Dara Ward, Energy & Sustainability Manager, St. Vrain Valley School District, Boulder County, CO

by Trish Kenlon

Dara recently started a new position with Xcel Energy’s product development team. She is focusing on the expansion of renewable energy offerings for customer solutions. Prior to her transition, Dara gave insight into her role as Energy & Sustainability Manager for St. Vrain Valley School District. She spent the last 6.5 years creating and implementing forward-thinking and impactful programs that positioned this Boulder County school district as a leader in the green K-12 movement.

The St. Vrain Valley School District in Boulder County, Colorado serves 35,000 students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with 60 facilities totaling over 5 million square feet of conditioned space. The schools and facilities, including a state-of-the-art Innovation Center, are spread out within a 411 square mile radius and are used by the school district and community every day of the year. The portfolio contains a wide spectrum of sites from historic to new or recently renovated and LEED certified buildings.

What do you actually do all day?

Day to day I juggle a lot of different projects. I regularly monitor utility data and energy use via real-time electricity monitors I had installed in each building. That allows me to work closely with our electricians, HVAC Technicians, and energy engineer consultants to look for patterns or issues with our mechanical systems, controls, or scheduling.

On a daily basis, I also manage an energy conservation behavior program called Resource-Wise. This year, 17 schools are participating and receive environmental education, resources and support to implement energy saving measures and sustainability efforts. I conduct in-depth training with leaders from each school and educate teachers, students and staff on how to leverage tools, curriculum, dashboards and external partnerships. Green Teams, energy clubs and classes are empowered to make a real impact in conserving natural resources and have the opportunity to earn back funds based on electricity savings. Students encourage conservation behavior change through morning announcements, videos, blogging, contests, and energy audits. I regularly meet with the students and Resource-Wise Leaders to identify opportunities to save electricity, and provide guidance on other sustainability activities such as conserving water, implementing a school garden, or waste diversion.

I especially enjoy leading large projects around improving our facilities such as cutting-edge energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations. These projects have added significant value to the district in the form of energy savings, emissions reductions, and educational opportunities. For example, I put together a Student Solar Committee so these young people could learn about the economic, social, and environmental benefits that the 1.2 MW solar systems installed bring to the district. The students even presented the proposal for the power purchase agreement (PPA) to the board which was approved unanimously. The students loved being part of an initiative that would reduce our carbon footprint as well as have tangible outcomes for many years to come.

Partnerships are a key part of my role. We fortunately reside in an area with amazing environmental educators. Through a collaborative process, we developed a fantastic platform called the E Movement which offers a whole-child approach to environmental education. It provides E Guidelines and vetted E Providers to increase environmental literacy with curriculum and activities inside and outside the classroom. While the listing of vetted educators is specific to Boulder County, many of the guidelines and resources are available to anyone in the world.

Other partnerships include our local utility companies who provide rebate programs and volunteer their time to teach students how to do building energy walkthroughs. Resource Central, an amazing local non-profit, partnered with us to implement month long energy competitions through the ReNew Our Schools program. I have worked closely with universities in the area including Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment to develop our very own Sustainability Toolkit which is used widely in the Resource-Wise program. Another major partner is Eco-Cycle who does ground-breaking work throughout our community to increase recycling and diversion rates, proliferate composting and educate the public and students around environmental stewardship.

What are some of the key skills for success in this role?

I’m a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and the training around that deepened my understanding of mechanical, electrical and building infrastructure to make sound energy management decisions in a cost-effective way. As part of the Operations and Maintenance Department, the CEM credential gave me the confidence and credibility to contribute effectively.

I recently earned my Renewable Energy Professional (REP)certification which covers everything from solar and wind energy, to biofuels, battery storage, hydropower, financing approaches, and policy. The preparation for that exam underscored my passion for renewable energy and increased my knowledge around the changing landscape of this important sector.

These certifications are certainly useful, but, having analytical and soft people skills are very important as well in my profession. I spend a lot of time behind the scenes analyzing data and managing spreadsheets,in addition to a large part of my job engaging internal and external stakeholders. I interact with principles, the board of education,students, teachers, other departments, local, state, and federal entities and private donors and vendors regularly. Being comfortable translating objectives and strategies to these various circles goes a long way in building buy-in and support.

My responsibilities also rely on the skills I gained in graduate school and as an EDF Climate Corps fellow such as financial analysis,sustainability management, energy markets and innovation and how to implement programs, expand renewable energy projects, overcome barriers and influence decision makers.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of the job is when I see environmentally sound projects take a life of their own. Oftentimes the planning and buy-in process can take a lot of time and effort, but public pressure in favor of conservation programming has mounted over the years. Seeing these initiatives embedded in the culture and conversation shows that the community is committed to sustainability way beyond my one-person department.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Definitely bringing our solar installations to fruition was one my proudest achievements. I was able to negotiate a PPA with 1.2 MW’s of on-site solar generation which will cover about 70% of the energy consumption of three schools. This is a 20-year agreement and will save the district around $5 million over the life of the system. It’s a significant savings freeing up funds for better educational use and a big step in shrinking the district’s carbon emissions. The system also offers tremendous learning opportunities for students interested in the finances, operations, and installation process.

Dara and the team with the 1.2 MW solar installation

What was your path to this role?

Sustainability wasn’t a known concept growing up and my exposure to environmental stewardship was quite limited in grade school. However, I distinctly remember my Dad collecting and sorting our recyclable materials and driving to a facility to drop off items. I recall thinking how odd that it wasn’t part of a regular pick-up with our trash and also how proud I was that my Dad went out of his way to do the right thing. And then one summer in high school I participated in an environmental leadership camp where we visited a power plant, water treatment facility, recycling center, landfill, and had to go zero waste all week and perform clean-up service projects. It was so intense and incredibly enlightening. It made quite an impression on all of us. It certainly led me to live a more eco-conscious life.

After college, I worked for the National Wildlife Federation bringing underserved community leaders into the climate change debate. While we made some progress improving energy legislation to incorporate the network’s interests and needs, I felt I needed additional skills and tools to achieve more tangible results. Therefore, I pursued my MPA at Columbia University with a focus on energy markets, innovation and sustainability management. Graduate school afforded me the competencies to build a business case for energy efficiency and sustainability. In addition, I had the great privilege to serve as an EDF Climate Corps fellow for the adidas Group in both Portland OR and Carlsbad CA. I provided the company with energy efficiency recommendations and sustainability measures to meet aggressive environmental targets.

The district position was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for climate solutions, technology and innovation, project implementation and stakeholder engagement. One interesting point to share is that when I interviewed for the position, the job was focused on overseeing utility bills and rebate applications. During the interview process I realized the district had a great deal of potential to include sustainability and stakeholder engagement. When I pitched the additional responsibilities and the Energy and Sustainability Manager title, they agreed to take a chance and we never looked back!

What’s your advice to someone interested in a role like this?

My advice is to research the skills required for the positions that appeal to you and pursue projects, courses, certifications, or volunteer work that bolster those credentials. One thing I wish I had done more of during graduate school was to connect with a company or industry where I could see myself working and provide some consulting. I think this is a great way to explore potential career pathways and/or get your foot in the door. If your goal is to change careers or enter a different industry, intern and volunteer as much as you can. Participate on boards, advisory committees or whatever possible. Volunteering helps you build a meaningful and relevant network, and you’re putting yourself out there in a very honest and genuine way while contributing to something you care about.