Abundance by Design - Rocky Mountain Institute

From the Executive DirectorRMI’s Bridge Construction: People at WorkIN LAST YEAR’S ANNUALreport, I described our effortsin “building a bridge to RMI’sfuture” based on findings fromour planning sessions withadvisors, Trustees, friends, andcolleagues. In mid-July 2005,we finalized a business planfor RMI’s Research &Consulting division that incorporated and expandedupon those findings. The plan lays out stages for thesolid and permanent construction of the bridge thatensures RMI’s future viability and effectiveness.With approval of the business plan by our Board,we have commenced bridge construction with seriousand immediate capacity-building for our Research &Consulting (“R&C”) group. First, we promoted Dr.Joel Swisher, PE from leadership of the Energy &Resources Team to the position of R&C ManagingDirector. Former Managing Director Kyle Datta hasbeen named R&C Senior Director and works acrossall teams with project and business development.From August 2005, long-time friend and colleagueGreg Franta, FAIA leads our RMI/ENSAR BuiltEnvironment Team, which includes several staff membersfrom Greg’s firm ENSAR. This new name for ourformer Green Development Services group reflects significantnew skill sets that increase the depth andbreadth of RMI’s ability to tackle a variety of opportunitiesin the built environment.In September 2005, we also welcomed two seniorpractitioners: John Anderson, PE, our new Energy &Resources Team leader, and John Waters, our newIntegrative Design Team leader. John Anderson bringsmore than twenty-five years’ experience in the energysector—including a successful career with theNational Renewable Energy Laboratory and its predecessor,the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI)—toRMI’s work in energy resource investment strategies,carbon management, and distributed resource programdesign and evaluation. Engineer John Watersbrings more than twenty years’ experience in productdevelopment and manufacturing at GeneralMotors and Delphi. His experience will complementthe skills of our Integrative Design Team members asthey develop RMI’s methodology in whole-systemdesign and apply it across resource-intensive industries,primarily at the manufacturing and facilitylevel. With this senior leadership in place, we willcontinue to build an excellent line-up of projectmanagers and to support rising stars within theseteams that take our work into the world.One of the reasons RMI has had such an earlysuccess in capacity-building is the work of our firstprofessional human resources director. We are seriousabout retaining and supporting the remarkablestaff RMI has been able to attract. Dr. DavidRothstein, our new HR Director, is therefore improvingour personnel policies and professional developmentgoals and strengthening all the foundations oforganizational maturation and growth.This gratifying increase in capacity comes at anopportune time in the life of the Institute, as it steadfastlyproceeds to implement one of its most importantpieces of work—Winning the Oil Endgame, (pp.4–5). We are committed to this bold and timelyproject that blends so closely with our other work,both strategically and substantively. With the newhands and minds buttressing RMI’s already ableResearch & Consulting group, we look forward tothe coming year. Certainly, we will have the strengthto meet the challenge of our mission.MARTHA C. PICKETTRocky Mountain Institute Annual Report: 2004–053