Board Executive Committee
Bob Patterson: President – Bob has been Public Works Director of the City of Pendleton, Oregon for several decades, leading projects for water supply infrastructure and energy efficiency, and overseeing 4 divisions. Bob was one of the trailblazers for solar in Pendleton as they installed their first city project on the roof of the Water Filtration facility. From there, he helped facilitate the first Solarize campaign in Pendleton, with 56 homes participating in the program. He was named a 2016 American Public Works Association (APWA) Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year and was awarded the 2016 Energy Trust of Oregon Achievement Award.
Kelly Yearick: Past President – Kelly is a Program Manager at Forth where she provides consumer education about electric vehicles and works with utilities to promote transportation electrification. She moved to Oregon in 2015 to pursue her passion for sustainability by completing her Masters in Environmental Management from Portland State University. Kelly soon realized Oregon’s fantastic solar potential and became increasingly aware of the urgency of moving toward a carbon-free transportation sector. Kelly believes all Oregonians should have access to a clean energy future and works to pursue that goal every day.
Brian Wagner: Treasurer – After working in commercial banking in Wisconsin for 10 years, Brian relocated to Portland in 2016 to study Sustainability at Portland State University. Following the completion of the program, he began a career at Beneficial State Bank, a B Corp certified bank that provides loans to help advance economic justice and environmental sustainability initiatives. In his current role as a Portfolio Manager, Brian underwrites commercial loans primarily for nonprofit organizations and renewable energy projects.
Bridget Callahan: Secretary – Bridget is passionate about increasing solar access and opportunities for rural Oregon. At Sustainable Northwest, she advances community-driven clean energy programs, projects and policies across the northwest, piloting innovative models and community-finance projects for rural communities. She spent several years living and working in eastern Oregon helping rural schools save energy, developing Solarize campaigns and building a network of clean energy leaders. Bridget is a native Oregonian, attended the University of Oregon and has been working to deploy smart energy use and policy in Oregon ever since.
Zakir Hakim: at large – Zak is owner of Eastside Solar, and has been developing solar projects nationally for nearly a decade. From residential arrays to utility scale solar solutions, he has delivered quality solar construction services on time and in budget. He has been awarded solar power grants from the USDA, Pacific Power, ODOE, and Portland General Electric totaling more than half a million dollars of grant funding.
Board Members
Linda Barnes: Linda is a LEED accredited professional and a licensed architect in Oregon and Arizona. She is a principal in the all women-owned architectural firm, Merryman Barnes Architects, where every design decision has energy implications. The firm tackles commercial, multi-family and single-family residential solar projects, and new and remodeled LEED certified building projects, which include energy efficient envelopes, passive design, Trombe walls, solar water heating and photovoltaics. Linda has been involved with Solar Oregon for over 20 years and has supported educational events and tours. Educated in Arizona, Linda is thankful for all the solar advocates in Oregon working diligently to demonstrate how solar works in Oregon.
Kundai Chirindo: Kundai is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, Director of General Education, and Director of the Ethnic Studies program at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Oregon. His scholarly work and teaching focus on how we communicate about the environment and climate change. These interests led him to closely examine the work of Wangari Maathai (a 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner for her environmental work). In 2019, Kundai was voted Vice-President elect of the Environmental Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Gordy Molitor: Gordy is an experienced manager with domestic and international not-for-profits. His first efforts at increasing solar energy in Oregon date back to 1982, when he organized one of the state’s first solar-energy technician training programs. More recently, he was the Executive Director of Green Empowerment, an organization promoting renewable energy in the developing world. Gordy worked overseas for 20 years with CARE International, an international relief and development agency.
Jason Love: A communications, public relations and marketing professional specializing in high-tech, counting companies such as Microsoft, Verizon, Roku and FIRST Robotics among his clients, Jason has been tinkering with electronics and solar energy since elementary school. With an 8 kW solar system on his roof and an electric car in the driveway of his family’s Portland home, he daydreams about the best ways to instill solar curiosity in his neighbors, kids, and the broader community or make his home smarter.
Margaret Olson: Margaret is an Environmental Engineer with the EPA specializing in hazardous waste management and brownfields redevelopment. As a part of this, she encourages renewable energy project development on formerly contaminated properties rather than developing on green space. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering for Friends of Trees and exploring the natural wonders of the Pacific NW.
Corey Omey – Corey is an avid solar supporter, with solar on his own remodeled home. His home is often shown on green home tours and is a model of how to incorporate energy efficiency, modern aesthetics, durability, art, light, renewable energy, and recycled, reclaimed, and re-used materials into a remodel project. Corey also volunteers with the Northwest Earth Institute, is an active member and volunteer with GRiT, the Green Roof information Thinktank. Corey began his professional career in 1998 as an intern with Ernest Munch Architect LLC, working as part of the team on retail, winery, and housing projects. As his skills developed, he became project manager, then an architect in 2007, and partner in 2012, and is now Owner of EMA, LLC. The firm specializes in owner occupied buildings, and many projects include solar in their scope. Corey is a LEED AP, and registered architect in Oregon, Michigan, and California.
Jennifer Rouda: Jennifer is the founder of 7Skyline, LLC, a woman-owned consulting firm certified in Oregon and California to support utility scale solar and electric transmission development projects in the Western US. Previously she served as a Vice President for Abengoa Transmission & Infrastructure in Phoenix, AZ. Prior to her work at Abengoa, Jennifer managed global business development and directed the national electric transmission planning practice for CH2M HILL Engineering in Oakland, CA and Portland, OR. She has also worked as a principal consultant for Ecology and Environment, Inc. on renewable energy projects and for the US Department of the Interior in Washington, DC on energy policy during the Clinton Administration.
Staff
Zach Snyder: Program Manager – With a varied background including solar professional, teacher, computer programmer, and geologist, Zach brings creativity and a passion for clean energy to Solar Oregon. As our sole staff member, he is responsible for the health and growth of all our programs.