Strategy That Translates.
Programs That Scale.
Portage Advisory works with utilities, state energy offices, and industry partners to design workforce initiatives and market programs that move clean energy goals from policy language into operational reality.
Workforce Development
Designing talent pipelines that respond to real labor market demand, not projected ones. Programs built with utility partners, state agencies, and training providers from the ground up.
Market Transformation
Moving the market requires more than pilot programs. The work involves aligning incentives, building coalitions, and designing programs that are structured to scale.
Policy to Program
Policy goals set the direction. Getting there requires someone who understands the distance between a legislative mandate and a functioning program. That gap is where this work happens.
Ellen Barlas
Ellen brings more than a decade of experience at the crossroads of clean energy, workforce development, and utility program strategy. She has built partnerships with state energy offices, utilities, and federal program partners across the Midwest, translating policy goals into programs that are practical, fundable, and built to last.
Sarah Dooling, PhD
Sarah brings a PhD in urban systems and two decades of organizational leadership across climate advocacy, policy development, and nonprofit advancement. She has led statewide coalitions, built the business development infrastructure at a national clean energy nonprofit, and worked at the intersection of utility markets, equity policy, and cross-sector coalition work.
Ready to Move a Complex Initiative Forward?
Whether you are at the strategy stage or deep in implementation, bringing in the right advisor at the right moment makes the difference. Let us talk about what you are working on.
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