Meg Matt, AESP, President & Chief Executive Officer
Association of Energy Services Professionals

EET&D: First of all, happy anniversary to AESP! For those readers who may not know as much about your association as its constituents and members, let me suggest that we start with a quick overview of what AESP is and what it does…

MATT: Thank you! This year marks our 20th anniversary, and going into 2010, AESP is stronger than ever. We are a non-profit, professional development association with over 1,800 individual members and more than 150 group members.

Founded in 1990 as a not-for-profit association, AESP is member-based and dedicated to improving the delivery and implementation of energy efficiency, energy management and distributed renewable resources. Among the many valuable services we provide to our members – and in the broader sense, to the industry at large – are professional development programs; a network of skilled, experienced energy practitioners; promotion of the benefits of energy service initiatives; and the transfer of knowledge and experience of energy service professionals all across the industry.

EET&D: Briefly, what was the genesis of this association; how did it get started?

MATT: AESP was originally formed as the Association of Demand Side Professionals. In 1994 the name was changed to more accurately describe the full scope of its services.

Our founding president, Bill LeBlanc, was just 31 years old and when this nascent field – then widely referred to as “DSM”– was little more than an industry term coined by Clark Gellings at the Electric Power Research Institute to describe the budding field of demand-side management.

Because DSM was a new term a nd not something that utilities were broadly supporting at that point in time, the notion of a separate DSM association was of questionable value until Clark took the podium on Bill’s behalf during a meeting at the 4th National DSM conference and asked if anyone was interested in a professional association for demand-side management professionals. A few hours later, about 25 people showed up, and as they say, “The rest is history.”

In one sense the name change to AESP broadened our scope, but we are still fundamentally engaged in the “demand side” of the business, which is where the strength of this organization has always been from its very beginnings.

EET&D: When we originally met you were already a freelance writer and independent industry consultant, as I recall. What was it that led to your personal involvement with AESP and eventually the leadership role you now hold? Was there anything in particular that led you there?

MATT: I started out in AESP as a member and had the privilege of serving on the board before assuming the position of president and CEO. What I really love about AESP is that it’s an individualmember association. That means everyone has an equal voice, regardless of the size of the company or the geography in which they are located. It’s empowering to know that you can really make a difference in this industry with the help of AESP’s professional development conferences and programs and the many networking opportunities it provides.

EET&D: What would you say is the typical profile and/or business characteristics of an AESP member today?

MATT: Our members are primarily focused on developing, implementing, pricing, and marketing and evaluating energy efficiency and demand response programs for end-use customers.

EET&D: Can you give us a little more perspective on how those kinds of things manifest themselves and what kinds of people and organizations make up AESP membership?

MATT: Yes, of course. We represent energy professionals who are engaged in a myriad of energy services including energy efficiency, demand-side management, demand response, Smart Grid, technology, marketing communications, research and evaluation, and of course, program design and implementation. Our members work for electric and gas utilities, consulting firms, federal and state agencies, public benefits agencies, academia, manufacturers, vendors and lots of other industrycentric companies and organizations.

EET&D: Meg, I know that you have a lot of irons in the fire this year, so what’s been keeping you busy lately?

MATT: Our board and staff are responding to our growth in membership with new services and programs including training, continuing education credits, professional certification, an interactive supplier directory, and an enhanced Web site. Also, our member topic committees and local chapters are an integral part of AESP, which involves a lot of coordination and communication on both an organizational and individual level. And, we’ve just released a special report on the State of the Industry, which we make available to our members as an AESP member benefit. We’ve also recently developed several new social media tools including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

EET&D: What are some of the initiatives, events, and programs you currently have under way, and how do you decide which ones to pursue at any given time?

MATT: One of the key challenges facing our members is an aging workforce at a time when more investment and growth is taking place in energy efficiency. To help meet our members’ needs, we’ve implemented several new training courses to help them get new employees educated about program development, evaluation, marketing, and more. It’s also important to understand that AESP is a member-driven organization. That means that our members directly drive our industry agenda and the specific initiatives, events and programs in which we engage and/or sponsor.

For example, many of our members share their thoughts, expertise and opportunities with industry leaders, addressing some of the industry’s most pressing issues today. We also provide tools and information dedicated to advancing best practices, all the way from service concept through delivery and resulting in increased service efficiency and effectiveness.

Each year we hold a national conference – which, as you know, was held last month in Tucson. We are now working on the agendas for the spring and fall conferences, which will be in Boston and Portland (Oregon) in May and October, respectively. We will also continue to produce our popular “AESP Brown Bag” Webinars, which take place throughout the year. Our education, training and professional papers are available for all levels of experience providing tangible, actionable information that helps everyone do their jobs more effectively.

EET&D: Is there anything else that you’d like to comment on before we close? What is the vision for your next 20 years?

MATT: Yes, The other major initiative we will be working on over the next 20 years and beyond is the newly created AESP Foundation. The Foundation has several goals, and we are currently seeking funding from a variety of sources. Our members will also see AESP offering Continuing Education Credits (or CEUs) next year, and the board is working on developing a professional certification program.

Bill LeBlanc commented recently that when he and his colleagues were laying the groundwork for the Association in 1990, they weren’t thinking 20 years, or even 10 years, down the line. Today we’re definitely experiencing growth, and we feel a sense of urgency to get content out to our members to let them know that they can continue to look to AESP now – and in the years to come – as an important tool in their professional development.