Connie Ashbrook | Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.
Connie Ashbrook is the Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting the success of women in the trades through education, leadership and mentorship. As the first female journeyman elevator mechanic in Oregon, Connie learned firsthand the challenges women face to get into the trades. Through her work at Oregon Tradeswomen, Connie educates women and girls about the trades and engages with apprenticeship programs and contractors to ensure that women are given equal opportunities. Her strong commitment to equity combined with her insight into training, networking, and placement makes her an asset to Verde's Energy Advisors.
Tony DeFalco | Consultant
Tony DeFalco is a consultant focused on putting equity into sustainability efforts in Portland, Oregon. He successfully co-founded Verde Energy a social enterprise that hires and trains low-income Latinos and Native Americans to weatherize commercial and residential buildings. He helped to develop the Equity Audit, a tool to help environmental and sustainability organizations understand how to become more inclusive organizations that can deliver triple bottom line results. He serves as chair of the board of the Center for Diversity and the Environment. He holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the UC Berkeley and an M.S. in Natural Resources Planning from Humboldt State University.
Rey España | Native American Youth and Family Center
Rey España is the Director of Community Development of the Native American Youth and Family Center. He brings over 30 years of experience in all phases of community building, with a specific focus in community economic development, to Verde's Energy Advisors. He has been widely recognized for his successful community organizing skills and advocacy for social justice in communities that have not historically had access to quality education and services, economic opportunity, or self-determination. Rey also sits on the Portland Housing Advisory Committee and is an acting community representative for the Clean Energy Works Portland – Stakeholder Evaluation and Implementation Committee.
Michael Gurton | Oregon Microenterprise Network
Michael Gurton serves as Program Director of MarketLink, a no-cost market research service of the Oregon Microenterprise Network, where he provides customized primary and secondary market research to microentrepreneurs and second stage businesses throughout Oregon. Michael has developed an innovative community-based approach to Economic Development called C3 (C-Cubed) that analyzes a business' relationship between its customers, competition and community. Michael also provides research to a pilot Economic Gardening program. His background is in Competitive Intelligence, with experience in the software, telecom and technology sectors. As an advisor to Verde, Michael contributes his extensive market research experience and insight into Verde's social enterprises.
David Harmon | Board Liaison
David Harmon is a commercial capital consultant with a 23-year background in commercial banking, investment banking, and operations. He started his career at Wells Fargo Bank in 1988, and most recently worked for US Bank's Portland middle market commercial group. In the interim, he was an investment analyst with a Hong Kong investment bank, and chief operating officer of a Portland-based plastics manufacturing firm. He also spent 4 years at Shorebank Pacific, a unique bank with a mission to invest with the intent to create economic equity and a healthy environment. David serves as the Board's point person for financial management, and is the Board liaison to the Verde Energy Advisors.
Ben Nelson | Laborers International Union of North America
Ben Nelson is an organizer for the Northwest Region Organizing Coalition for Laborers International Union of North America. As a student at Willamette University, Ben's passion for social justice drove him to become affiliated with labor organizers in Salem. Since then he has worked as a labor organizer throughout the West. One of his current projects is to ensure the support of workers in the growing field of weatherization and retrofitting and to build trade standards in the field. As a Verde Energy advisor, Ben provides valuable insight into union agreements, union benefits, and building up weatherization as a union trade.
Lisa Serrano
Lisa has worked in the building trades in Portland for the last ten years. As an activist in her community and her union, she is interested in seeing more people of color and working-class women have access and success in the trades. With a passion for community organizing and racial and economic justice, Lisa is excited to be a part of Verde Energy's unique community-based approach to workforce development in the green economy.
Colleen Neel brings an extensive background in energy and weatherization to her role as Verde's Energy Program Manager. Before joining Verde in July 2010, she worked for electric utility companies and has managed Energy Assistance and Weatherization programs for low income clients in Washington and Oregon, receiving an "Exemplary" rating for her program in Central Oregon. She is a featured speaker at national and regional energy conferences and has served on Governor Kulongoski's Green Jobs Council Task Force and as the Training and Technical Assistance Chairperson for the Oregon Energy Coordinators Association (OECA).
A native of Portland, Marenda Chamberlin has a long-standing interest in the built world and how to make buildings more efficient. She pursued her interest at the University of Miami, where she earned a degree in Business Management and Environmental Science. A graduate of Oregon Tradeswomen's pre-apprenticeship program, Marenda connected with Verde while working with Hacienda CDC to access the Green Careers Grant. She enjoys learning something new every day and hopes to use her acquired skills and experience at Verde to launch into a career in green building. Her weekends are spent gardening, hiking, and playing with her dog.
New to Portland via Houston Texas. BS in psychology minored in studio art. Needed a break from academia to work with my hands.Graduated from Oregon Tradeswomen pre-apprenticeship program and was connected with a job opportunity with Verde through the Tradeswomen. New to green everything, I believe in the green energy craft and I am proud of the work I do. I am an visual artist, but I love to dance.
Sary Dobhran has participated in eco-building projects throughout the U.S. and abroad, but she continues to call Portland home. After completing Oregon Tradeswomen's pre-apprenticeship program, she was recommended to Verde Energy by her Green Jobs counselor at NAYA. Sary's work at Verde marries her background in the skilled trades with the B.A. in Environmental Studies degree she earned from the University of Oregon. She enjoys learning about building science and opportunities to grow her career. Sary's future goal is to buy a home and apply her skills and knowledge to make it the most energy efficient home possible.
Born in Portland, Oregon and raised on a farm in Oregon City. Started working for Verde in July 2011. His previous job history has been as a logger/lumber mill worker and excavator. On his leisure he loves to read/ play golf/ ride his bike around town and watch his kids grow, not in that order.