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Ms. Thompson has been researching and writing in the multidisciplinary space of energy and environment since 1990. Her clients have ranged from state utility commissions, water agencies, industrial end users, ESCOs, and municipalities. For utility and state agency clients, Ms. Thompson has managed and conducted major research projects on marketing and social marketing efforts, outreach strategies, demand response, market assessments, self generation, and energy risk management by water utilities. These projects typically involve market research and process type analyses; using tools such as in-depth interviews, phone and web surveys, focus groups; and review and analysis of project and market datasets. On behalf of industrial clients she has pulled air permits, waste water treatment plant permits, and non-source permits. She has also been the editor-in-chief of the Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy and a city planning commissioner. Ms. Thompson s current and recent projects include: Evaluation of the Statewide Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). Ms. Thompson is managing this large contract to evaluate the SGIP, which is administered through California s major IOUs as well as the San Diego Regional Energy Office. The program provides $100-200 million annually in incentives for grid connection of renewable and nonrenewable generation projects. Summit Blue s investigation focuses on four aspects of the program: a comparative assessment of program administration; a market focused process evaluation; a market characterization and retention study. The evaluation also considers the transition effects of the California Solar Initiative. The evaluation effort utilizes focus groups, surveys, in depth interviews, and program data analysis. The research efforts are coordinated so that each data collection effort can feed multiple studies. Measurement and Evaluation Study of the PY2006 Statewide Flex Your Power Now Program. Ms. Thompson is managing an evaluation of the effects and impacts of a statewide media campaign aimed at reducing electrical demand off of peak consumption on days when the California Independent System Operator determines that operating reserves are dangerously low. The evaluation documents the program theory, reviews business purchasing decisions with respect to chosen media buys, and will assess the effectiveness of the program administration and customer awareness. Process Evaluation of California s Demand Response Education, Awareness and Outreach Programs for the state s major IOUs and Energy and Public Utilities Commissions. These programs focused on stimulating awareness in a variety of communities, both virtual e.g., BOMA, and actual, e.g., industrial end-users in the City of Ontario. The work evaluated included new pilot studies using joint marketing approaches with local communities and trade groups as well as more entrenched approaches that use audits to share both energy efficiency and demand response messages. The target audiences of the outreach efforts ranged from school children to whole cities, and small businesses to rural water systems. The efforts utilized a variety of channels: direct contact, trade and government. The evaluation used in-depth interviews, surveys, focus groups, a review of program records, as well as a thorough literature review to assess the effectiveness of program messaging and delivery channels. Ontario Power Authority (OPA) Social Marketing Models. The first phase of this project identifies best practices in social marketing from around North America through a broad survey of the literature and interviews with utilities and agencies. The draft report for Phase 1 was delivered six weeks after project kick off and contained best practices from interviews with over 20 utilities and agencies and over 50 current articles from the field of marketing energy efficiency and conservation, as well as education and demand response. Preliminary results indicate a strong trend to joint NGO and city based marketing approaches designed to capitalize on increasing environmental and sustainability awareness. However, in practice, true barrier and benefit research and marketing effectiveness tracking are rare. American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AwwaRF). Summit Blue is working on several aspects of how water utilities conceptualize and approach the management of supply and demand side energy risk. Ms. Thompson has been formally mapping the perceptions of risk and interviewing water district business managers to understand their approach and belief systems with regard to energy risk. Although this research has been national in scope, Summit Blue is authoring one chapter that focuses on California. Interestingly, Summit Blue has discovered that California water utilities tend to frame risk perceptions in terms of infrastructure challenges such as earthquakes. Prior to her work with Summit Blue, Ms. Thompson was a research manager with the Financial Times/Platts/E Source after finishing law school in Colorado. While at E Source, Ms. Thompson worked closely with Summit Blue CEO Mr. Cooney, and launched two syndicated research product lines focusing on the industrial mid-market and meter services for a research and publishing group. Her work focused on identifying market opportunities through a better understanding of the challenges faced by different market segments. In this role she authored numerous studies and chaired the annual company conference the E Source Forum, attended by over 400 energy clients. Ms. Thompson will also be sharing some of her research at the upcoming IEPEC, where she will co-teach a workshop on the evaluation of social marketing. | 