Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame Inductees Honored at National Forum

Johnson Controls, Inc. and the United States Energy Association (USEA) announced the inaugural inductees to their new Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame. The announcement was made June 15 as a prelude to the 20th annual Energy Efficiency Forum in Washington D.C. The 23 inductees include Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; James E. Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy; Thomas R. Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute; Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.); and Timothy Wirth, president of the U.N. Foundation.

According to a press release, inductees were selected for demonstrating ongoing leadership on energy efficiency, making it a significant part of their careers, having an impact beyond their own organizations, attaining recognition in the energy efficiency field, and advancing the mission of the Energy Efficiency Forum: "To be the premier forum that promotes an energy efficiency ethic through the presentation of national and worldwide views on energy efficiency and the resulting impact on the environment, national security and economic growth."

"I am tremendously honored to be among the first members of the Energy Efficiency Forum Hall of Fame," said Callahan. "I also take great pride in the fact that several current and former members of the Alliance Board are sharing this honor with me.

"Like the Forum itself, the Alliance brings together government, business, and nonprofit leaders who are committed to advancing energy efficiency as the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to extend our nation's energy supplies and address our nation's energy challenges," Callahan continued. "And while our nation has made great strides already in the few decades since the Alliance's 1977 founding, there is still vast potential yet to be unleashed. So the Alliance staff and Board look forward to having a continuing impact on lowering our nation's energy use and shrinking our carbon footprint in the years and decades ahead."

"This honor is a fitting recognition of Kateri's tireless efforts to make energy efficiency a national priority," said Rogers of Duke Energy. "Her passion is to see that energy producers and consumers finally obtain the right incentives to use energy efficiency as a resource to meet future energy demand and to tackle climate change. Her leadership and work come at the right time for our industry and our nation, and I am proud to serve with her."

"Energy conservation remains at the forefront of our nation's challenges, and Kateri, along with the Alliance to Save Energy, is playing a major role in piecing together solutions for efficiency," commented Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), honorary co-chair of the Alliance Board of Directors. "I am proud to see these individuals recognized for their expertise and commitment, and I know they will continue to move full-speed ahead to advance new initiatives for a more secure future."

Profiles of the inductees can be found at www.eeforum.net.

• Spencer Abraham, former U.S. Secretary of Energy

• Kateri Callahan, president, Alliance to Save Energy

• Eileen Claussen, president, Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Strategies for the Global Environment

• Douglas Decker, founder, Energy Efficiency Forum

• Byron Dorgan, U.S. Senator, North Dakota

• Christine Ervin, former president, U.S. Green Buildings Council

• Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New York Times Columnist

• David Garman, former Under Secretary of Energy

• John Gibbons, first director, U.S. Office of Energy Conservation

• Mark Ginsberg, former director, Federal Energy Management Program

• Kathleen Hogan, director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• Alexander "Andy" Karsner, former Assistant Secretary for Energy efficiency and Renewable Energy

• Thomas Kuhn, president, Edison Electric Institute

• Tom Leppert, former CEO of Turner Construction; mayor of Dallas

• Greg Nichols, mayor of Seattle

• Hazel O'Leary, former U.S. Secretary of Energy; president, Fisk University

• Edward Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania

• Dan Reicher, former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; director, Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, Google.org.

• James Rogers, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Duke Energy

• Philip Sharp, former U.S. Congressman, Indiana; president, Resources for the Future

• Branko Terzic, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner; regulatory policy leader - energy & resources, Deloitte Services LP

• Christine Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey, former EPA  Administrator

• Timothy Wirth, former U.S. Senator, Colorado; president, United Nations Foundation

After this year, new inductees will be considered every five years, according to Johnson Controls and the U.S. Energy Association.