OUR ORGANIZATION

Get to know Solar Energy International.

SEI’s Mission

Our mission is to provide industry-leading technical training and expertise in solar energy to empower people, communities, and businesses worldwide.

SEI’s Values

SEI is a dedicated community of hardworking professionals who believe in a world where all people have equal access to clean energy resources to ensure the safety and health of their communities, natural environments, and the planet. Our Core values are to Educate, Engage and Empower each other and the world through our work, aligning with our mission of a world powered by renewable energy.

Realizing this vision takes committed hearts, and we work every day to ensure that the people and communities we engage are educated and empowered to make a difference. These beliefs create the bedrock for SEI’s actions and programs and our core values guide what we do and how we do it, including a loyalty and commitment to our staff, students, instructors, and collaborators.

Educate

We Educate through reliable and quality educational products and services designed to provide a pathway to a skilled, knowledgeable, and equitable workforce.

We believe that training and building a global renewable energy workforce is essential to our collective futures. SEI is dedicated to continuous innovation in providing reliable, relevant, and quality services that are accessible to all, delivered by experienced industry thought leaders. We strive for a learning environment that puts service to students first and provides a pathway to a skilled, knowledgeable, and equitable workforce.

Engage

We Engage by building a community in all levels of our organization that is rooted in integrity to our mission.

We recognize the power in collective engagement, and knowing that diversity equals success, we endeavor to create a culture of inclusion amongst our community that focuses on taking care of each other and the planet. SEI is grounded in integrity, compassion, professionalism, and excellent service, and we engage with our work, our staff, instructors, students, and our collaborators to develop solutions and curate experiences with wide-ranging impact.

Empower

We Empower all those we work and collaborate with to believe in their potential, have a curiosity to learn and the determination to make a difference in their own lives and in the world.

We strive to empower as a way of life at SEI. We encourage people to apply their education to make a difference in their life and communities by providing resources, fostering connections and creating career opportunities. SEI’s work environment is focused on harmonious and productive teams, encouraging work/life balance, individual responsibility, and spirited fun. We advocate for personal and professional growth and prioritize quality of life.

 Board of Directors 

Gerald Espinosa

SEI Board President

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Paul Bony

SEI Board Vice President

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Kristan Kirsh

Vice President, Global Marketing at Nextracker

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Zach Krapfl

Co-founder, Vapor Propulsion Labs

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Kevin King

Founder and Owner, Solar Tools USA

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Josh Rogers

Senior Director of Safety, Workforce Training, and Operations at ACP

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Dr. Cynthia Finley

Co-founder, Monochrome Consulting

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Kim Strickland

Global Head of Execution – Energy and Sustainability, Prologis

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Shannon Welch

Onsite Renewable Energy Construction Program Manager, Amazon (Retired)

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Johnny Weiss, SEI’s Co-founder

Johnny Weiss often said he felt lucky in life—and he meant it. Born in 1951 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Johnny’s journey took him across oceans, mountain ranges, rivers, and ideas. He was a free spirit, a truth-teller, and a doer. He believed that solar energy was more than watts and volts—it was a path to self-reliance, community resilience, and climate justice.

After arriving in Colorado by motorcycle in the summer of 1972, he made the mountains his home. In 1991, he co-founded Solar Energy International with a radical vision: give people everywhere the power—literally and figuratively—to change their lives.

Johnny was more than a teacher. He was a solar energy rebel—never afraid to challenge convention, always pushing for more inclusion, more equity, more justice. He lived openly with bipolar II disorder, dyslexia, a lifelong stutter, and a short stature—but what he may have lacked in height or traditional credentials, he made up for in boundless passion, radical honesty, and deep belief in human potential.

He flew high (literally—skydiving and scuba diving), spoke truth (to power and to everyone else), and was known for turning potlucks into strategy sessions and front porches into classrooms. In his final year—after a diagnosis of bone marrow cancer—he spent every moment surrounded by love, music, dogs, stories, and laughter. He passed away peacefully in July 2025, leaving behind not just memories, but a mission. Learn more…

 SEI Advisory Board 

Jean-Philippe (JP) Denruyter

World Wildlife Federation, Manager, Applied Energy Solutions

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Scott Ely

Sunsense Solar, President

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Keith Fouts

Interconnection Systems, Inc, Solar Program Manager

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Sean Murphy

AES, Sr. Cx Superintendent

Rick Naranjo

Paradise Energy, VP of Technical Services and Training

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Liam O’Brien

Kilawatt Consulting, Founder & Sr. Staff Engineer C&I Products

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Rudy Saporite

IBTS, Program Director

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Gavin Watson

SEI Advisory Committee Chair | NABCEP PVIP

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Robert Youngberg

Sustainable Development International, President

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Susan Stark

Ironridge, Senior Training Manager

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 Industry Partners 

Baywa r.e.
First Solar
Discover Battery
Wiley
IMO Precision Controls
Victron Energy
Alternatex Energy Solutions
ABB
Panasonic
Solar Edge
Sol-Ark
CED Greentech
Terra2
MK Battery
Sky Blu Energy
Trina Solar
S-5!
Mission Solar Energy
Solar Pathfinder
Fluke
CertainTeed
Quick Mount PV
DPW Solar
AMtec Solar Products
Iron Ridge
RBI Solar
SMA
Gardner Engineering
PanelClaw
Schneider Electric
NorthStar
MT Solar
O2 Energies
Magnum Energy
SPS - Solar Panel Store
Solar Island Energy
King Products
Solectria
Strata Solar
Duke
GoodWe
Fortress Power
Enphase Energy
Unirac
Fimer
Wakulla Mat
Trojan Battery
CAB Products
KACO New Energy
FLIR
Hannah Solar
SolarTools USA
RevoluSun
SOLV Energy
Azimuth Energy
HellermannTyton
Mitsubishi Electric
Solmetric
Scanifly
Ilsco
OnGrid Solar
Outback Power
Petzl
Crown Battery
Tritec Energy
REC Solar
MidNite Solar
Morningstar
General Specialties Manufacturing
Seaward Solar
PVpallet
SnapNrack
Intersolar & Energy Storage North America

Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) Archives

“SEI provided a very comprehensive yet understandable course for solar that will no doubt aid in my future endeavors in this industry.

-Adam Flanagan