland Sustainable Development Commission.
Hinckley holds a bachelor of arts from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Ill and is an MBA candidate at Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, OR.
ReCharge! Sponsors
There are still sponsorship opportunities available for the 2012 ReCharge! Retreat. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities please contact us. Check out our 2011 ReCharge! Retreat sponsors below.
