Jan. 31, 2012

The William States Lee College of Engineering was well represented at Charlotte’s Energy Leadership Awards last week, with a faculty member, alumnus and advisory board members being among those recognized.

Sponsored by the Charlotte Business Journal, the awards recognized 10 individuals who have made major contributions in establishing Charlotte as a growing energy hub in the United States. The winners with UNC Charlotte connections were:

• Dr. Helene Hilger, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of UNC Charlotte’s Infrastructure, Design, Environment and Sustainability Center;
• Dhiaa Jamil, chief generation officer for Duke Energy, 1978 Lee College of Engineering electrical engineering graduate, and chairman of UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC);
• Jim Little, senior vice president of USR Corporation and EPIC advisory board member; and
• Jimmy Morgan, vice president of Westinghouse Installation and Modification Services and EPIC advisory board member.

At the energy awards ceremony on Jan. 25, Charlotte Regional Partnership Chief Executive Ronnie Bryant said that 6,000 energy jobs have been announced here since 2007. He said 260 energy-related companies now operate in the 16-county region, employing 28,000 workers.

Other Energy Leadership Award winners recognized were:

• George Baldwin, managing director at Piedmont Natural Gas, a member of the N.C. Energy Policy Council and the regional partnership’s energy board;
• Kenny Habul, chief executive of SunEnergy1in Mooresville, which has been one of the state’s leaders in building utility-scale solar projects;
• Lisa Lee Morgan, managing partner of Calor Energy, which provides consulting services on renewable-energy and energy-efficiency projects;
• Jay Potter, dean of the Harper Campus of Central Piedmont Community College, which has taken a leading role in training craft workers for the energy industry;
• Clarence Ray, chief executive of Shaw Power Group, who helped persuade Shaw to put its power headquarters in Charlotte; and
• Richard Voorberg, director of projects at Siemens Energy, who was the project manager for construction of the 495,000-square-foot natural gas turbine plant that is bringing 1,100 additional jobs to the region.

More information about the Energy Leadership Awards can be found on the Charlotte Business Jounral web site.

Additional Business Journal information about the winners with UNC Charlotte connections can be found at:

Helene Hilger

Dhiaa Jamil

Jim Little

Jimmy Morgan