Who She Was
Sheila Feldman has spent her career doing work that most people in the solar industry never think about, but everyone in it depends on: building the credentialing system that defines what it means to be a qualified solar professional. As Executive Director of NABCEP, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, she has overseen the development and administration of the certification programs that have become the industry's gold standard for demonstrating technical competency in solar installation, design, and inspection. Before joining NABCEP, she worked in workforce development and professional certification across multiple industries, bringing a deep understanding of how credentialing systems shape career pathways and employer expectations. Under her leadership, NABCEP has expanded its certifications to cover battery storage, solar heating, and other emerging technologies as the industry has grown. Her work has helped transform solar installation from an informal trade into a recognized profession with defined standards, clear career pathways, and credentials that carry real weight with employers across the country.
Why She Matters
Without the credentialing infrastructure Feldman has helped build, the solar industry would have no common standard for what a qualified technician actually knows or can do, and employers, customers, and regulators would have no reliable way to distinguish between well-trained professionals and those who are not. NABCEP certification has become the benchmark that serious solar employers look for when hiring and the pathway that technicians follow to demonstrate mastery and advance their careers. Her work sits at the intersection of workforce development and industry growth, directly shaping the opportunities available to everyone who enters the field. For students considering solar installation as a career, her story is a reminder that the professional infrastructure of a trade matters as much as the technical skills themselves. The certification pathway she has built is one of the clearest routes from entry-level installer to recognized expert in any skilled trade.
