Green Jobs – Current and Future Trends

Led by Beth Offenbacker, PhD, HR Consultant and Coach, Waterford, Inc.

Beth Offenbacker is a dynamic, visionary talent development and engagement executive with corporate, nonprofit, and public agency experience. She brings more than 25 years of experience in training, coaching, talent development, engagement, community relations, marketing, and project management experience to the Waterford team.  As an adult learning professional, she has more than 15 years of experience designing enterprise-level and business unit learning strategies and delivering professional development, workshops, and classroom learning for individuals at all career levels and that have delivered on performance goals.

Offenbacker designed and delivered classroom instruction as an adjunct faculty member with the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs and the American University School of Communications and she also served as Chief Learning Officer with the online training provider, PublicDecisions. She has designed and led workshops, sessions, and training seminars for community nonprofits, professional conferences, and stakeholder groups, from small groups to sessions with more than 100 participants.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at the State University of New York at Brockport and a master’s degree in public communications at American University.  A graduate of Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy, Offenbacker’s dissertation focused on the practice of public participation in 12 countries (Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Ivory Coast, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and the U.S.).

Welcoming Remarks by Gleniss Wade, Workforce Development Program Manager, DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) 

Marilyn Waite, Author of Sustainability at Work: Careers that make a difference

Marilyn Waite currently leads the energy practice at Village Capital, serves on the Board of Directors for Engineers for a Sustainable World, and is a Senior Research Fellow at Paul Hawken’s Project Drawdown.  She is the author of Sustainability at Work: Careers that Make a Difference and has addressed audiences worldwide on topics ranging from sustainability in careers to technologies in the energy-water nexus.

Waite founded SustainableVisit, an app and online platform, that provides users with sustainable tourism suggestions for locations worldwide. Waite holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge and a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (magna cum laude) from Princeton University. Her vision is a world where sustainability values of social cohesion, environmental consciousness, intergenerational equity, and economic health drive decision-making and business practices.

Hillary Bright, State Policy Director, BlueGreen Alliance

Hillary Bright is the State Policy Director for the Blue Green Alliance (BGA). The organization unites America’s largest labor unions and influential environmental organizations to solve today’s environmental challenges in ways that create and maintain quality jobs and build a stronger, fairer economy. Prior to her position with BGA, she worked on the Department of Energy (DOE) Jobs Strategy Council as an economic development specialist on a range of energy sources including wind, solar, nuclear, and carbon capture utilization and storage. Earlier, she worked for the Sierra Club and the BlueGreen Alliance as an organizer on labor, environment and energy issues.

Bright holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Juniata College and a Master’s of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on natural resources from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Ed Fortunato is the Managing Director of Fundamental Analysis, at Constellation Energy, an Exelon Company. Fortunato has been with Exelon for over fourteen years. Prior to his current role he has managed the proprietary trading book and the short term analytics group at Exelon and has lead the implementation of trading strategies in both the prop and hedging books since his arrival. Before Exelon he was a vice president of natural gas trading at Merrill Lynch Global Commodities and was a senior energy trader at Edison Mission Energy. He has an MBA with high honors in finance from Boston University and a BA from Baruch College.

Fortunato will discuss employment opportunities within his Analytics group and at Constellation Energy in its role as an electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy supplier to power residences and commercial facilities in the Metro region.

Tim Bagley is an experienced businessman and currently serves as Business Development Manager for WGL Energy. WGL is a full spectrum energy company that offers electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, carbon reduction, distributed generation and energy efficiency solutions for commercial, industrial, governmental and residential clientele.

Bagley is a lifelong advocate for environmental awareness and stewardship; he is passionate about sustainability and resiliency related efforts, particularly at the local and regional level. He holds a B.S. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.

Justin Jasiulevicius is an Environmental Compliance Technician for Wetlands Studies and Solutions Inc. As a recent addition to the team, he is very excited to further his passion in water and natural resources. Jasiulevicius has taught multiple classes on outdoor education, herpetology, stream health, hydrology cycles, and storm water management practices. He has conducted soil mapping, forestry inventories, watershed characterizations, storm water pond construction and clean energy policy advocacy.

His career experience includes working for the Sandy Creek Nature Center, Athens Clarke County Storm Water Office, American Biogas Council and Geo-Technology Associates. He holds a bachelor’s in Hydrology and Soil Science from received his education from The Warnell School of Forestry, University of Georgia. He plans to begin his graduate work in the coming fall.

Edythe Richards works in Organization and Leadership Development at MWAA (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority). Richards is a career development professional and nationally recognized expert on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Richards is most passionate about helping mid- and senior-career adults locate and sustain meaningful employment and has spent many years devoted to this cause in both the public and private sectors.

Richards has been a featured speaker at many events in the greater Washington, DC metro area, particularly in Arlington County, where she leads workshops and seminars on resume writing, career transition, Emotional Intelligence, and others. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling as well as several industry certifications. Check out her articles and podcasts on www.atopcareer.com.

Will Gathright, PhD has over a decade of experience in energy analytics, computer modeling, control systems, and Internet of Things technology. Will’s work in energy storage and solar has been recognized by many organizations including US Department of Energy, the Virginia Governor’s office, start-up incubator Potential Energy DC, and NYSERDA. Will is the founder of Tumalow Energy Ingenuity– that enables energy storage for commercial solar developers. At Tumalow he is the driving force behind the growth of both the technical and business aspects of the company as it scales up operations.