2022 CEF Board Nominations

In the 2022 CEF Board of Directors Election, CEF has seven candidates for six open seats.

Rizwan Bankwala

Candidate Statement: Hello, and thanks for considering me. I started getting involved with CEF last May. Like many of you at CEF, I am an avid outdoorsman. I enjoy skiing, canoeing and birding. An unsustainable energy system imperils our ecosystem, confines our economy, and swindles our native species. It is always curious to launch our canoe alongside dozens of oily boat engines, or to see algae overgrowth in the lake. I believe environmental education has a long way to go, but we know everyone grasps numbers at the end of the day.

My background is in finance. I work for REGUS, a co-working commercial real estate company. On occasion, I’ll have some smaller stints in health care finance.

Volunteer or Professional Affiliations:

DNR & MINNESOTA CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY
Help friends with financial questions and concerns

Sean McLoughlin

Candidate Statement: Climate change has weighed on me for 22 years, since reading Earth in the Balance. As a small business person with a home remodeling firm, I have tried to incorporate remedies to the build up of carbon into my work, with varying degrees of success. In 2015, I attempted a deep energy retrofit of a 123 year old home that also addressed affordable housing. It was a technical success but an economic failure, which meant the model was not scalable.

This made me look for models that could scale, which led to joining the Board of CEF in 2018.

It has been a true pleasure to serve on the Board. This would be my last term, if elected again. We do valuable work here, and I have learned a lot about the details involved in developing Community Solar Gardens. There are many challenges, from many angles. CEF is also diversifying its work— now placing solar on multi-family buildings in underserved neighborhoods; and CEF intends to expand and further diversify as the organization grows. I want to help promote that. The integrity of this organization has always impressed me, as has the intelligence of the staff and the Board. I truly appreciate getting to be part of that.

Volunteer or Professional Affiliations:

Member of the Green Home Institute
MN Licensed Builder #635059

Brett Thompson

Candidate Statement: I wish to join the CEF Board because I am a proponent of change and advancement. We, as human being, have become conscious of our evolution. It requires massive quantities of energy to evolve consciously. When we realize that our energy consumption is doing harm to ourselves and the interconnected world around us, we must act.

How do we take responsibility for our energy use? Everything is interconnected, so I believe we must go to the root of our excess energy consumption. From mines to manufacturing to the final consumer product, we must seek efficiency and smart design. Part of our evolution is our technological advancement, and we must seek to integrate that advancement with the natural world. Life is to be enjoyed, and our personal and societal evolution should not be compromised out of guilt of energy consumption, rather, we must find new and healthy balances.

My background in automotive engineering has afforded me the opportunity to understand technology on a deep level. I have worked for General Electric’s Wind Energy division at a 135 megawatt wind farm. I am currently employed at Minneapolis Public Schools as a reserve teacher. When I lived in Billings, Montana, I was a member of the Yellowstone Valley Citizen’s Council where they advocate for a healthy, inviting, sustainable community.

Volunteer and Professional Affiliations:

Yellowstone Valley Citizen’s Council
Professional background in mechanics, electronics, and biology
keen interest in Science and Technology news
Coached many children’s sports teams
reserve teacher for MPS

Ahmad Kian

Candidate Statement: I am a graduate of the University of MN engineering and management programs. I have lived in MN for 39 years and love this state and country, and I am determined to do all I can to reverse the environmental trends that are endangering all our lives.

As a father of two young daughters and uncle to many, I feel my environmental responsibilities deeply, and I believe my participation on CEF’s Board is an important step toward environmental stewardship.

I bring decades of engineering, management and financial background to the Board, and I have tried my utmost to help CEF succeed in their journey.

Volunteer and Professional Affiliations

CEO of Apadana Solar Technologies, a local solar design and installation firm in town.
President of Apadana LLC, and LED implementation company with operations across the U.S.
Vice Chair of CEF’s Board of Directors. Member of the Finance Committee and the HR Committee

Whitney Terrill

Candidate Statement: I serve as the Environmental Justice Program Manager at Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, where I design, coordinate, and facilitate community-based programming for MNIPL, coalitions, and other communities. My work focuses on many topics in the EJ movement from just solar and clean energy, to fossil fuel resistance and clean water, to equitable planning and policy, and interfaith dialogue and racial justice.

I am trained as a sociologist, and have experience in both public and private sectors. I received my undergraduate degree from Hampton University, and Executive Certificates in conservation and environmental sustainability from Columbia University (NY), and in social impact strategies from the University of Pennsylvania (PA). I am also a LEED Green Associate.

Volunteer and Professional Affiliations:
Vice Chair of Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Minnesota Mulit-Faith Network
National Steering Committee for Interfaith Power and Light
Women’s Environmental Institute
Green Faith Fellowship Program Fellow (an international comprehensive education and training program)

Roger Steinkamp

Candidate Statement: Serving on the CEF Board for the past two years has been challenging as well as very rewarding experience that has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the solar industry.

It has become more important than ever to switch off fossil fuels.

I have also had the opportunity to deal with Xcel Energy on a wind and solar project and am keenly aware of the issues that can present themselves in transitioning to renewable energy.

Finally, I have managed projects that form cooperatives, and have done considerable organizing in marginalized communities.

Volunteer and Professional Affiliations:

Chair of the Faribault Environmental Commission
Land O’Lakes, project manager

John D O’Neill

Candidate Statement: In life, I am a strong believer in fair and egalitarian access to tools that will get us to the world we all want to live in. This means maintaining a clear and open mind, and a spirit of giving and cooperation. I feel that clean energy fits this mindset closely, as it enables personal ownership— and short-distance abundant availability—of one of the modern world’s most important tools: electricity.

My personal background in communication and technology can help make this a reality for many of the people who subscribe to Cooperative Energy Futures solar services. I’d help you reach people where they are by leveraging my work experience. My career started with journalism, and today it is still focused on building out and maintaining publications with tailored reach and message.

I bring an understanding of messaging needs, effective channels for communication, technical expertise in implementations, and in generating excitement about localized power.