Ken Walz

Dr. Kenneth Walz has taught science, engineering, and renewable energy at Madison Area Technical College since 2003, where he serves as the Director of the CREATE Energy Center funded by the National Science Foundation. 

Joel Shoemaker

Joel Shoemaker is a Wisconsin state-certified Master Electrician with over 12 years of experience with photovoltaic systems. 

Scott Liddicoat

Scott Liddicoat just retired from teaching for the last 30 years at Green Bay Southwest High School. In the last decade he taught a high school class for college credit on energy conservation and renewable energy. During this time he has also been employed as a classroom lesson writer, curriculum manager, and teacher trainer by the National Science Foundation (Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education, 5 years). 

Liz Reinke

Liz has been teaching physics and engineering courses at Madison College since 2008. In addition to teaching, she serves as an academic advisor for engineering transfer students. Liz joined the CREATE team in July 2022 and she is excited to help students pursue paths in renewable energy. 

Claudette Mehrhoff is the Compliance Coordinator for the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE), employed by the lead institution for this project, Madison Area Technical College. She has fifteen years of grant management experience while managing and supporting several multi-million dollar state and federal grants. Claudette has spent the last seven years supporting the CREATE grants ensuring the grant’s activities and expenditures are allowable while following internal and external rules and regulations, including subaward monitoring to the grant’s subaward partners. She has served as the budget manager for the CREATE grants for the past three years. Claudette is a certified grants manager, certification through Management Concepts, and holds a bachelors degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Samantha Howk is the Administrative Coordinator for CREATE at Madison College. She earned a B.A. in German and a B.S. in Business Administration at Ohio State University and started her career in the private sector. She got her start in renewable energy in 2022 working for a residential solar installer and continues to serve on 2 boards of solar-related nonprofits. She joined the CREATE team in 2024 and is excited to support renewable energy education and the next generation of solar industry professionals.