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 

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

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“It’s so good to have a high quality and reputable organization like SEI to get your education. It’s by the book and by the code, and that’s the only way to go. Learning from SEI gives me credibility.

-SEI Alumnus