The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA), Arizona’s premier solar energy industry trade organization, announced today that it has hired Milton M. “Mike” Masson as its Interim Executive Director effective immediately.
“Mike’s is the perfect person to help lead AriSEIA into the future. It is not every day that someone with Mike’s incredible experience agrees to take on such a role” said AriSEIA Board President Mark Holohan. Indeed, Masson’s past is full of impressive stops. Mike served as the Western Regional Political Director of the Reagan‐Bush Committee, was a Ronald Reagan appointee to the Board of Directors of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation and the United States Legal Services Agency, served as Finance Chair of the Arizona Republican Party, is a former Western States Political Caucus Chair, and currently sits on the Board of Regents of the Fund for American Studies and immediate past chairman of the board of the Family Service Agency of Arizona . In addition, Mike, an engineer by training, started in the solar energy business well before the current explosion in renewable adoption.
“I look forward to beginning the conversation about solar in Arizona from a new perspective” said Masson; “solar is about business and personal freedom.” Masson is aware that people will likely be surprised that someone with his political affiliation – he is, as his history reveals, a self described conservative Republican‐ is a staunch supporter of solar energy adoption, “solar energy is about consumers having options; it is about competition driving innovation and progress, and ultimately driving down prices. It doesn’t get much more conservative than that” he said.
Masson assumes this role at a time when the solar industry has been under attack from local utilities; attacks that threaten the future of the industry in Arizona. “Arizona will continue to grow and need more energy and people will look for alternatives. The people of Arizona like solar and they love personal freedom. I believe at the end of the day Arizonans are going to demand the ability to choose better energy alternatives” said Masson. “I want our members to know that we are going to fight like crazy for them. We have the winning argument so we just need to tell our story.”
AriSEIA is the Arizona Chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association, in Washington DC. As the primary solar energy trade association in Arizona, AriSEIA has worked to support public
For further information contact: Mark Holohan, 480‐505‐6559
policy that would lead to the sustainable growth of Arizona’s solar industry and the realization on the many benefits that the solar industry can provide to Arizona and the Nation. Members include solar companies from manufactures to contractors, as well as other related businesses interested in the development of solar energy.
