The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) announces that Jane Weissman will step down as IREC president and CEO on June 30, after leading the national not-for-profit since 1994. The IREC Board of Directors has appointed Larry Sherwood, currently IREC vice president and COO, to take over the organization's leadership position.

 

"Jane Weissman's leadership of IREC has not only transformed the organization, taking it from a group of volunteers to a major player in the national development of clean energy, it has also transformed the industry," said Larry Shirley, chair of IREC's board of directors. "Jane and IREC have played a key role over the last two decades in seeing that states across the country had the proper regulatory policies and training in place to allow this industry to gain traction, while also protecting the interests of consumers.  As a direct result, an explosion in solar and wind development has taken place. Jane's contributions on behalf of renewable energy are legendary and she will be greatly missed.

 

"At the same time, IREC is extremely fortunate to have an individual of Larry Sherwood's caliber, an experienced leader in the clean energy field who has strong technical and analytical talents, to take over the helm as IREC's new president and CEO," said Shirley. "I have every confidence that he will take IREC in directions that will greatly advance clean energy, while building a stronger and stronger organization as it goes about its work."

 

"I leave IREC in the best of hands with Larry Sherwood at the helm," says Weissman. "With an amazing and dedicated team, my expectation is that IREC will continue to break new ground with astute judgment, innovative thinking and reasoned ways of making clean energy a safe and meaningful consumer choice and smart energy option for our country."

 

"I look forward to building upon the tremendous legacy that Jane Weissman has created at IREC," said Sherwood. "As clean energy becomes a mainstream part of America's energy economy, IREC's programs to ensure fair consumer access to renewables, protect consumer rights, and build a quality renewable energy workforce are more important than ever." 

 

Weissman has been the catalyst for much of IREC's success over the past two decades, a forward-thinking change maker whose subject matter and management expertise and collaborative style has positioned IREC as a thought-leading, independent, transformational trailblazer in the clean energy arena.

 

Successful at bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, often with opposing interests, Weissman is credited with making possible much of IREC's accomplishments, specifically through federal and state regulatory reforms designed to increase the number of Americans who can benefit from safe, simple, affordable access to renewable energy.

 

Recognized nationally for her path-cutting work in clean energy workforce development, Weissman is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards and recognitions. She was elected an America Solar Energy Society's Fellow in 2004. She was invited by the U.S. Congress to provide expert testimony on workforce development, credentialing and training issues. A recipient of the prestigious Charles Greeley Abbot Award from the American Solar Energy Society, she has also received the Renewable Energy World's Leadership Award in policy.

 

Weissman serves on a number of advisory boards and has published papers and spoken widely on topics in the field of renewable energy, photovoltaics, public policy and credentialing.

 

Larry Sherwood worked with IREC in different capacities for more than 10 years before his current role as chief operations officer. He was the author of IREC's U.S. Solar Market Trends report and editor of IREC's Small Wind Newsletter. He facilitated the creation and development of the Small Wind Certification Council, and organized stakeholder and other projects and events, including IREC's annual national 3iAwards and 3iForum, a multi-day series of expert talks annually held at Solar Power International.

 

Sherwood has more than 30 years of experience in the renewable energy field, including as president of Sherwood Associates, a renewable energy consulting firm based in Colorado. 

 

He has received a Special Recognition Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Previously, Sherwood was project administrator for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards, executive director of the Small Wind Certification Council, executive director of the American Solar Energy Society and executive director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and lives in a PV-powered house in Boulder, CO.

 

IREC

www.irecusa.org