Alliance Honors Three Unsung Heroes

Each year, the Alliance honors energy efficiency advocates with the “Unsung Heroes” award, intended for those who have worked tirelessly and effectively but who have not yet been recognized for their contributions.

This year's winners were Al Stayman, staffer of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Terry Tyborowski, staff assistant of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, and Dub Taylor, director of the State Energy Conservation Office. Al and Terry received their awards at a special reception held in the Congressional Meeting Room North in the Capitol Visitors Center.Unfortunately, Dub was unable to join us for the reception and will recieve his award at an event in Texas later in 2010.

Al Stayman

Alliance Honorary Vice-Chair Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) keynoted the event and presented the first award to Al Stayman. Stayman staffed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources's consideration of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA) under then-Subcommittee Chairman Dan Evans, a former Alliance co-chair of the Alliance. NAECA first established appliance standards legislatively, and based on consensus agreements negotiated between appliance manufactures and energy efficiency advocates.

He continued to staff energy efficiency issues until leaving the committee in 1993 for positions as deputy assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and as special negotiator for the State Department. In 2000, Allen joined the policy staff at the Alliance to focus on appliance efficiency and federal energy management.

In 2003, he returned to the Energy Committee, under the leadership of Senator Jeff Bingaman, where he continues to staff matters related to product efficiency, including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) standards program and ENERGY STAR.

Allen contributed to the committee’s comprehensive energy legislation – the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA), reported last June – and he is currently working on several bills to enhance ACELA.

Terry Tyborowski

Jeff Genzer of the National Association of State Energy Officials presented Terry Tyborowski with the second Unsung Hero Award. Since May 2009, Terry Tyborowski has served as a senior technical advisor to U.S. DOE's Environmental Management program, which oversees the nuclear cleanup of federal sites from the Manhattan project.

Prior to this position, Terry served on the House Appropriations Committee for five years, one year on the Homeland Security Subcommittee, and four years on the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee (E&W). Her portfolio on the E&W Subcommittee included the energy research programs at U.S. DOE, which are fossil energy, nuclear Energy and renewable eergy and energy conservation, in addition to nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear waste management.

Ms. Tyborowski has a total of 26 years of federal service, which includes 13 years at U.S. DOE, and positions at the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Council on Environmental Quality.

Dub Taylor

Dub Taylor is the director of the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) operated by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Under his direction, SECO helps the state make the most of domestic energy, reduce state and local government energy costs and promote cost-effective clean energy technologies. SECO's mission is to maximize energy efficiency while protecting the environment. 

Prior to joining SECO in 1999, Taylor's public sector experience includes six years with the Texas Railroad Commission's Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division. Taylor's private sector experience was focused in commercial real estate, property appraisal and property tax consulting.