510-665-1501 x11

Click here to email Jodi.

Jodi is a dedicated administrator with over 12 years of experience. She specializes in managing staff and programs using consensus building and conflict resolution; developing curricula; evaluating and analyzing outcomes; change management; and researching program methodology and effectiveness. Born in South Africa and a former resident of Australia, Israel and Mexico, Jodi considers herself a global citizen. She has committed much of her life to social justice and sustainability. She is a UC Berkeley Graduate in Peace and Conflict Studies and holds an MBA from the Presidio Graduate School in Sustainable Management. She is committed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions globally while educating the public locally. Jodi lives with her Husband (Lalo) and son (Alejandro) and feisty dog (Bella) in Oakland.

510-665-1501 x12

Click here to email Alison.

Alison joined Rising Sun in 2010. Alison brings a diverse skill set developed over 17 years in administration and program development both in England and America. Over the course of her career, she has distinguished herself as a driving force behind improving operations, team development and financial controls. Alison has developed vocational training programs with an aim to transition youth into full time employment. She specializes in program monitoring and evaluation, using systemic thinking and strategic planning to build programs that encourage innovation and personal/professional development.
Throughout her career and volunteer work, Alison has been committed to working towards providing education and training specific to the individual. She believes that our mission to create green career pathways for youth and for adults with barriers to employment can help provide the skills they need to be competitive in the green job market place. Alison holds a BA in History and Social Economics from Manchester University, UK.

510-665-1501 x13

Click here to email Christina.

Christina joined Rising Sun in early 2009. She began as the CYES Lead Marketing Intern for the Spring 2009 season, progressed to become the SmartSolar Outreach Coordinator, and was eventually promoted to Operations Manager. She manages the finance, HR, inventory and administration of the organization and provides day-to-day support for programs. Some might say she is behind the scenes, but Christina prefers to think of herself as having a role in all the scenes.
Christina graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in Education. She has worked heavily with youth in the past through summer camps and mentoring programs. She also previously worked for An Taisce's (the National Trust for Ireland) Green Home program in Dublin, Ireland, which sparked her love for conservation and sustainability. Her interests are youth, education, the environment, meeting new people and traveling to new places. She is also the proud owner of Buddy, the effervescent Rising Sun office dog.

Click here to email Suzanne.

Suzanne joined the Rising Sun staff in the summer of 2010. Her role involves supporting many of the operational and programmatic functions of our growing organization.  Suzy’s favorite part of Rising Sun is her coworkers. “Everyone here is so passionate and good at what they do. It’s the people here who make me want to come into work every day,” she says.  Suzy graduated from the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific University with a BA in Accounting/Business Management and a BS in Sports Nutrition.  She has worked for many companies throughout the years but loves being in a supporting role at Rising Sun.
Outside of work, Suzy has very few free moments. A mother of three, grandmother of 7 and great-grandmother of 2, Suzy also works as an ice-skating coach and lives in Oakland.

Click here to email Tee.

Tee joined Rising Sun in March 2011. He was born in India and moved to America in 2005. Tee has 15 years of accounting experience nine of which were in India working as an auditor for an NGO charitable trust primarily auditing schools and hospitals. After moving to America Tee worked for distribution companies, non-profits and local government and is currently enjoying his time at Rising Sun.
 
Tee has a BA in Accounting and enjoys spending his free time cooking, walking and is an avid cricketer.

510-665-1501 x18

Click here to email Elena.

Elena Foshay joined Rising Sun in July 2010 and now oversees the Green Energy Training Services (GETS) and East Bay Green Job Corps programs.  She has been actively engaged in the green jobs movement for more than five years, and previously worked as Research Associate for the Apollo Alliance national office.  While with Apollo, Elena wrote a number of memos and reports on clean energy policy, green workforce development, economic development and job quality, and implementation of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Elena also did research for the Labor Center at the University of California, Berkeley, where she conducted a study of opportunities in the green economy for Contra Costa County, and published a paper on strategies for ensuring that green jobs are quality jobs. 

510-665-1501 x17

Click here to email George.

George joined Rising Sun in 2008 to assist with the Energy Partners Program. As Program Manager, he oversaw a team of Energy Specialists who performed comprehensive energy audits and educations for income-qualified Bay Area residences. George is now the Training and Employment Manager of the Green Energy Training Services Program (GETS), Rising Sun's green workforce training program for adults with barriers to employment.
George moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2007 and brings a wealth of program design and program management experience. After graduating from California State University Northridge with a degree in Recreation Program Management, he worked for several years in the Recreation field as an experiential educator and a group facilitator. After watching "An Inconvenient Truth", he made a personal and professional choice to focus his talents, training and enthusiasm on solving global climate destabilization.  Since joining Rising Sun Energy Center, George has greatly expanded his Building Science knowledge through numerous trainings and, in 2010, George became a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified Building Analyst. George lives with his wife (Christine) and sons (Paul & Jonathan) in Richmond.  They have 2 cats (Bill and Nibbles) and a dog (Jack). 

Click here to email Melvin.

Melvin joined the Rising Sun team in July of 2011.  Melvin is a Graduate of Arizona State University where he received his BA in psychology. He has more than 8 years experience as a Case Manager, helping individuals and families obtain housing, employment, shelter, and clothing. Melvin has also taught life skills classes where clients learn about parenting, resume building, healthy boundaries, professionalism, and budgeting. Melvin has dedicated himself to becoming a resource to the community and loves to help everyone he encounters. Providing outreach and advocacy to people from all backgrounds is Melvin's biggest passion, and he continues to set goals and strategies of how he can do more to reach out to others.

510-647-8182

Click here to email Dan.

Dan is a third-generation general contractor, registered green building professional, and has been involved with construction for over 30 years. His comprehensive approach to building addresses all aspects of design, materials, job-site efficiency, safety, and meeting the bottom-line. Dan is a journeyman carpenter and project manager. He has experience with solar electric, thermal, and hot air systems, water conservation strategies (including graywater), and is a certified permaculture design consultant. He is a community organizer, localization advocate, and is interested in the merging of sustainability and social justice.

510-647-8182
Click here to email Christine.

Christine officially joined Rising Sun in July 2011. Having completed GETS (Green Energy Training Services) in the summer of 2010 and having enjoyed the experience so much that she transitioned into volunteering for the organization, permanent employment was the next logical career move. She has a deep respect for the organization and its programs and recognized immediately the hope GETS inspired in those participants with barriers to employment.
Christine attended Northeastern University in Boston and Goldsmiths College in London.  After working as a clerical worker at Yale University, she became involved in her union (Local 34) and was later hired to the UNITE HERE! organizing staff where she worked on several campaigns to advance workers rights and “A New Social Contract”.  In her work as a community leader and union organizer, Christine has been recognized for her commitment and dedication to social justice, her ability to share and communicate a vision, her ability to build relationships and to empower, challenge and motivate people through the process of identifying goals and common interests while fostering collaboration and unity.  She is respected for her ability to build community and form alliances all while raising three beautiful children and being a loving wife.

Operations and Administrative Assistant, Rising Sun Energy Services

510-647-8182
Click here to email Janet.

Janet Flint joined Rising Sun in 2011 as a volunteer for the Energy Services Program, eager to take assignments that would expand her experience with building efficiency improvements. In 2011 she completed the Ohlone College Building Performance and Sales course and is pursuing her BPI certification and mastery of Energy Pro modeling.  In 2012 Janet joined the Rising Sun Energy Services team as Administrative Assistant, supporting the Office Manager in taking care of our Customers and our amazing Field Crew.

Janet believes that protecting the natural environment involves “kitchen table” conversations. When people enjoy talking about the details of recycling, sustainable fish harvests, and how their homes use energy, it becomes part of our culture. Working with Rising Sun Energy helps her take those conversations everywhere she goes. Janet has a B.S. in Economics and a M.S. in Resource Economics from New Mexico State University. Her experiences include forecasting population and water use data, and years in sales and management including solar sales. She likes to volunteer, and her recent pet projects have been Challenger Baseball, the Fruitvale Senior Center and membership development for the Local Clean Energy Alliance based in Oakland, CA.

510-665-1501 x14

Click here to email Heather.

Heather joined Rising Sun in June 2007 as the Oakland High Site Manager for the CYES Program. She first learned about CYES as a client and again while volunteering at Oakland High School. She loved the program so much she returned as an Area Director for two additional summers while completing her Bachelors of Science at UC Berkeley. In Fall 2009, she was promoted to the CYES Program Director position and took on the responsibilities of funding recruitment, training, hiring and logistics for the CYES Program Heather graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2009, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Molecular Environmental Biology with a concentration in Human and Environmental Health. She has always been passionate about environmental issues and youth development, volunteering in many science classrooms, school gardens, and outdoor camps. Working for Rising Sun aligns with her interest in the complex relationship between humans and both the built and natural environment.

510-665-1501 x15

Click here to email Natesha.

Natesha first joined Rising Sun as an intern in 2009 where she supported the Operations and Programs teams, assisting with the recruitment of youth, outreach and program research for the CYES summer employment program. Natesha then served as a Site Manager in Richmond before she was hired on full-time as a CYES Program Manager. Natesha is the key program manager for both the LIFT Program and Youth Council. Natesha received a BS in Psychology from Florida A&M University and is currently pursuing a MA in Organizational Management from the SIT Graduate Institute. In her current role, Natesha draws upon her background in youth counseling and development, as well as her experience in community work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia. As a CYES Program Manager, Natesha’s responsibilities include recruitment, training, hiring, logistics, staff supervision and program development and evaluation.

Outreach and Marketing Manager, California Youth Energy Services (CYES)

510-665-1501 x16

Click here to email Taraneh.

Taraneh joined Rising Sun in Fall 2010 as the Outreach and Marketing Manager for the CYES Program.  With a diverse background including extensive public outreach, media, policy and nonprofit experience, Taraneh has a larger goal of raising our society’s awareness of environmental conservation and sustainability and improving access to opportunities to live sustainably.
Taraneh holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Irvine and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Environmental Policy from San Francisco State University.

510-725-8915

Click here to email Tamera.

Tamera first worked with Rising Sun Energy Center during the summer of 2009 as an Outreach Coordinator for the Oakland site. She was so inspired by Rising Sun’s mission that once a permanent position became available she eagerly applied, and joined as a full time staff member in 2010. Now, as the Co-Manager for East Bay Green Job Corps Bridge Program, Tamera takes great joy in being a vital link in the chain of each participant’s success.
Growing up in the foster care system Tamera faced a lot of barriers and challenges.  As a result of those challenges Tamera has dedicated her time to the betterment of those less fortunate.  Over the past ten years Tamera has worked as a Case Manager at the Jobs for Homeless Consortium and Beyond Emancipation, a program for youth emancipating from foster care.  She also created a program for Harvest Fellowship Inc. which provided shoes and clothes for homeless persons.  Tamera is inspired by all of the work that Rising Sun has done and will do.  Her favorite motto is “Each one reach one, Each one teach one”.

510-776-6370

Click here to email Adrian.

Adrian first worked with Rising Sun Energy Center as a PG&E marketing and outreach intern during the summers of 2008 and 2009. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College, Adrian returned as the outreach coordinator for the Livermore site during the summer of 2010. Adrian was then hired as a co-manager for the East Bay Green Job Corps in October 2010 for his expertise in community outreach and ability to lead and adequately train youth in sustainability.
Armed with a major in business with a concentration in marketing, Adrian is determined to work for a company that shares his “moral compass and had a quantifiable positive impact on society”. Adrian’s passion for youth development and sustainability is fired by his past experiences with youth empowerment programs and personal mission to create a healthier more conscious generation of Americans. Rising Sun Energy Center and East Bay Green Job Corps, as Adrian puts it, “provides the environment for young individuals to better themselves holistically through training in life skills, general education and sustainability”.

415-532-7566

Click here to email Travers.

Travers McNeice joined Rising Sun in early 2011 as a Site Manager in San Mateo.  Currently, Travers is the Marin Program Manager and is responsible for year-round operations.  In the summer, his job transitions to Area Director, where he oversees and supervises CYES sites in six cities in the East Bay.  Travers has a BS in Biology from UC Santa Barbara, and a MSc from Oxford University in Biodiversity Conservation & Management. Travers's background is in environmental biology and ecology, with a focus on sustainable wildlife conservation, and he has prior work experience in the youth education field. 

510-665-1501 x22

Click here to email Rebecca.

Rebecca joined the Rising Sun team in September 2011.  She has over a decade of experience in program management, developing, implementing and evaluating educational and job training programs serving under-resourced teens in the Berkeley community.  Rebecca’s early professional background includes direct service work with youth and adults as a counselor, facilitator, community educator, naturalist, and instructor, in varied fields including outdoor education, wilderness adventure, and reproductive and mental health.
Rebecca earned a BA in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Williams College, and a MSW from San Jose State University with a credential in school social work.  Rising Sun provides Rebecca with the unique opportunity to integrate her education, experience and passion for sustainability and social justice.

Doron Rot (crew chief and auditor), Danny Sims (read his bio here), Keane Ahern, Jesse Cabrera, Gage Hart, Greg Sanchez, Eddie Jones,
Crew
510-647-8182

Doron is excited and proud to be working at Rising Sun. He has a strong appreciation for the work that the GETS Energy Services team does and is an enthusiastic member of the team.

After encouragement from his aunt, Doron attended GETS training in July 2010. After graduating, he began working at GETS Energy Services as one of the first crew members. He sees the sustainable energy movement growing and is continuing to gain knowledge by attending specialized certification courses, which will provide him the opportunity to expand his job expertise and help in offering the best service possible to the GETS ES clients.
 
Doron is a certified BPI Building Analyst and brings experience in green building, truck driving, sales and management. Doron was born in Israel and came to the Bay Area in 2002. He enjoys people, loves traveling, family, friends, basketball and snowboarding.