Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., has announced appointments to the governing board of the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (MRET) Fund, a panel established by the Green Communities Act and charged with oversight of MRET to meet the act's goals for expansion of renewable power generation in the state.
Appointed to three-year terms were Martin E. Aikens, Linda S. Plano, Paul F. Nace and Jennifer Zschokke.
A graduate of Harvard University's Trade Union Program, Aikens has been employed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 103, in Boston since 1971, most recently as the Business Agent overseeing hundreds of electricians employed by renewable energy contractors. Aikens coordinated installation of photovoltaic panels at IBEW's Training Center in 2002, implemented a Solar Energy Training Program in 2003 and, in 2005, oversaw the assembly and installation of the wind turbine on IBEW's property.
Nace is chairman and CEO of Econox Technologies LLC, a Massachusetts company that specializes in combustion efficiency technology. Nace is also managing director of Maine BioProducts LLC, a biofuels development company working to build biorefineries using forest biomass as feedstock.
Plano is associate director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center at the University of Massachusetts, an organization that develops programs to catalyze transfer of technology from Massachusetts universities and research hospitals to the business sector. Plano established the center's annual Conference on Clean Energy: Financing and Partnering for Emerging Businesses – a leading regional event for clean energy entrepreneurs – and has been a visiting scholar in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's laboratory for energy and the environment.
As vice president for sustainable development at National Grid, Zschokke is responsible for spearheading and executing National Grid's green initiatives. Her key projects include developing innovative models for solar deployment, clean air transportation, community partnerships and brownfield site redevelopment.
SOURCE: Office of Gov. Deval Patrick
