By: Julia Worcester
The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute is thrilled to welcome one of our newest staff members: Audrey Neubauer, Project Manager. Audrey Neubauer is a Project Manager supporting REWI’s Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund. She has experience working with renewable industry, utility leaders, and NGOs across the country. This work includes sales and utility outreach work on Community Solar projects in the Northeast, Project Management support as a Consultant with large-scale renewable energy projects in the Northwest, Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) nonprofit development in Alaska, and her nearly three years of work with the Sierra Club serving as Vice-Chair of their Seattle Group ExCom and seated as a member on multiple other local and state-wide groups. Audrey holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where her thesis focused on policy suggestions to mitigate conflicts in large-scale wind and solar PV projects to prevent delays, minimize harm, and proactively address community concerns. In her free time, Audrey can be found with her dog taking long walks in the woods or along the beach where she lives on an island nestled in the Puget Sound near Seattle, reading any book she can get her hands on, or cooking and eating delicious food with friends and family.
Julia Worcester: What attracted you to this position, and to the Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund (the Fund) specifically?
Audrey Neubauer: The work that REWI is doing is truly special – it provides a table where individuals and groups from varied stakeholder backgrounds can meet and discuss, collaborate, and find common ground. I am drawn to REWI, and to the Fund specifically, because I want to help facilitate these relationships and build this shared space.
As with any transition, the clean energy transition creates conflict. I believe that addressing these issues requires a multi-stakeholder approach, and REWI provides a platform for this to happen. REWI and the Fund serve as an excellent reminder that we are all on the same team, at the end of the day, and we have to work together to make meaningful change.
JW: What experiences and skills from your previous work, professional and academic, are you excited to use at REWI?
AN: I come to REWI with some experience in project management, facilitation, and balancing multi-stakeholder groups in the energy space. I have always been very interested in the areas where conflicts come up and figuring out creative ways to solve them and find common ground.
In 2021, I completed a Master of Science in Sustainable Development where I focused primarily on the conflicts associated with large-scale wind and solar siting, development, and grievance management. I am excited to see how this research aligns with my work with the Fund and continue to learn more about how proactive communication and collaboration can solve some of these issues.
JW: What are you looking forward to learning about in the world of renewable energy and wildlife?
AN: I have so much to learn! Especially in these first few months, I’m channeling my inner sponge and asking as many questions as I can. I can’t wait to learn more about how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together when it comes to the Fund, our industry partners, and the researchers we collaborate with.
JW: What are some of your hopes for the Fund over the next few years? How would you like to see it grow?
AN: In my short time with REWI so far, it’s become clear to me that the Fund is in a unique position; being just a few years old, we have an opportunity to work with our industry partners to shape and define the trajectory of this program for the next 1, 5, 10 or more years. I see a lot of exciting progress in the future of the Fund – in short, I have high hopes and many ideas!
JW: What do you like to do outside work?
AN: I live on an island in the Puget Sound, north of Seattle, so a lot of my free time is spent enjoying where I live. I go for walks (on the beach, in the woods), hunt for mushrooms, ride my bike, and enjoy small town life. I also love to read, eat great food, spend time with family and friends, and hang out with my dog, Scout.