CWU’s Delgado Receives 2016 Rep. Timm Ormsby Citizenship Award

Elvin Delgado, CWU assistant professor of geography, is one of only five public university faculty members to receive the coveted Rep. Timm Ormsby Citizenship Award. The award was created in 2013 in Ormsby’s honor, in recognition of his efforts to promote civic leadership throughout Washington State. The award “seeks to encourage, recognize and honor exemplary civic engagement.”

“This award is a symbol of all we are trying to achieve,” said Delgado. “To me, civic leadership must take into account the environment we live in and the future we leave our children.”

Delgado was nominated for the award because of his tireless efforts to work for integrated energy and energy transition to clean and sustainable sources. During his first year at CWU, Dr. Delgado proposed, initiated and now directs the CWU Institute for Integrated Energy Studies. One initiative of the Institute is to work with the Tulalip Tribe in a solar project for the Tribe’s Early Learning Center. Under Delgado’s direction, the Tribe and the Institute received a grant from Bonneville Environmental Foundation to install and monitor solar panels on the Tulalip’s Early Learning Center. He is currently in conversations with the Quinault Tribe to work toward a more sustainable economy, energy sovereignty, clean energy initiatives, and tsunami-risk-related relocation.

The Institute also collaborates with the City of Ellensburg on a $750,000 grant from the WA Department of Commerce Clean Energy Fund 2 to expand the Ellensburg Community Solar project. In 2015, Governor Jay Inslee appointed Delgado to the Board of Directors of the Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth-Abundant Materials.

Delgado is a Fulbright scholar. He also serves as a public speaker to highlight the importance of energy transition, integrated energy, community development, and elementary education. He also spent a week in Cuba working with a delegation sponsored by the Fulbright IIE to further international relations through academic diplomacy.

”I truly admire the tremendous outreach that Dr. Delgado has performed since he has been here at Central,” said Steve Hackenberger, CWU chair and professor of Resource Management. “Elvin was nominated by his colleagues because his work will have a lasting impact on the citizens of our state.”

The Ormbsy Award was presented to Delgado at the CWU’s Faculty Senate on May 4, 2016.

Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu
May 19, 2016