service, Marks was Director, Energy & Environmental, Health and Safety Policy and managed government relation's activities for United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in Washington, DC. Marks worked with the National Association of Manufactures and has also worked on all levels of government in various political and policy positions - with a city manager, a state senate president, a state attorney general and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. He later served under the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) Jeff received his BA in political science from the University of Southern Maine and his MPA from the University of Southern California. He also received his JD from the University of California, Davis School of Law and is a member of the California Bar.

When I moved back to my home State of Maine four years ago from Washington, DC, I attended an E2Tech forum to get up to speed on the state's environmental and energy issues and priorities and to connect with the sector's key business, government and non-profit players. I maintained and nurtured those connections, gained invaluable guidance and information, and jumped at the chance to lead the 10-year-old organization into its 2nd decade.

2. Can you tell me about the work your organization does?

In addition to its forums and networking events that range from public policy to business financing to the hot energy and environmental topics of the day, E2Tech is working with its partners on various economic and business development projects. We want to be a leading resource for the most current and constructive information on Maine's clean technology programs, events, businesses, jobs, products, services and policies. The intent is to provide value to our members while marketing Maine as a cleantech leader to the rest of the world.

3. What kind of projects is E2Tech involved with now?

In addition to providing a great lineup of fall forums including an environmental legislative wrap-up on Sept. 26, E2Tech is providing assistance to its key partners to promote Brunswick Landing as a renewable energy center, expand Maine's wind and ocean energy sector and assist cleantech early-stage companies with their business strategies. For example, over the summer we helped several companies qualify as semi-finalists in a major regional competition, receive significant innovation awards and take advantage of incubation services, one of which is moving into the state this month. Also, check out our new cleantech report on our Web site to see who's in the sector, what they're doing and how they impact Maine's economy.

4. Who are your members? Who would benefit from becoming a member of E2Tech?

E2Tech members include private businesses, non-profits, manufacturing and construction leaders, educational institutions, governmental agencies and a range of technology, financial and legal professionals. My priority is to increase student membership in order to invite them to educational forums, expose them to various technology sectors, businesses and experts and spark their interest in becoming part of Maine's innovation workforce