Announcing the
John Gray Scholarship
During the centennial gala, IDEA
announced the establishment of the John
Gray Scholarship Program. The scholarship’s objective is to attract and retain
individuals wishing to pursue knowledge
about energy in general and about district
energy specifically. The program is named
after John Gray, who served as IDEA
president in 1991 and is a longtime
IDEA member.
The scholarship fund will be sustained
by including a designated expense
charge within the cost of all meeting
registrations, plus special outreach
efforts by the Scholarship Committee.
The committee is chaired by Steve
Swinson, Thermal Energy Corp.
Scholarship eligibility requirements for
candidates have been established. For
more information about donating to the
fund, meeting the application requirements
and pursuing the application process,
please contact Steve Swinson, sswinson
@ teco.tmc.edu or (713) 791-6765.
tion through his service on the board,
executive committee and in many volunteer roles.
Fotinos also thanked IDEA board
members who had completed three years
of service on the board: Cliff Braddock,
TAS; John Carlson, Burns & McDonnell,
and Mike Goff, Stanford University. Dany
Safi, Renewrgy Corp., was recognized
for the conclusion of his second three-year term.
In conclusion, Fotinos was pleased
and proud to pass the gavel to newly
elected chair Juan Ontiveros of the University of Texas at Austin. Ontiveros
introduced his theme for the year “Creating
an Efficient Energy Future” and offered
a personal perspective on the importance of energy efficiency and optimizing our systems to truly deliver the full
IDEA Past Presidents and Chairs in Attendance. (l to r) Rob Thornton, 1998-1999; Jack Kattner,
1989; Carl Avers, 1986; Bill Gray (for John Gray), 1990; Clement Crooks, 1982; Tom Casten, 1993;
Steve Swinson, 1996-1997; Joel Greene, 2003; Anders Rydaker, 2004; Ray DuBose, 2000-2001; Gary
Rugel, 2006; Cheryl Gomez, 2005; Bob Smith, 2007; and Tony Mirabella, 1983.
advantages needed in today’s economy.
Honoring Past Winners,
Looking Ahead
Robert Thornton took this historic
opportunity to recognize past winners
of IDEA’s most prestigious awards –
System of the Year and Norman R. Taylor –
and honor past chairs and presidents
who were in attendance. (For more on
the awards, go to www.districtenergy.
org/ awardwinners.htm.)
IDEA also was pleased to recognize
a true industry visionary: Dany Safi, formerly CEO of Tabreed, and now chairman of his new venture, Renewrgy.
Throughout his involvement in IDEA,
Safi has been committed to expanding
the technical resources of the association to better support the rapid growth
IDEA Systems of the Year in Attendance. (l to r) Stan Gent, Seattle Steam, 2003; Jim Lodge,
Northwind Phoenix, 2008; Jim Adams, Cornell University, 2001; Tom Davison, NRG Energy Center
Minneapolis, 1996; John Gibson, Veolia Energy North America – Trigen-Baltimore system, 1998;
Graham Harding, Enwave Energy Corp., 1999; Anders Rydaker, District Energy St. Paul, 1993; and Vin
Badali, Con Edison Steam Operations, 2000, 2007.
