Workshop Session I: Friday, March 16, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Concentration: Regional, State and Local Initiatives and Partnerships

The Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy (PNCECE) is a Centralia College Partnership headquartered in Centralia, Washington. The partnership includes consumer and investor-owned utilities, federal power-marketing administration (Bonneville Power Administration), organized labor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and numerous community colleges and universities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah. The evolution of this five state consortium was sanctioned by a U.S. Department of Energy $5 million grant to create an energy workforce prepared for the implementation of a smarter grid in the Pacific Northwest. Hear from energy industry, education, and labor experts how this regional Center of Excellence was developed.

Moderator:
Barbara Hins-Turner, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy, Centralia College

Presenters:
Arlene M. Abbott, M.Ed., Principal, Polar Star Consulting
Troy Nutter, Manager, Training and Apprenticeship, Puget Sound Energy
Kairie Pierce, Community and Technical College Labor Liaison, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Sally Zeiger Hanson, Workforce Research Associate, Extension Energy Program, Washington State University