Our Staff
Tanya Beavers
Tanya Beavers is an energy professional who works closely with the Building Science Division and is coordinating the annual Energy/Facilities Connections Conference hosted by the Plant Operations Support Consortium. She also provides executive support for other areas of the organization, writes communication material, and assists in coordinating training classes. Her professional background includes experience in marketing, financial services, and technical writing. She holds a B.A. in public relations with minors in business communication and Japanese from Central Washington University.
James L. Colombo
Jim Colombo has served as the Information Systems Department Manager and IT specialist for the WSU Energy Program and the Washington State Energy Office since 1987. Colombo has over 30 years of experience providing technical service, support, and training to citizens, management, and employees at state agencies and universities. Prior to his time with the WSU Energy Program, he worked for South Puget Sound Community College and the King County Library System.
Donna Cowsert
Donna Cowsert serves as our management analyst/fiscal officer. With nearly 30 years of experience in the accounting field, she provides financial/grants management services, and reviews and submits proposals. Cowsert assists with subcontract setup, submitting match documentation, and resolving grant issues with the sponsor, principal investigator, and university. Her prior experience includes serving as accounts receivable manager, responsible for building and coaching a team for effective implementation of grants, contracts, and interagency agreements.
Alan J. Hardcastle
Alan Hardcastle is a Senior Research Associate at the WSU Energy Program. He has 30 years of experience providing leadership for quantitative and qualitative research and consulting projects with public/private-sector clients and stakeholders in industry, education, workforce and economic development. Hardcastle holds a Ph.D. in higher education and organizational change from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an adjunct faculty member at The Evergreen State College, where he teaches a graduate course on clean energy.
Karen Janowitz
Karen Janowitz is a program coordinator at the WSU Energy Program. She has over 20 years of experience in project leadership and management; implementing, marketing, and managing energy efficiency and environmental programs; group facilitation; environmental education; communications; and administration. Janowitz holds a B.A. in geology from the University of Colorado and a Master of Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College.
Jim Jensen
Jim Jensen is our senior bioenergy and alternative fuels specialist. He conducts research and provides up-to-date information and technical assistance about bioenergy and alternative fuels and vehicles. He supports federal and state agencies, local governments, and private clients. His current activities include biogas/biomethane, biodiesel, electric vehicles, and green fleets. He serves on the state’s multi-agency bioenergy team, the anaerobic digestion task force, the Alt Fuel/Vehicle Technical Assistance Group, and the Western Washington Clean Cities Steering Committee. During over 20 years of work in the private and nonprofit sectors, Jensen has provided technical assistance to businesses in dozens of industries, assisted corporate social responsibility programs, and supported new green technologies and products. His technical knowledge and experience encompass research, development, and implementation of projects in the voluntary carbon market, renewable energy, recycling, waste prevention, anaerobic digestion, and composting. Jensen holds a B.A. from Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa.
Gary Kaufman
Gary Kaufman is a technical support specialist for the WSU Energy Program. With more than 20 years of cross-functional experience in business strategy, operations, and product and project management in the private and public sectors, Kaufman currently works with the U.S. Department of Energy Northwest Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership, the Bioenergy Coordination Team, and other collaborative energy efficiency improvement efforts within the WSU Energy Program portfolio. He holds a B.A. from The Evergreen State College.
Phil Lou
Phil Lou is our solar energy specialist. He has 21 years of experience in the building industry, culminating in designing and installing modern photovoltaic systems. Lou holds a B.S. from the University of Oregon and certifications in photovoltaic design and application, solar thermal design and application, and energy audit and weatherization. He developed curricula for and taught courses in the clean energy technologies program at a local community college.
Gilbert McCoy, P.E.
Gil McCoy, a registered Professional Engineer, is a senior energy systems engineer with the WSU Energy Program. He provides technical assistance and energy auditing services to industrial and public sector clients. McCoy’s areas of expertise include optimization of industrial systems (motor/drive, compressed air, steam, combined heat and power, and pumping). He served as lead engineer for development of software products including MotorMaster+ (motor energy management), International Motor Selection and Savings Analysis, AirMaster+ (compressed air system assessment), and BallastMaster (lighting system/ballast selection) software. McCoy is a U.S. DOE Qualified AIRMaster+ Specialist and a Qualified Steam Tools and Process Heating Specialist. He holds a B.S. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Washington and a M.S. in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Michael Pierson
Michael Pierson is an information technology support specialist. He is the primary contact for technical support for all outside client networks contracted by the WSU Energy Program. Pierson also supports the Energy Program’s day-to-day operations and works with the network administrator to upgrade network architecture and servers.
Gerry Rasmussen
Gerry Rasmussen has served as the graphic designer for the WSU Energy Program since 2004, where he is instrumental in keeping the program’s publications and presentations looking consistent and professional. He holds a B.A. in fine arts/graphic design from Washington State University. Rasmussen worked for 33 years as a graphic designer in Washington state government, ending his tenure as the manager of the graphics unit at the Washington State Department of Transportation. Rasmussen has also freelanced for over 45 years, lending his graphics expertise to clients in government and private industry.
Carolyn Roos, Ph.D.
Dr. Carolyn Roos is a mechanical engineer leveraging more than 20 years of experience in industrial and building systems energy efficiency, mechanical design in hydroelectric facilities, solar thermal applications, and biopower. Dr. Roos provides technical assistance on commercial and industrial building energy system efficiency projects. She also provides technical support to the U.S. DOE Northwest Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership, with a focus on biopower and waste heat-to-power applications. She started her career as an energy management engineer at Puget Sound Energy, where she performed energy efficiency analyses for commercial and industrial customers. Dr. Roos also worked at the Army Corps of Engineers Hydroelectric Design Center. For her doctorate in systems science and mechanical engineering, she developed software to simulate simultaneous heat and moisture transfer in building environments. For her M.S. in mechanical engineering, Roos developed software to aid in the design of high-temperature solar concentrating furnaces.
Melinda Thiessen Spencer
Melinda Spencer is our communications specialist, responsible for producing technical, educational, and promotional materials for all program areas. Emphasizing plain language and user-centered design, Spencer has worked since 1984 as a university writing instructor, instructional designer, web content developer, software localizer, textbook co-author and editor, and stakeholder involvement specialist. She holds an M.A. in technical and scientific communication from Miami University, Ohio; an M.Phil. in peace studies from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; and a B.S. in biology/pre-med from U.C. Davis.
Mike Steele
Mike Steele is an information technology specialist responsible for maintaining day-to-day operations of the computer network, assisting staff with technical issues, offering training on new technologies and tools, and serving as a primary network support for several of the WSU Energy Program’s outside clients. Steele has a B.S. in computer engineering technology from DeVry University.
Lisa Terefenko
Lisa Terefenko is a software engineer with the WSU Energy Program. With a solid background in application/web development, management, and customer service, Terefenko plays a key role in launching and maintaining major websites and works with the Energy Program’s industrial services team to develop and distribute the International Motors Selection and Savings Analysis software tool. As a private consultant, she worked with clients such as Microsoft, Chevron, and the University of Washington. Terefenko attended Pennsylvania State University and holds a B.S. in computer science from The Evergreen State College.
Anne L. Whitney
Anne Whitney is a librarian with over 30 years of experience in the library field, including positions as cataloger, indexer, library information specialist, head of a cataloging service, cataloging instructor, and art college librarian. Whitney holds an M.A. in art history and an M.S. in information and library science from Case Western Reserve University.
Laurie Wingate
Laurie Wingate has been the information systems coordinator for .the WSU Energy Program since 1997. She purchases and inventories computer hardware, software, and supplies for the organization, and provides technical support for office printers.