Making the move from Gatsby to geothermal

Although trained in journalism

and English literature,

Rebecca Wagner deals every

day in electrical engineering

concepts, complex power

plant regulations, land leases

and even the inner governmental

workings of an Indian

tribe.

Wagner is a tribute to

what the power of learning

and determination can do.

She is director of regulatory

and public affairs for

Advanced Thermal Systems

in Reno, an energy technology

company that develops

geothermal power plants.

Wagner's duties span a wide

spectrum. She oversees the

permitting and regulatory

aspects of developing power

plants, monitors legislation,

writes grants, deals with the

media and oversees land

acquisition and leasing. She

also coordinates projects, such

as the company's deal with

the University of Nevada,

Reno, to heat and cool its

new Redfield campus, and its

joint venture with the

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to

develop geothermal resources

on the tribe's reservation.

Wagner admits she was a

little intimidated at first conversing

with engineers about

the finer points of things such

as binary cycle technology.

But she's passionate about the

industry, likes to learn, and

enjoys juggling lots of projects

at once.

"I really believe in what we

do."

Geothermal energy occurs

wherever there is hot water

underground. Geothermal

power plants tap into the heat

to drive electricity-producing

turbine generators. It's a clean

and renewable energy source,

and it's plentiful in northern

Nevada. Opportunity is ripe

because state law here and in

California requires power

companies to purchase a certain

percentage of power from

renewable energy sources.

But the geothermal industry

is relatively new and faces

challenges. Geothermal is still

perceived as expensive, and

there are no transmission

lines to get the power from

the north to the south part of

the state or across the boundary

to California. Creating a

transmission system would

involve traversing a patchwork

of private and Bureau of

Land Management property.

Wagner is part of the effort to

bring companies together as

an industry to clear the hurdles.

Although she didn't set out

to work in the energy industry,

Wagner has always had

strong beliefs and a passion to

follow them. At 12, she

dreamed of becoming a political

journalist, and at 18, she

attended the National

Republican Convention. After

college she worked for political

consultants and candidates,

including Republican

Jim Gibbons' congressional

campaign

A Nevada native, she even

ran for office herself. At 28,

she was one of the youngest

candidates to make a bid for

state assembly.

She lost the election. The

day after, she says, she was

disappointed, but also a little

relieved. She describes herself

as honest to the point of

being blunt, and in retrospect,

she says, she's not sure how

well that would have played

under the constant glow of

the political spotlight.

Meanwhile, in working as a

private contractor, handling

public and media relations for

companies,Wagner ran across

the leaders of Advanced

Thermal Systems. They asked

her to come on board six

years ago.

"She knows a lot of people

in the city and state government,

which is an important

aspect of our business," says

Advanced Thermal Systems

president Shuman Moore.

"She has a good sense of politics,

not just by the strict definition,

but overall in the

business climate."

Moore says Wagner is able

to don a lot of hats and

absorb technical information

with relative ease.

Wagner says she enjoys the

diversity of her job, learning

new things and building relationships.

The biggest

rewards come from watching

the industry evolve and seeing

projects, such as the deal to

heat and cool UNR's Redfield

campus come to fruition.

"My heart and soul is in that

project."

She says she hopes the

joint venture with the

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to

develop geothermal resources

on its reservation will become

a model for similar ventures.

That project involved learning

how tribal government

and law worked and establishing

rapport with tribal

leaders. An extra challenge

was that tribal government

changes every two years,

which meant getting to know

new players and rebuilding

the relationship with the tribe

every other year

Outside of work,Wagner

enjoys outdoor sports, such as

golf, hiking and skiing, and

strives to maintain a balance

of work and play.

She says a key to success is

working at a job that inspires

passion. "It has to be about

more than just collecting a

paycheck."