MREA Instructors are hired on an as-needed basis as part-time temporary employees of the organization. The MREA brings in new instructors as demand for training increases or new regional markets for training open.
Interested in Becoming an MREA Instructor?
Alex Jarvis
President, Solar Systems of Indiana, Inc. | Bloomington, IN
Alex Jarvis has been working in the renewable energy (RE) field since 2006. He has been an instructor for the…
Ali Dirul
Founder & CEO - Ryter Cooperative Industries
With more than 15 years of power system design engineering experience, Ali Dirul is a clean energy visionary, innovator, and…
Clay Sterling
Assistant Professor, Kankakee Community College
Clay is currently an associate professor for electrical engineering technology and renewable energy at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee IL.…
Cris Folk
Instructor
Cris is a self-employed energy consultant, and owner of Master Training Specialist, LLC. He provides design, installation, maintenance, and service…
Dan Carlson
MREA Instructor
Dan, a PV system designer and installer at Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, also serves as a Solar Lab Training…
Dan Fink
Buckville Energy Consulting - Masonville, CO
Dan Fink has lived 11 miles off the grid, high in the Colorado mountains, since 1991. He has been teaching…
Jenny Conrardy
Arch Solar
Jenny Conrardy has been working in the solar industry since 2019. She is a fourth-year Electrical Apprentice in Wisconsin and…
Jenny Heinzen
MREA Curriculum Director
Email: jennyh@midwestrenew.org Phone: 751-900-2109 Jenny started her career as an Industrial Electrician, and later worked with residential wiring, farmstead rewiring, and…
Joaquin Thomas (JT) is the owner of Go Solar Construction LLC and Go Solar Education LLC. He is a Master…
Joseph Smith
ADL Solutions, LLC
Joseph Smith is a Master Electrician and owner of ADL Solutions, LLC based out of Chicago, Illinois specializing in developing…
Kris Schmid
Legacy Solar, LLC
Kris Schmid is the founder and owner of Legacy Solar, LLC, a solar energy company that has been designing and…
Matt Parks
Instructor, City of Madison
Matt teaches Intermediate PV, and PV Design and Installation Lab for the MREA. He also teaches in the Electrical Apprenticeship…
Mike Joyce
Instructor, Project Engineer, Full Spectrum Solar
Mike is currently a PV Project Engineer for Full Spectrum Solar in Madison, WI, where he designs and manages both…
Nick Matthes
MREA Solar Project Manager
Nick is a NABCEP certified PV Installation Professional with WI master electrician and commercial electrical inspector licenses, and has a…
Paul Gilman is a technical writer and trainer and has worked on projects for NREL and other clients since 2002.…
While earning his Bachelor of Science in Materials Science (Minnesota, 1989), Ralph developed a strong interest in photovoltaics. He decided…
Instructor Application Process
Instructors are required to submit their application, resume, and a certificate from one of the following:
- The completion of an advanced Photovoltaic (PV) training program accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, or IREC; OR
- The completion of a Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN) Program or a U.S. Department of Energy train-the-trainer program (subject to NABCEP approval); OR
- NABCEP Professional Certification; OR
- Field experience installing, designing or other direct involvement within the Photovoltaic (PV) industry may be considered as an alternative to one of the above certificates.
The MREA does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, marital status, military status, mental or physical disability, source of income, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other class protected by law in providing education services or in hiring qualified instructors.
Individuals who are interested in applying to become an MREA instructor must complete the Instructor Application. No individual will be hired as an instructor unless he or she has completed the application. Applications may be submitted to the MREA for consideration, and the final determination regarding the proposed applicant will be based on MREA’s need for instructors and each individual’s qualifications. Approval is made based on recommendations by a committee consisting of current MREA staff, and final approval is made by the MREA Leadership Team. Once an applicant is approved, the training team will develop a training/co-teaching/auditing schedule based on their level of education and experience.
Instructor Training Process
Prospective Instructors approved by the MREA Leadership Team can begin attending free online training right away. Once they complete the online courses, the training team will schedule them to observe in-person training, and finally to co-teach. All instructors, regardless of experience or credential, are required to fully attend and complete any MREA course(s) they plan to teach. They must additionally co-teach (in full) any course(s) they plan to teach. The training and co-teaching process can take up to a year to complete based on co-teaching opportunities.
Questions: contact us at courses@midwestrenew.org
