The NEEA board of directors voted to change NEEA’s governance and board structure at its October meeting. The governance change is the first since NEEA was formed in 1996 and was made following a year-long review.

“After looking at where we are and the challenges NEEA faces, the board concluded the original structure was not as relevant today,” said Margie Gardner, executive director. “It decided to undertake a comprehensive study of the organization, which led to these changes.”

The former board had as many as 30 members, while the new board will include 14 seats. Of the 14, eight will represent the largest funding organizations, three will represent the remaining funders, two will be appointed by state governor offices and one seat is characterized “at large.”
 
Gardner said the smaller board will be able to focus more on policy and strategic direction for NEEA, allowing the organization to be more nimble as energy markets evolve. The change also reflects how the business and political climate has changed in the region.

“The drivers are very different from 10 years ago when we began market transformation efforts,” she said. “Those include renewable and energy efficiency targets and standards being set by states, the BPA Regional Dialogue proposal and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s plan calling for increased efficiency targets. The board believed we needed to be more strategic and quicker going forward in market transformation.”

To assist the new 14-member board, it’s anticipated that the roles and responsibilities of advisory committees will expand. Plans call for getting top experts to advise the board and NEEA staff on programs and initiatives.

“With the new expert committee structure we hope to maintain the breadth of utility and regional stakeholder participation,” said board chairman Craig Smith, assistant general manager, Snohomish County PUD, Everett, Wash. “By having more senior level leadership represented on the board of directors, we are also increasing the organizational commitment and support for NEEA’s efforts.”

Gardner said she hopes the contributions of many organizations to NEEA continue for the sake of the entire region.

“There’s a lot of work to do in the region and NEEA and its partners’ unique value in energy efficiency is really going to shine. We want the Northwest region to be known as the leaders in energy efficiency and NEEA and its partners working together can make that happen.”