Course Instructor Profiles

Our Instructors

Dave Blecker, Seventh Generation Energy Dave has conducted approximately 50 workshops, lectures and presentations across the country on all aspects of wind energy, system planning, and development.


Dan Bartmann, Otherpower.com Bartmann has lived off grid since he was a child and now runs otherpower.com from a small wind powered workshop in Northern Colorado. Otherpower.com has built over 100 wind turbines and helped countless people build their own. They have been involved with several workshops in the last few years.


Julie Brazeau, IBEW Local 388 Julie served a five-year electrical construction apprenticeship working primarily on commercial and industrial scale projects. She holds a Master Electrician and a Commercial Inspector credential in the State of Wisconsin. She is a certified PV Site Assessor and serves on the MREA Board of Directors.

Dan Chiras, Ph.D, Sustainable Systems Design, Inc As an author and green building consultant, Dan has written more than 240 articles and 21 books on green building, the science and art of natural building, and creating sustainable neighborhoods.

Mike Clark, PrairieFire Biofuels Coop Mike Clark has been a member of the diesel biofuels community for six years. He is currently on the board of directors at PrairieFire Biofuels Coop in Madison, Wisconsin.

Susan Cunningham, St. Susan's Products Susan Cunningham is a local entrepreneur who earns a portion of her income sewing custom window treatments. Susan has been teaching Window Quilts classes for MREA since 1998.

Andy DeRocher, Full Spectrum Solar Andy combined his engineering and plumbing background with his environmental passion; now he's a NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer and a Certified PV & SDHW Site Assessor.

Jenny Heinzen, Lakeshore Technical College Jenny is a Master Electrician and an instructor at Lakeshore Technical College. She teaches classes in basic electricity, apprenticeship, agricultural wiring and RE systems.

Jim Funk, Energize, LLC Jim helps promote the use of RE in Wisconsin as a certified site assessor and a full service installer. Energize was recognized as 2006 Focus on Energy RE Market Provider of the Year.

Chris Hulet, Engineering Services Company Chris is co-owner of Engineering Services Company, an energy conservation and renewable energy consulting installation contractor, located in Southern Wisconsin. She has a background in education and engineering spanning decades. Chris is also a past Executive Director for the MREA in the early days of the organization.
 

Jim Kerbel, Photovoltaics Systems Co. Jim has been working with photovoltaics for over nineteen years. He designed and constructed the solar systems that power the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair, and hundreds of homes and businesses in Wisconsin.
 

Mark Klein and Jim McKnight, Gimme Shelter Construction Mark and Jim are builders/designers of high performance housing. Their homes have been featured in Home Power Magazine and Solar Today. They are members of the Masonry Heater Association of North American.

Jeff Knutson, A-A Exteriors.com Jeff, an owner of A-A Exteriors, is a consultant for the Focus on Energy program. He focuses on making buildings more comfortable, durable, safe, cozy and energy efficient through proper air sealing.
 

Chris LaForge, Great Northern Solar Chris is the owner of Great Northern Solar, a renewably run business that sells and installs a variety of renewable energy systems. He is a regular teacher for the MREA's Educational Institute.

Tony Miller, Gypsy Booty, LLC Tony Miller, a CSA farm manager and farm owner, has been making biodiesel since 2003. He created Gypsy Booty, LLC and is working on a small-scale commercial system for an on-farm biodiesel production lab using waste oil.
 

Mark Morgan, Bear Paw Construction Mark has been working with renewable energy and sustainable building design and materials for 12 years. He is a builder/philosopher who enjoys presenting hands-on experiences and reshaping the way individuals think about construction and energy.
 

Kurt Nelson, SOLutions Kurt specializes in the design and construction of home sized solar electric and solar hot water systems. He has over 12 years experience helping owner/builders learn about and install renewable energy systems. He has also constructed several passive solar homes. Kurt is a founding member of the MREA.

Bob Ramlow, Artha Sustainable Living Center Bob is a founding member of the MREA, co-owner of Artha Sustainable Living Center and a lead consultant for the state of Wisconsin's Focus on Energy Program. He is the author of Solar Water Heating, A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems, the first book of its kind written in over 20 years. Bob has more than 20 years experience designing and installing solar systems and has been a driving force in the growth of solar thermal use in the mid-west.

Rob Roy, Earthwood Building School Rob, active in the alternative building field for 27 years, is the author of thirteen owner-building books and has conducted hundreds of workshops at Earthwood and throughout the United States.
 

Mick Sagrillo, Sagrillo Power & Light Mick is a founding member of the MREA and has served as the President of the organization since 1991. As the founder and former owner of Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, Mick was involved with over 700 wind system installations. Mick teaches wind energy courses nationally and internationally.


Sam Simonetta, Lean Clean Energy Sam Simonetta has been studying Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE) on his own, in the MREA classroom, and in the field since 2000. While he holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Western Michigan Universtiy, he also enjoys 'hands on' work. He gets a 'charge' out of projects like building his family's energy efficient home powered by RE and helping others achieve their EE and RE goals.

Clay Sterling, Midwest Renewable Energy Association Clay is the MREA Education Director and lives in an off-grid home with his imaginary dog Nopey. He has an extensive construction background and has been teaching in the non-traditional setting for several years.

Todd Timmerman, Timmerman's Talents Todd is a HVAC contractor and a full service installer of wind, PV and SDHW. He used his machining background to develop unique mounting structures for SDHW systems. His business, Timmerman's Talents, located outside Platteville, has installed over 30 evacuated tube solar heating systems.

Mark Warnick, Full Spectrum Solar Mark is a project engineer at Full Spectrum Solar in Madison, WI.  He is a certified photovoltaic and solar thermal site assessor, works in sales, and designs systems.


Nancy L. Winter, Winter Law Nancy is a partner in Winter Law, a law firm with offices in Madison and Oregon, Wisconsin. Nancy received both a law degree and a bachelor’s in business administration-accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has 17 years’ experience advising clients in various areas of law, including business law, real estate and tax planning. She is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, and the advocacy network of Midwest Environmental Advocates. She has taught the real estate section of the Lawyering Skills course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has presented at seminars for the Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund.


Ed Zinthefer, Arch Electric, LLC Ed began a five year electrical apprenticeship in July of 1990. In 2001, he attained his Master Electrician credentials. He served as a journeyman electrician crew leader and service electrician for a contractor in the Sheboygan area until February of 2003. Currently, Ed is self employed as an electrical contractor and is a NABCEP certified PV installer. He is the president and owner of Arch Electric, LLC. Ed also served over 23 years in the military (as a drill instructor for 8 long years) but is much easier on civilian students.