Maui Chapter of Women In Renewable Energy Forms

WIRE Board with Governor Neil Abercrombie at their August event. Photo courtesy of WiRE.

By Sonia Isotov

The newly-formed Maui chapter of Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) will be hold its inaugural meeting on the UH Maui College campus next month.

On Monday, November 7, UHMC Special Projects Coordinator Susan Wyche will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon and her presentation will provide details regarding Maui’s Electric Vehicle Alliance Project. The project is the result of a $300,000 grant awarded by the US Department of Energy aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in Hawai’i. The event is a “green” bag luncheon (bring your own lunch) and runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Originally founded on Oahu in January 2011, WiRE has grown to 83 annual members in the short time it has been in existence. The network comprises women who are working toward a sustainable Hawaii powered by clean energy and includes women active in the field of renewable energy, as well as those who support this cause through activities or work in related fields.

The organization now has two chapters on Oahu and Maui that hold regular meetings. Discussion topics range from new projects breaking ground to state policy, workforce development to utility regulation.

The current board members of WiRE are: Dawn Lippert, Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture; Mina Morita, Chair of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission; Yvette Maskrey, Honeywell International; Julie Hong, Booz Allen Hamilton; Traci Ho, Hawaiian Electric Industries; Shanah Trevenna, University of Hawaii; Asia Yeary, US Environmental Protection Agency; and Shari Ishikawa, Hawaiian Electric Company.

For more information or to RSVP for the event, please contact Jennifer Chirico, executive director of the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui, at 984-3379 or email jchirico@hawaii.edu and include “RSVP WiRE Luncheon” in the subject line. The meeting will be held in the Ka’a’ike Building, Room 105A, at UH-Maui College.  Maui, 984-3379

For additional information on WiRE, go online to http://hawaiiwire.org/.