RTF staff

The RTF is supported by one full time manager and one part time coordinator who is also a part of Council staff. The RTF also has additional support from a team of contract analysts that are selected through a competitive RFP process, as well as Council staff.

Laura Thomas is the Manager of the RTF and joined the Council in December of 2022. Prior to joining the Council, Laura spent over two years at Energy Solutions, where she worked as a Senior Project Manager leading the implementation of a regional midstream HVAC and water heating program. Other notable experience includes over five years at the Consortium for Energy leading the Commercial Kitchens Initiative and supporting other C&I committee work including whole buildings and SEM. Laura has a BA in Political Science from the University of New England and a MA in International Relations and Environmental Policy from Boston University.

Laura is a recent transplant to the PNW. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, baking, and exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.     

Josh Rushton is a contract analyst with Regional Technical Forum (RTF).  He is an experienced energy efficiency evaluator with expertise in research design and data management, modeling, and analysis. 

Prior to the RTF, Dr. Rushton worked on program impact evaluations at the Cadmus Group.  At Cadmus, he developed sampling plans and performed custom data analyses. He also co-authored the Sample Statistics chapter of the Uniform Methods Project.Dr. Rushton earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, with a specialization in probability theory and stochastic processes. Prior to working in energy efficiency, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at Cornell University and as a visiting assistant professor at Portland State University.

Josh lives in Portland with his wife and two kids.  He enjoys spending time with family, hiking, trail running, and reading.  His favorite programming language is R.

Logan Douglass is a contract analyst with the Regional Technical Forum (RTF).  Prior to joining the contract analyst team, Logan worked as a contract data analyst and software developer for Ptarmigan Consulting, developing the Residential Energy Efficiency and Demand Response tool (REEDR) with funding from the RTF and conducting research and analysis for the Natural Resources Defense Council.  Before finding a home in the energy efficiency industry, Logan was a college instructor at Northern Illinois University and at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he completed doctoral coursework in philosophy.

David Bopp started as a contract analyst with the Regional Technical Forum (RTF) in 2021.  Prior to this, David worked for Flathead Electric Cooperative as an energy efficiency program designer and implementer, managed the residential energy efficiency portfolio and loan program, and was the energy and innovation community liaison.  He was also a voting member on the RTF from 2012-2018 providing residential energy efficiency and building science expertise.  He owned his own business performing energy efficiency modeling, testing, and certification for new homes and completed multiple deep energy retrofits.  During his career he has delved into energy efficiency, electric vehicles, demand management, and building science. David received a MSc from the University of East London in Sustainability and Adaptation in the Built Environment. His thesis was: “Cost Benefit Analysis of School Bus Electrification for Four School Districts Located in a Rural Cold Climate in Northwestern Montana, U.S.A.”  

David lives in the foothills of the Rockies with his wife and three sons.  Whenever possible he and his family are found in the mountains with packs on their backs, riding their mountain bikes, floating on their raft, or skiing down the slopes.  

Ryan Firestone is an experienced engineer with a background in engineering analysis, energy-use modeling, and site verification and survey. He has applied his analytic expertise to analyses of a broad range of demand side management technologies and applications. His tasks as an RTF Contract Analyst include developing and updating conservation measure assessments, supporting cross-measure analyses, and contributing to updates to the ProCost measure cost-effectiveness tool. Prior to the RTF, he worked at Navigant Consulting on demand side management (DSM) impact evaluations, conservation potential studies, and related analysis and Excel/VBA-based tool development. Ryan has also worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for five years on investment and operations optimization of small-scale distributed generation systems. Additional work experience includes developing photovoltaic and electric storage design optimization tools and managing the University of Texas El Paso Wind Energy Research Laboratory. Ryan holds a B.S. from Brown University, a M.S. from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, all in Mechanical Engineering.

Ryan's hobbies include playing with his two small children, gardening, and running. He is also a Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the City of Ojai, California. Other than his RTF work, his most notable achievement was walking 3,000 miles from Florida to California after college.

Paul Sklar is a Professional Engineer with a commitment to renewable energy and energy efficiency. He joined the RTF Contract Analyst Team in 2019. Prior to his current post, he worked at the Energy Trust of Oregon, where he had the good fortune to be as the LED market boomed. From 2013 to 2016, he was a voting member of the RTF and suggested wording for a footnote in the guidelines. He prepared to work in the field of energy efficiency with a course of study at the Oregon Institute of Technology, class of 2009.

Paul now lives in Montgomery, Alabama, where, contrary to popular opinion in the Northwest, there are local microbreweries with enjoyable beverages.