Woman of the Year

WRISE 2017 Woman of the Year Honoree
Stephanie Kushner is a woman pioneer in the industrial sector. After serving as Chief Financial Officer for Broadwind Energy for 6 years, she was named President and CEO in 2016. Her belief that the future for wind energy was bright and full of potential has guided her through the erratic PTC on-off again cycles and a global recession. This belief continues to inspire her and others in the company she now heads. Stephanie’s never-give-up attitude and her broad business background have been invaluable tools to her own company and the industry at large. She is an inspiration to other women as an influential senior leader providing global perspective, strategic insight and sound judgment to companies undergoing growth, diversification and consolidation in the face of dramatic industry and market shifts. She excels at corporate finance, controllership and treasury across domestic and international businesses, subsidiaries and corporate HQs. She is a member of WRISE and strongly supports the organization, regularly participating in Chicago chapter events.

The WRISE Woman of the Year Lineage includes
2017 Woman of the Year – Stephanie Kushner, President and CEO of Broadwind Energy

2016 Woman of the Year – Dr. Dora Nakafuji, Director of Renewable Energy Planning in Grid Technologies, Hawaiian Electric Company

2015 Woman of the Year – Susan Reilly, President of RES Americas

2014 Woman of the Year – Trudy Forsyth, Managing Director of Wind Advisors Team

2013 Woman of the Year – Lucille Olszewski, Meterologist, Ensemble Wind

2012 Woman of the Year – Leslie Freiman, General Counsel, Chief Regulatory Officer, and Secretary for EDP Renewables (EDPR)

2011 Woman of the Year – Beth Soholt, Executive Director of Wind on the Wires (WOW)

2010 Woman of the Year – Abby Arnold, Executive Director of the American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI) and Senior Mediator at Kearns & West

2009 Woman of the Year – Karen Conover, Vice President, DNV GL Group

2008 Woman of the Year – Rachel Shimshak, Director, Renewable Northwest Project

2007 Woman of the Year – Jan Hamrin, President, Center for Resource Solutions

2006 Woman of the Year – Jan Blomstrann, CEO and President, Renewable NRG Systems Inc.

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