Oversight Board - Energize Delaware

Senator McDowell has a long and distinguished career in energy efficiency and renewable energy leadership.  He has worked on the issue at both the national and state level, and chaired the Council of State Government's Executive Committee/Energy and Environment Committee for four years. He also has served on the Governor's Energy Commission, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Northeast United States Task Force on Global Warming. Senator McDowell served as Majority Whip in the State Senate at several points in the 1980s and 1990s, and served as Majority Leader from 2003-2006.

McDowell has advanced legislation that includes requiring a new renewable portfolio standard that requires the state’s utilities to draw 20 percent of their power from renewable sources, such as solar or wind by 2020. He also authored legislation increasing incentives for homeowners and business to sell excess renewable energy. One of his crowning legislative victories is legislation that will reduce electricity consumption in Delaware 15 percent by 2015, and requires energy efficiency to be considered as an energy supply before any fossil fuels are tapped.

Prior to serving in the State Senate, Senator McDowell served in the United States Marine Corps for six years. He attended the University of Delaware and Georgetown University.

Q: How have you seen energy efficiency and clean energy initiatives make a difference in your home, business or community?

A: In the past few years - perhaps the last year in particular - I've noticed a growing awareness among Delawareans about the need to get smarter when it comes to energy use. People are thinking twice about how long and at what temperature they leave their air conditioners running, they're using CFL light bulbs in their homes, and they're looking into what types of appliances they can purchase that are energy efficient. That's why it's so important for us to continue to aggressively pursue new approaches that help residents and businesses achieve savings, create jobs and improve our environment. The largest resource we have available to us in this country is energy efficiency. It’s a bit hard for people to grasp that as a resource; they think of an energy resource as something that fits in barrel. Energy efficiency is our cheapest, cleanest, most abundant resource and we need to tap that as soon as and as much as possible.

Q: What about the SEU are you most excited about as a member of the Board?

A: I've spent most of my career advocating for energy efficiency and renewables, and we're finally at a point where we're beginning to make wholesale changes in how we live our lives and think about the energy we use. And on top of that, the work we're doing here in Delaware is on the forefront - the SEU and our rebate and incentive programs serve as a model for other states to follow, and our new line up of programs and financing options are at the forefront of this movement. It's an exciting time to be a part of this work, and to know that our efforts aren't just helping Delawareans, but can be a model for the rest of the country.

View a complete list of the SEU Board of Directors.

Kristopher Knight is the Director of the Division of Accounting for the State of Delaware Department of Finance. 

Kris joined the Division of Accounting in February of 2011 from KPMG LLP in Philadelphia, a leading US audit, tax, and advisory services firm, where he worked for eight years. In his position with KPMG LLP as a Senior Manager, Kris was responsible for audit engagements of various clients, including the University of Delaware and the State of Delaware. Mr. Knight has a Bachelors of Business Administration and is a licensed CPA in both Delaware and Pennsylvania.

As Director of the Division of Accounting, Kris is responsible for overseeing internal controls and financial reporting for all State of Delaware agencies. Kris provides leadership, direction, and management of financial accounting for the state, as well as working with managers to direct the financials portion of Delaware's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. ERP manages and supports the state's general ledger, assets, payables, receivables and billing, cash, budgeting, grants management, capitol project costing, purchasing, and procurement cards. Kris is also responsible for ensuring the release of timely and accurate financial information to state management and the public, and for Delaware's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which outlines the state's financial activities and balances each fiscal year.

Nnamdi Chukwuocha has more than 25 years of experience working with inner city youth and their families. He is the associate executive director of Kingswood Community Center in Northeast, Wilmington.

He spoke with us about his work in Wilmington and his involvement in SEU:

"As a master social worker, I play a key role in supporting clients in their empowerment process. My work with the SEU has enabled me to work on behalf of individuals and families, organizations, communities and our government to bring forth direct service changes in behaviors in terms of energy consumption, programs and services that provide education on energy efficiency while advocating and supporting policy creation that addresses this critical need for the clients I serve. 

I accepted the challenge to serve on the SEU Board to advocate for the needs of the underserved communities I represent.  Working primarily with low-income families, they typically reside in homes that are not very energy efficient; their energy cost often consumes a significant amount of their limited resources. Being involved with the SEU has given me a great awareness of what we as individuals, communities, and organizations can do to decrease our use of power while improving our quality of life and the environment.” 

View a complete list of the SEU Board of Directors.

Dr. Wagner is a 65 year-old physician who has practiced medicine and raised his family in Sussex County over the past 32 years. He is trained in medicine, aviation and electromagnetics. Dr Wagner invented, patented and manufactures energy monitors for home, business and energy education classes. His company Powerkuff LLC’s slogan is “Connecting People with their Power.”  For example, conservation through instantaneous knowledge of consumption will save 15 percent of our power usage.

As a member of the SEU Oversight Board, Dr. Wagner wants the SEU to bring simplicity to an otherwise confusing field of science.

View a complete list of the SEU Board of Directors.

Collin O’Mara serves as Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. O’Mara is responsible for carrying out the department’s mission and overseeing the department’s five major divisions – Air and Waste Management, Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, Soil and Water Conservation and Water Resources – and the Office of the Secretary, which encompasses the Delaware Energy Office, as well as leading the Governor’s efforts to create a thriving green economy and sustainable natural environment.

Prior to his service in Delaware, O’Mara served as the Clean Tech Strategist for the City of San Jose, Calif. In 2007, he was a primary architect of San Jose’s Green Vision, an ambitious 15-year plan to transform the Silicon Valley into a world center of clean technology innovation and demonstrate that goals of economic growth and environmental sustainability are inextricably linked. O’Mara provided strategic leadership for the Green Vision plan and was also responsible for implementing San Jose’s Clean Tech Strategy, which combined innovative policies and incentives to create a business environment in which clean tech companies can thrive and create well-paying jobs. He helped the city of San Jose attract more than 50 clean technology companies, creating more than 3,000 new jobs and generating nearly $2 billion of new investment.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., O’Mara also led a division of Syracuse city government where he was responsible for overseeing the modernization of City services and leading the cutting-edge accountability and efficiency program as Director of SyraStat.

Q: How have you seen energy efficiency and clean energy initiatives make a difference in your home, business or community?

A: All across the state, I’ve seen the impact and promise of clean energy sources,particularly during this time of economic uncertainty. People get it – they understand that we need to innovate and get smarter about our energy usage. The success of our appliance rebate program speaks to this, we’ve just recently hit the 10,000^th rebate marker. By aggressively pursuing energy efficiency and renewable sources of power, we can strengthen our economy, improve our competitiveness, and create a more sustainable environment.

Q: What about the SEU are you most excited about as a member of the Board?

A: This is a critically important moment to be involved in clean energy. We need to rebuild our economy, confront growing environmental challenges and strengthen our national security.  The transition to a clean energy economy addresses all of these goals simultaneously.

Through efforts we’re undertaking, Delaware is poised to emerge a national leader and hopefully achieve results using models that can be adopted across the country. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to contribute to improving the state’s environment through serving on the SEU Board.

View a complete list of the SEU Board of Directors.

State Representative Dennis E. Williams replaced outgoing board member
Rep. Pam Thornburg in December 2010. His experience in energy, technology, economic development and finance is a valuable addition to the SEU’s board.

Williams represents Delaware’s 10th District, a highly diverse district spanning the northern part of the state.  Williams has more than 25 years of experience in financial planning, technology management and business development. He was the sponsor of landmark energy legislation signed into law this year to reorganize DNREC and strengthen the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards. Williams serves on five key General Assembly committees: Economic Development, Banking, Insurance, and Commerce; Housing and Community Affairs; Labor; Natural Resources; and Energy.

About his service on the board, Williams said, “I am looking forward to finding new ways to help Delawareans save on their power bills, have cleaner air to breath, to help create new jobs in the green energy economy.”

Williams is the CEO of Dolphin Consulting Group – a company he started to provide accounting, finance and Information Technology services to small businesses.

View a complete list of the SEU Board of Directors.

Wilmington's Sean Finnigan joined the SEU Oversight Board recently, filling one of two term-limited vacancies on the board.  Finnigan serves as Legislative Assistant to the Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus.  In that position, he has helped research and steward key pieces of energy and environmental legislation, including: the Renewable Portfolio Standard, Net Energy Metering and the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Protection Act.  Finnigan has also led negotiations on behalf of Senator Harris McDowell to craft compromises with utilities, and advocacy groups on Renewable Portfolio Standards, and the Energy Efficiency Resources Standards Act.

He currently serves on the Delaware Renewable Energy Taskforce and has helped manage the proceedings of the SEU Oversight Board since its start.  His deep knowledge of Delaware energy legislation and regulatory energy policies will be a valuable addition to the SEU's Board.