THE WIND ALLIANCE NAMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND CHAIR

Leadership in Place for Collaborative Work among Players in the Wind Energy Industry.

HOUSTON, February 7, 2012 – The Wind Alliance is revitalizing its structure and leadership to better address challenges faced by wind energy industries. To this end, the Alliance has appointed a new board and managing director.

As The Wind Alliance works to address the needs of the wind industry it will develop programs in workforce education and training, industry services and technology acceleration. Board members now include:

Dick Williams, P.E.	President Shell WindEnergy Inc.
Dr. Raymond Cline	Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies University of Houston
Erin McKillop, J.D.	Global Technology Innovation Vestas Technology R&D
Dr. Rathindra N. Bose	Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer, University of Houston System Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, University of Houston
Dr. Patrick (Barry) Butler	Provost University of Iowa
Dr. Daniel Laird	Manager, Offshore Wind Sandia National Laboratories

The board will be chaired by Williams; Cline will serve as the managing director. McKillop will serve as secretary.

The Wind Alliance consists of members of the energy industry, academia and government in the United States together to addressing the needs of the wind energy industry. The Wind Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded by member fees and donations. It is managed and supported in part by the University of Houston.

The Alliance has three functional committees: workforce, infrastructure and technology. The infrastructure committee studies the national transmission, distribution and storage requirements. The technology committee identifies the needs for next generation turbine research, development, manufacturing and installation. The workforce committee examines potential workforce deficits and specific opportunities for research, education and industry partnerships.

The former managing director of the Alliance was John White, who led the growth of the Alliance from its initial focus on the Texas wind industry to the nationally focused organization it has now become.

For more information contact: Maribel Salazar, Associate Director, 713.743.9279, msalazar2@uh.edu.