Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Fellows support energy managers and facilities teams to align energy efficiency and sustainability goals with business practices and state-specific clean building performance objectives. SEI’s Climate Corps works with hosting partners, such as school districts, cities and public agencies, health care, and private industry, to recruit, hire, train, and place early career professionals into 10- to 12-month fellowships.
Diverse cohort of early career professionals support energy managers and facilities teams with bringing projects to completion
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Fellows receive specialized professional training including Building Operator Certifications, UC Climate Stewards certifications, The Green Building Practicum, and more
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SEI is the employer of record — recruiting, hiring, and placing Fellows while providing career path guidance and mentorship
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BIG NEWS! Climate Corps Fellows to Help Transform Buildings and Neighborhoods in WA“Passionate, diverse, and highly trained Fellows from SEI’s Climate Corps program will be at the forefront of transforming the built environment and working within communities impacted first and worst by climate change," says Program Director Steve King.
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Project Ranges
All SEM Fellows work on the built environment — facilities and building management — and each SEM fellowship can involve a multitude of different scopes, from community outreach to data analysis. Check out our open job positions to find the right match for you!
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ENERGY: Benchmarking, submetering, dashboard development, master plan updates
RETROFITS: LED lighting upgrades, advanced plug load controls, equipment research and sourcing ANALYSIS: Building schedule audits, holiday break shutdowns, space utilization POLICY: Green Building/Building Performance Standards/LEED assessments of existing and future new construction, ZNE, zero waste EVENTS: Energy and water conservation competitions INVENTORY: Conducting STARS audits, GHG (scopes 1-3), transportation study |
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How We're Enacting Change — Join the Movement!
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, after signing climate protection legislation in Seattle in 2019.
(Photo credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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This Building Performance Standards Map highlights the current status of BPS adoption at the state and local level across the U.S. (Credit: The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)
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FACILITIES AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT FELLOW COHORTS
Since SEI's Climate Corps program was established in 2010, more than 80 Fellows have focused on facilities, building performance standards, and strategic energy management. 2024 was the largest cohort of Fellows hired to forward energy and sustainability projects, and we anticipate this number to grow with each year as more cities and states across the U.S. pass and adopt building performance standards.
PUGET SOUND ENERGY
Since 2020, Climate Corps Fellows have successfully added staff capacity across sectors (municipal, education, health care, and banking) to Puget Sound Energy customers in Washington state seeking to participate in the Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) program. In collaboration with NEEC and USGBC through the BOC and LEED certifications programs, most Fellows concurrently pursue professional development and are mentored by the SEI Climate Corps team in project management, green maintenance and operations, and a broad range of climate and sustainability topics. Additionally, Fellows can save more resources for the organization than their initial cost. For example, by supporting Facilities and Energy Managers with rebate and incentive applications, gathering crucial energy usage information, or supporting implementation of energy efficiency projects. This provides a financial benefit and also builds a pipeline of qualified and skilled leaders.
Since SEI's Climate Corps program was established in 2010, more than 80 Fellows have focused on facilities, building performance standards, and strategic energy management. 2024 was the largest cohort of Fellows hired to forward energy and sustainability projects, and we anticipate this number to grow with each year as more cities and states across the U.S. pass and adopt building performance standards.
PUGET SOUND ENERGY
Since 2020, Climate Corps Fellows have successfully added staff capacity across sectors (municipal, education, health care, and banking) to Puget Sound Energy customers in Washington state seeking to participate in the Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) program. In collaboration with NEEC and USGBC through the BOC and LEED certifications programs, most Fellows concurrently pursue professional development and are mentored by the SEI Climate Corps team in project management, green maintenance and operations, and a broad range of climate and sustainability topics. Additionally, Fellows can save more resources for the organization than their initial cost. For example, by supporting Facilities and Energy Managers with rebate and incentive applications, gathering crucial energy usage information, or supporting implementation of energy efficiency projects. This provides a financial benefit and also builds a pipeline of qualified and skilled leaders.
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OTHER NOTABLE PARTNERS:
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SEI's Climate Corps Fellows (Courtney Leader, Maya Noesen, Rosalie Ballo, and Ben Negose, who support work at Alameda County, Caltrans, AESC, Inc. and California Department of General Services, respectively) present at the California Sustainable Facilities Forum in 2024.
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Project Outcomes
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Among the most recent Facilities cohort of 14 Fellows:
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SEM Fellowship ExamplesGrace Yockey
Olympia School District With the support of Climate Corps Fellow Grace Yockey, Olympia School District became first school in Washington to achieve compliance with the Clean Building Performance Standards. Yockey worked on the Energy Maintenance Plan, detailing the district's energy efficiency improvements, as well as the Operations and Maintenance Plan, showing how buildings will be operated and maintained. "Olympia School District's Capital High School was the first building to submit and get approved," Grace said. "Our submission can serve as a model and resource." Marlon Corona-Dellan Bakersfield College Marlon worked in the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) building at Bakersfield College, finding ways to save resources, such as energy and water, through analysis of class scheduling. Marlon poured over data and created a dashboard of the campus' foot traffic patterns. Another project Marlon supported was to build positive public recognition for the college by obtaining a high, nationally recognized sustainability rating through AASHE's program STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). Bakersfield consistently ranks in the Top 5 worst U.S. cities for air quality, and this STARS rating will bolster the majority-Hispanic college and the city of Bakersfield. Gagandeep Kaur Bellingham Public School District Gagandeep's role at Bellingham Public School district helped implement and report on the BPS Climate Action Plan, which includes categories for teaching and learning, operation and facilities, and habits and culture. Gagandeep's focus was on facilities and operations with the tactical goals of: 1) being in compliance with Washington state's Clean Building Performance Standards while keeping cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, GHG emissions, health of stakeholders, and full life-cycle of materials in mind; 2) developing a water management plan by 2025; and 3) reducing the production of waste by implementing uniform waste systems and receptacles in building spaces throughout the district by 2026. Monique Bourdeau AESC, Inc. In her fellowship with Alternative Energy Systems Consulting (AESC) as a project coordinator, Monique supported SEM coaches with the coordination of workshop events, monthly participant and customer calls, and program deliverables. Monique also helped the team recruit participants for new energy management programs through outreach and diving into utility data. Monique is participating in the Building Operator Certification course to learn technical details about building operations and how to implement energy-saving measures. |
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