Guidance and Grit: Celebrating Sherrie Villmark’s 20 Years at CEP
Guidance and Grit: Celebrating Sherrie Villmark’s 20 Years at CEP
April 8, 2026 Staff
Community Energy Project is celebrating an exciting milestone: Sherrie Villmark, Director of Advocacy and Renewables, has been with our organization for 20 years. She began as a federal work study intern in 2005 and was hired within months as a full time outreach and volunteer coordinator. From there, Sherrie’s journey mirrored CEP’s own evolution: she created the organization’s first full set of brochures, developed an outreach strategy from the ground up, and created a new volunteer event and education model.
When Sherrie first started, she was the 6th employee. Most of the staff were earning slightly above minimum wage while working in a building with a lot of physical issues, including mold and rats. CEP was a very scrappy organization with inventive, gritty people working there.
Back in North Portland on Alberta street, members of the community frequently walked through our office doors. “We were part of the community in a very grassroots way, and people were often investigating what we were up to, deciding if we were pulling our weight,” Sherrie recalled. “Back then, the solutions we had were simple and small. The majority of our work was putting up window kits – thin sheets of plastic that helped people make ends meet. The community saw our value from the start and they helped shape what we provided.”
CEP entered a new era around eight years later. With new leadership, new programs, and new funding sources, CEP rapidly expanded its reach and changed its reputation. “I’ve had incredible opportunities for professional growth and impact, from the chance to design workshops to building Community Solar for low-income folks, to our advocacy work at the Oregon Public Utility Commission, I’m always challenged. Energy people didn’t take us seriously for the first half of my time here,” said Sherrie. “We were the ‘cute’ people doing social work that was considered somewhat energy-adjacent. People are starting to understand the connection now – between energy, the environment, and human beings of all income levels.”
That compassion and connection with clients remains at the center of CEP’s work and is what has kept Sherrie with the organization for 20 years. “I grew up low-income, and spent half of my adult life that way. You get treated like you’re stupid and make bad choices, that you’re dirty, loud, etc. and that was treatment from those looking to help me. But the way CEP looks at our clients is very special,” she said.
“We recognize that our clients are clever, gritty, vulnerable, and tough. They’re survivors. We treat our clients well, and because of that, they treat us well. I’m proud to work with them and proud that when we give them a platform, they have beautiful things to say.”
Sherrie has worked with clients in various capacities over the years. Whether through outreach and volunteering, marketing, leading CEP’s Education department, or directing CEP’s role within the Oregon Community Solar Program and spearheading our advocacy efforts, she’s worn many hats at CEP.
“I’ve done my trench work. I’ve canvassed door to door, I’ve staffed hundreds of outreach events, and been in hundreds of client homes. I’ve designed, implemented, and executed quite a few programs. And that comes from starting at an organization that was so tiny and having to figure things out on my own. Sometimes I end up with a unique approach because I’ve figured it out on my own, as opposed to more formal training.”
Sherrie is also grateful to others who taught her new concepts along the way. “I’ve entered a lot of technical spaces where I knew very little. It is through the generosity of other partners I’ve been able to have any success at all,” she remembers. “It’s hard to enter new arenas. I had to set aside the shame of not knowing, the fear of taking up space and looking stupid. I did so because I’m not here to serve myself, I have to learn these things to better serve our clients. There’s no room for ego in this line of work.”
As Sherrie watches a new generation of climate leaders join the workforce, her advice is simple:
“Nothing you do in your career path is a waste of time unless you let it be. The more unique and meandering your journey, the more unique your knowledge will be. Life is both long and short. I’ve been working for 31 years so far, and if I’m lucky I still have another 20 years to go.”
The entire CEP team is deeply grateful that Sherrie has chosen to spend the past two decades investing her time and heart in service of our community. This organization would not be the same without her guidance and grit.
