How to be Involved in NHA

Committees and Councils of the National Hydropower Association
 

It's easy to sign up to receive alerts and meeting notices for any of these committees or councils. Simply CLICK HERE to log on to the NHA Member Portal's Committees and Councils page and follow the instructions on the page.  

NHA's Committees and Councils:​

• Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW) (ad-hoc group)
• Hydropower Technical Community
• Legislative Affairs Committee
• Marine Energy Council
• Markets Committee
• Public Affairs Committee
• Pumped Storage Development Council
• Regulatory Affairs Committee
• Small Hydro Council
• Waterpower Innovation Council
• CEO Council

 
Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW)
 
OVERVIEW: FLOW stands for Future Leaders of Waterpower, NHA’s newest ad-hoc networking/career development group. The ultimate goal of FLOW is to attract and support talented, diverse professionals by creating a welcoming and safe environment and by providing a clear pathway for professional growth. Learn more by visiting the FLOW website here.
 
FLOW participants will have the opportunity to help create content, identify speakers, and shape agendas for NHA events. They’ll also get a chance to meet and collaborate with the waterpower industry’s current thought leaders.
 
FLOW will organize ahead of NHA events to host meet-ups, happy hours, and dinners to facilitate networking and making friends within the waterpower industry. This group will plan career development webinars, knowledge-sharing sessions, hydro 101 workshops, and other activities to cultivate the next generation of industry leaders. 

FLOW is open to any individual who is currently or interested in working in waterpower; NHA membership is not required. 
 
Chair: Camille Ellsworth, rPlus Hydro
Vice Chair / Social Chair: Norbert Woodhams, Worthington Products
Supporting NHA Staff: Kelly Rogers

 
Hydropower Technical Community & Operational Excellence Program
 
OVERVIEW: The Hydropower Technical Community (HTC) offers employees of NHA member companies a way for individuals who are focused on technical and operational aspects to gather as a community to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and strive for excellence in their work. 

• Dam Safety Chair: Seth Green, Southern Company / Vice Chair: Jillian Lawrence, Patriot Hydro
• O&M  Chair: Scott Romero, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Vice Chair: Travis Hart, Ameren
• Operational Excellence  Chair: Carl Brewster, WEST USA, Inc. Water Energy Systems & Tests / Vice Chair: Scott Korab, Ballard Marine Construction

Advisors:  Daniel Langlois, GE Renewable Energy / Ellen Faulkner, Ayres Associates / Jennifer Erickson, Columbia Industrial Products / Jim Miller, Signal Hydropower Consultants / Scott Klabunde, HydroPartners

Liaison to Clean Currents Content Development Committee: Ray Chow, Duke Energy

Supporting NHA Staff: Chris Hayes


Legislative Affairs
 
OVERVIEW: NHA’s Legislative Affairs committee tracks, analyzes, and responds to critical and emerging issues on Capitol Hill and within the administration.  The committee develops strategies to ensure that hydropower is positively recognized and incorporated in energy policies proposed by federal policymakers. 
 
With real-time information, NHA’s Legislative Affairs Committee keeps you abreast of important policy developments in Washington and helps the industry protect its interests.
 
Chair: Clark Mather, Tacoma Power
Vice Chairs: Lauren Inouye, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy / Annette Price, PacifiCorp
Supporting NHA Staff: Matthew Allen and Brittney May
 
Marine Energy Council

OVERVIEW: The National Hydropower Association’s Marine Energy Council (MEC) is the U.S. national trade group dedicated to promoting technologies and related services to harness clean, renewable power from significant untapped marine energy resources. Established in 2015, the MEC works with private sector companies, academia, and government partners to encourage the commercialization of marine energy technologies and raise awareness of the industry’s considerable potential to create good-paying jobs and secure an affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy future.

The MEC is actively engaged with federal policymakers to increase R&D support, reduce market barriers, and create financial incentives for technology deployment. The MEC works with its members to inform future federal programs and competitive funding solicitations, lobby for appropriations and legislation in support of the sector, and serve as a clearinghouse of critical information. A broad and actively engaged membership is key to the MEC’s success.

Co-Chairs:  John Ferland, ORPC, Inc. / Paul Gay, SMI, Inc. / Samantha Quinn, Pacific Ocean Energy  Trust (POET)
Vice Chair:  Dan Petcovic, CalWave Power Technologies, Inc.
Secretary: Brenda Langley, Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC)
Supporting NHA Staff: Kelly Rogers

Markets

OVERVIEW: The Markets Committee provides a conduit for information-sharing about wholesale electricity markets organized by various Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs) throughout the United States. The committee participants give guidance to NHA staff for filing pleadings on various proposals from RTOs/ISOs, generic proceedings from the FERC, and targeted state programs.
 
Chair: Aleksandar Mitreski, Brookfield Renewable Energy Group
Vice Chairs: Christopher Fry, New York Power Authority / Jamie Simler, Ameren Missouri
Supporting NHA Staff: Michael Purdie
 
Public Affairs Committee

OVERVIEW: The NHA Public Affairs Committee develops and implements communication strategies to promote waterpower and support the industry’s objectives. Through its bimonthly webinar, the committee also serves as a learning hub for hydropower industry communications professionals to share the latest in communications strategy, tactics, and messaging.  It also develops media relations and social media tools to assist communicators in promoting the value of hydropower to key audiences and the general public.

Public Affairs Committee activities are open to any individual working in waterpower; NHA membership is not required.

Chair: Karrie Carnes, Bonneville Power Administration
Vice Chairs: Leonard Greene, FirstLight Power / Rachel Hansen, Chelan County PUD
Supporting NHA Staff: Copeland Tucker and Kelly Rogers

Pumped Storage Development Council
 
OVERVIEW: NHA’s Pumped Storage Development Council was formed to address the emerging regulatory and business needs for new pumped storage development to support increasing renewable energy generation policies.  The committee is focused on both the regulatory and legislative issues and the business and commercial drivers that are leading the call for new pumped storage development.   The Pumped Storage Development Council keeps you abreast of important policy, technology, and business developments in this fast-changing area of new hydropower development.
 
Chair: Todd Briggeman, Black & Veatch Corporation
Vice Chairs:  Kelly Larimer, Kleinschmidt Associates / Preston Pierce, Duke Energy
Supporting NHA Staff: Michael Purdie
 
Regulatory Affairs
 
OVERVIEW: NHA’s Regulatory Affairs Committee monitors, tracks, and notifies Membership of critical issues that could impact the hydropower industry, including licensing and compliance regulations.  The Regulatory Affairs Committee membership, with the support of NHA staff, affects the resolution of regulatory issues to the balanced positive benefit of the hydropower industry.

Chair: Jenna Mandell-Rice, Van Ness Feldman LLP
Vice Chairs: David Zayas, Great River Hydro, LLC / Nuria Holmes, SWCA Environmental Consultants
Supporting NHA Staff: Michael Purdie
 
Small Hydro Council
 
OVERVIEW: NHA’s Small Hydro Council aids the growth of small hydropower by identifying barriers and proposing solutions for the expansion
of the development of small hydropower in the U.S. The council focuses on traditional hydro resources such as conventional hydro, development at non-powered dams, irrigation power, and conduit power. 
 
The council provides information on topics specific to small hydropower projects, tools, or challenges. 

In coordination with other NHA committees and councils, the Small Hydro Council works on legislative and regulatory priorities, advocating for the small hydropower field’s interests.
 
With real-time information, NHA’s Small Hydro Council keeps you abreast of regulatory and legislative activities in Washington relative to small hydro and helps the industry protect its interests.
 
Chair:  Emily Morris, Emrgy Inc.     
Vice Chairs: Jon Petrillo, Gravity Renewables / Ushakar Jha, Rye Development
Supporting NHA Staff: Kelly Rogers
 
Waterpower Innovation Council

OVERVIEW:  This Council is responsible for identifying industry needs and developing recommendations to promote focused technological and environmental research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that will serve to strengthen the waterpower industry.  It will track and evaluate major RD&D currently underway at national laboratories, government agencies, academia, and other entities in the waterpower sector and share the information with the industry.  The Council can help reduce duplication of effort and identify synergies of ongoing research.  The Council will work with other NHA Councils to reach out externally to advocate for external funding to maintain strong waterpower programs within the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies. 
           
Chair:  Miles Hall, Natel Energy Inc.
Vice Chairs: Debbie Mursch, GE Renewable Energy / Erin Foraker, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior
Supporting NHA Staff: Chris Hayes


CEO Council

OVERVIEW: NHA’s CEO Council creates a forum in which high-level hydropower executives can leverage their resources and talents to preserve and strengthen the existing system, while furthering the industry’s growth objectives.  The CEO Council serves as a forum to bring hydropower executives together to share information about industry challenges and solutions.  Its members also enhance the voice of NHA and the hydro industry as a whole within Congress and the Administration. 

The CEO Council serves as a strategic advisor to the NHA Board and acts as a key project and initiative leader on projects that strengthen NHA’s advocacy work and the representation of the industry.  On its initiatives, the Council coordinates closely with NHA’s staff, committees, and other councils. 

Membership is limited to Leadership Member organizations.

Co-Chairs: Randy Herrin, Duke Energy, and Tom Sullivan, Gomez & Sullivan
Supporting NHA Staff: Malcolm Woolf