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About The National Center for Appropriate Technology

The National Center for Appropriate Technology or NCAT has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. NCAT is a trusted, practical connector for individuals and businesses who are working to leave our world better than we found it. 

We do this work through a trusted knowledgebase, providing individualized technical assistance, facilitating practical solutions, and connecting people with each other to support sustainable agriculture and clean energy systems. 

Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has field offices in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Texas. 

History

NCAT was created in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s to develop appropriate, low-cost, energy-saving strategies for underserved communities. In 1987, NCAT expanded its mission to include sustainable agriculture. 

The “appropriate technology” movement started in the 1960s following a period of heavily-funded “high technology” after WWII. With roots in the United States and Great Britain, the term “appropriate technology” featured five key elements, all of which remain core to NCAT’s mission:

Small-scale

Simple to use and operate

Low-cost and labor intensive

Local or decentralized

Environmentally sound

Commitment to Racial Equity

NCAT’s work brings together diverse partnerships and communities to help reduce poverty and protect our natural resources. We strive to be a multicultural organization that embraces the rich dimensions of diversity, and we partner with vulnerable communities of color engaged in food systems and energy solutions. NCAT works in partnership with low-income and historically underserved communities of color to build resilient communities.

  • 1960s

    Appropriate Technology movement begins

  • 1973

    Movement Grows

    Ernst Friedrich Schumacher’s book “Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered” was released, fueling the Appropriate Technology movement in the U.S.  

  • 1975

    Planning NCAT

    Dr. Jerry Plunkett, who founded the Montana Energy Research & Development Institute received a $110,000 planning grant from the federal Community Services Administration to explore the idea of establishing a center for appropriate technology.  Plunkett and his planning committee, Eugene Eccli, Pliny Fisk, Sam Love, and Mary Ann MacKenzie, conceived the idea for NCAT. U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield championed the idea.  

  • 1976

    NCAT Created

    The National Center for Appropriate Technology was created with $3 million from the Community Services Administration and the goal of “encouraging widespread use of appropriate technologies that help alleviate problems of low-income Americans.” 

  • 1977

    Historic Building

    Historic Poor Farm Building Photo Butte-Silver Bow Public ArchivesBy early 1977, NCAT moved into the vacant Silver Bow County Poor Farm Hospital, which was built in 1902 and is the only standing “poor farm” hospital in Montana.  

  • 1977-1981

    Community Grants

    From 1977 to 1981, NCAT ran an Appropriate Technology Small Grants Program. By 1980 NCAT had awarded about 360 grants totaling $2.7 million to Community Action programs and other community groups. The main focus of this work was renewable energy and conservation, but NCAT also worked on housing issues, food production, transportation, and economic development. 

  • 1980s

    R&D Innovation

    During the few years that it was fully active, NCAT’s R&D Division did a great deal of pioneering work. Among its other accomplishments, NCAT operated one of the very first solar collector testing facilities in the United States. NCAT also developed a software tool (SunCat) to estimate the efficiency of building construction methods and materials. NCAT probably became best-known for its work on passive solar, including notable efforts to promote solar water heating. 

  • 1981

    CSA Eliminated

    The federal Community Services Administration was eliminated, which ended NCAT’s original source of funding. The organization was nearly shuttered. 

  • 1982

    New Charge

    NCAT’s headquarters briefly moved from Butte, Montana to Washington, D.C. and the organization landed a $55 million Department of Energy contract to complete a small grants program. Under a contract with U.S. Action, NCAT trained 150 Community Energy Managers, who became a division of the VISTA program. 

  • 1984

    NATAS

    NCAT started the DOE-funded National Appropriate Technology Assistance Service (NATAS): an information clearinghouse, technical assistance service, and toll-free phone line. 

  • 1987

    ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture

    NCAT began a program similar to NATAS, but intended for farmers and rural people: Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA). Today, the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program is one of the cornerstones of NCAT.  

  • 1998

    Mississippi Partnership

    NCAT coordinated the Mississippi Riverwise Partnership to help reduce excess nitrogen flow to the Gulf of Mexico that contributes to the dead zone. This project, funded by the McKnight Foundation, encouraged improved industrial and municipal waste treatment and better agricultural practices throughout the 31-state Mississippi River Basin. 

  • 1998

    LIHEAP

    NCAT launched the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Clearinghouse, an information resource for state, tribal, and local LIHEAP providers; and the National Energy Assistance Referral program, a free service for people who want information on where to apply for the LIHEAP program assistance. 

  • 2000

    Solar Power

    Solar panels were installed on the historic NCAT headquarters building in Butte, Montana. The panels have supplied electricity to the building since then. In 2016, a free-standing solar array was developed on the NCAT campus to meet the building’s full electricity demand.  

  • 2000

    Sun4Schools

    NCAT installed solar photovoltaic systems on 12 Montana schools and provided curriculum for students to use in conjunction with electricity generation. Over the next several years, “Sun4Schools” installed 2-kilowatt (kW), grid-connected photovoltaic systems on a total of 32 middle and high schools in Iowa and Montana. NCAT also developed the curriculum unit to be used by participating schools as a “hands-on” complement to the installed systems. 

  • 2006

    FoodCorps

    NCAT launched a pilot project, FoodCorps, in Montana to focus on farm-to-school efforts to address childhood obesity and nutrition education. The nation’s first statewide team of VISTA volunteers was trained to create and expand farm-to-school cafeteria programs. The project was so successful in educating students about how and why to eat local, healthy foods that in 2011 NCAT and partners established a national FoodCorps organization.

  • 2011

    Energy Corps AmeriCorps

    Energy Corps members NCAT created the Energy Corps AmeriCorps program in cooperation with the Corporation for National and Community Service to address unmet community energy needs by promoting sustainable energy consumption and education, fostering community sustainability and helping to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Today, NCAT’s AmeriCorps service members are helping rural communities adapt to climate-related disruptions and develop a clean energy economy. 

  • 2013

    Armed to Farm

    NCAT created Armed to Farm, a sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. Armed to Farm was developed through the ATTRA
    cooperative     program with USDA-Rural Development with funding support from other public and private partners. More than 800 military veterans have received training through this program.      

  • 2015

    Soil for Water Pilot Project

    NCAT launched the Soil for Water network, first as a pilot for Texas ranchers during the megadrought. Soil for Water promotes appropriate technology, peer-to-peer learning, respectful collaboration, and adaptive management to advance regenerative agricultural practices that can resolve pressing challenges to sustainable systems of food, fiber, and water. 

  • 2021

    Soil for Water

    NCAT’s Soil for Water network expanded to include commercial farmers, ranchers, and land managers in all 50 states.

  • 2021

    AgriSolar Clearinghouse

    NCAT launched the nation’s first AgriSolar Clearinghouse to connect businesses, landowners, and researchers with trusted resources to support the growth of co-located solar and sustainable agriculture, also known as agrivoltaic development. The clearinghouse is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office.

NCAT Executive Team

Executive Director

Steve Thompson
Chief Operating Officer

Virginia Kashdan
Chief Financial Officer

Jeff Amerman
Director of Communications & Development

Emilie Ritter
Sustainable Agriculture Program Director

Andy Pressman
Energy Program Director

Stacie Peterson
Human Resources Director

Kriss Sullivan
IT Director

John English
Administrative Support Services Director

Jody Krzan
Executive Director

Steve Thompson

Steve has over 30 years of experience in natural resource conservation, community-based climate change mitigation, journalism, and project management. A resident of Montana since 1991, he served as executive director of the Montana-based Cinnabar Foundation and was a senior program manager at the National Parks Conservation Association. He has a B.S. degree in rural sociology from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Steve is an avid elk hunter, shallot farmer, and wild ice skater. He and his wife live in uptown Butte.

Chief Operating Officer

Virginia Kashdan

Virginia Kashdan is NCAT’s Chief Operating Officer. She joined NCAT in January 2022. Virginia is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing organization operations and facilities. Before joining NCAT, Virginia was awarded the Science & Technology Policy Fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science focusing on water quality at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Office of Water in Washington D.C. After moving back to Montana, she became the director of the Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program, supporting Operations & Maintenance activities on the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site. While in Libby, she volunteered on the Board of Directors for the Troy Farmers Market and became Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Libby Community Garden.

Chief Financial Officer

Jeff Amerman

Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Montana Tech of the University of Montana. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and has more than 30 years of professional experience with a number of diverse business entities. These include non-profit organizations, for-profit utilities, limited liability corporations, public accounting, and governmental units. Prior to joining NCAT as its CFO, Jeff was most recently Finance and Budget Director for the City & County of Butte Silver Bow in Montana.

Director of Communications & Development

Emilie Ritter

Emilie Ritter joined NCAT in April 2021. Emilie is an organizational leader with executive-level experience as a communicator, public policy advisor and strategic planner. Her approach is driven by strategy, multimedia storytelling, data, and effective project management to amplify and elevate people, initiatives, and organizations. Previously, Emilie led communications and public affairs for the Montana Department of Commerce. Emilie also led communications for the Montana Office of Public Instruction. She spent a decade as a public radio journalist. Her work has been featured on NPR, the BBC, CBC, Reuters, National Native News, and more. Emilie is a Montanan and graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. Emilie and her family live in Helena.

Sustainable Agriculture Program Director

Andy Pressman

After several years of working on and managing diversified farms throughout the country, Andy joined the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in 2007. After college graduation, Andy followed his interest in agriculture by growing and harvesting medicinal herbs. His passion for soils and plants quickly directed him in to growing fruits and vegetables and in developing a passion for agrarian philosophies and land stewardship. In recognizing the importance animals have in agricultural systems, he then immersed himself in learning animal husbandry—from bees, chickens, and rabbits, to sheep, goats, and cattle. Andy is certified in Permaculture Design and received an MS in Sustainable Systems Design from Slippery Rock University – a unique program that focused on the integration of agroecology, sustainable energy and design, and natural resource management. As a Sustainable Agriculture Specialist with NCAT, Andy works in the fields of whole-farm planning, intensive crop production, organic certification, tools and equipment for the small farm, urban agriculture, and community food systems. He and his family also operate Foggy Hill Farm, a small farm and CSA located in southern New Hampshire where he continues to keep bees and pursue his interest in appropriate technologies for managing small farms.

Energy Program Director

Stacie Peterson

Stacie Peterson joined the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in 2008. She oversees NCAT’s Sustainable Energy Program, which includes the Agri-Solar Clearinghouse, Energy Efficiency Program, Energy Services, Business Partners, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) Clearinghouse, National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) Program, Residential Energy, and Energy Codes. She holds an undergraduate and graduate degree in environmental engineering and an interdisciplinary doctorate. Her doctoral program integrated environmental science, environmental history, public health, technical communications, literature, and anthropology. She enjoys developing interdisciplinary projects with diverse teams, such as her work connecting the NCAT’s Sustainable Energy and Agriculture programs in the Agri-Solar Clearinghouse. In her energy conservation work, she’s helped save enough energy to go to the moon and back 2,586 times.

Human Resources Director

Kriss Sullivan

Kriss has been working in the human resources field since 2004, with most of her experience coming from the non-profit sector. As NCAT’s HR director, her duties include planning, developing, organizing, and evaluating human resource functions and performance. She administers robust benefits and compensation policies and develops staffing strategies, recruitment, and new-hire initiation. Kriss received her professional HR certification, SHRM-CP, in 2018 from the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM). She is president of the local SHRM chapter and has also served on its board for more than 10 years. She is a graduate of Montana Tech and holds a bachelor’s degree in business and information technology.

IT Director

John English

John J. English joined NCAT in 2003. He graduated from the University of Montana – School of Business, and has 8 years experience in the field of Internet and Computer administration. His expertise includes website design and development, systems administration, as well as user support. He enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, fly-fishing, geocaching and of course, surfing the Internet. In fact, it’s a good bet that when he is not at a computer, he will be doing something outdoors with his loved ones.

Administrative Support Services Director

Jody Krzan

Jody Krzan joined NCAT in 1987. Ms. Krzan has extensive experience in the area of office support services. Her responsibilities include providing organizational, administrative and clerical support to the Executive Director and other senior management staff. She coordinates all NCAT Board of Directors’ meetings, travel and logistics and file records. Ms. Krzan provides support in proposal, report and contract preparation. She is also skilled in personal and business communications, supervision and departmental planning processes. Ms. Krzan is skilled in the use of several software packages, including Microsoft Office Suite and WordPerfect.

Board of Directors

Jacqueline Hutchinson, Chairwoman

Jacqueline Hutchinson, Chairwoman

St. Louis, Missouri
Margaret Krome, Vice Chair

Margaret Krome, Vice Chair

Madison, Wisconsin
Carol Werner, Secretary

Carol Werner, Secretary

Washington, DC
Brian Castelli, Treasurer

Brian Castelli, Treasurer

Falls Church, Virginia

John Colgan

John Colgan

Springfield, Illinois
Will Crossley, Jr.

Will Crossley, Jr.

Piney Woods, Mississippi
Jerry DeWitt

Jerry DeWitt

Holly Springs, North Carolina
Phal Mantha

Phal Mantha

Okemas, Michigan
Duke Williams

Duke Williams

New Orleans, Louisana
Alex Racelis

Alex Racelis

McAllen, Texas