Who's Who
The Windustry Staff:
If you would like to Windustry to speak at your event, please review our online Speaker Request Form.
Lisa Daniels
Lisa M. Daniels, Executive Director and founder of Windustry, has been providing wind energy information and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, elected officials, rural utilities and other interested groups since 1995. Currently, Lisa leads Windustry in contracts with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and as a partner on the Wind Powering America initiative with the U.S. Department of Energy. Lisa serves on the MN Legislative Electric Energy Advisory Task Force on Community Based Energy Development, the Advisory Board for the Renewable Energy Center at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, and the National Wind Coordinating Committee's Steering Committee. She was recognized in 2004 by the U.S. DOE Wind Powering America program, with the Chicago Regional Office Wind Advocacy Award for regional leadership, creativity, and commitment to wind energy development, and honored again in 2005 for her work with Wind Powering America’s Agriculture Outreach Team. Lisa received a B.S. in Business Management from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. She loves to canoe and kayak, and enjoys horseback riding with her family.
Read Lisa's interview with Wind Powering America.
Dan Craigie
Dan is a intern for the summer months of 2008. He is currently a graduate student at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota studying Science, Technology and Environmental Policy.
His interest in wind power stems from a personal dedication to a sustainable lifestyle and commitment to help curb global emissions. Dan is excited to participate at the Minnesota's State Fair EcoExperience where Windustry is featured for wind power options. He is also interested in analyzing federal and local policies that increase the ability for renewable energy options to be adopted.
In his personal time you can find Dan attending baseball games and enjoying the short Minnesota summer.
David Tidball
Expansion of the number and scope of projects led Windustry to hire David in June of 2005 on a half-time basis to provide administrative support. David comes to Windustry with an eclectic background that includes eight years as a member of the ARC Retreat Community (a spiritual retreat center near Cambridge, MN) where he also served as board treasurer, volunteer experience with the Arsenal Clean-up and Conversion Project (a non-profit which worked on community-based re-use plans for the TCAAP facility of the Twin Cities northern suburbs in the late 90's), a life-time of full and part-time work as a church musician and a commitment to sustainable living practices that began with recycling and food co-ops (back when you had to hunt for places to take your recycling) and continues with a shift to a vegetarian diet in 1995 and deep interest in community investment and micro-finance.
Erin Dietrich
Erin Dietrich came to Windustry because of her passion for the environment and interest in sustainable energy systems. Prior to joining Windustry Erin worked as a Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Legislature where she assessed state agency statutory compliance. Erin holds a Masters of Pubic Policy from the Hubert. H. Humphrey Institute, completing her thesis on the economical and technical feasibility of harvesting Switchgrass for biomass. Erin also holds a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of Minnesota.
Louise Nemmers Mageli
Louise joined Windustry as the first dedicated staff person for the Women of Wind Energy program. Louise has a number of years experience in the nonprofit world, having worked for an economic development organization in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities American Red Cross. She also has spent over 16 years in the financial services industry helping to market everything from personal bank accounts to institutional pension and retirement plans. Louise is an active volunteer at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and is delighted to be working just a few blocks away from there. Originally from Iowa, Louise received her B.A. from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa and had done graduate work at the University of Minnesota.
Melissa Peterson
At Windustry, Melissa works with communities and individuals interested in putting together a community owned wind project and on outreach and education materials and programs. Prior to joining Windustry, Melissa worked on wind energy and avian interaction issues at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany, New York. She has also been a part of Minnesota non-profit community, through her work with Great River Greening and the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Melissa has a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a M.S. in Conservation Biology and Environmental Policy from the University of Albany and the Rockefeller School of Public Policy in New York, where she wrote her thesis on avian biodiversity.
Tiffany Finley
Tiffany is happy to be joining Windustry for the summer to gain experience and knowledge in the great world of renewable energy non-profits. She received a B.A. in Environmental Management from Denison University and will be going back to school in the fall for a Masters in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability. Tiff admires the integrative approach at Windustry, and is looking forward to learning more about organizational development and community wind.
She is also happy to have safely returned to the Twin Cities after a close-call with a Bison in Yellowstone National Park...