Solar Entrepreneur Among SOTU Special Guests
Mark Davis, owner of Washington, D.C.-based WDC Solar, will be among Michelle Obama's guests for her husband's final State of the Union address on Tuesday.
President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address on Jan. 12, and one of the special guests invited to site in the box with First Lady Michelle Obama and Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett to watch it is Mark Davis, owner of Washington, D.C.-based WDC Solar.
The White House posted the full list of invitees Jan. 10. Its release said that "their stories – of struggle and success – highlight where we have been and where America is going in the future, building on the best of what our country has to offer. The guests personify President Obama's time in office and most importantly, they represent who we are as Americans: inclusive and compassionate, innovative and courageous.
According to the release, Davis took classes, became certified, and started his small business, which trains low-income workers to install solar panels and prepares community members for local green tech jobs. Since 2012, WDC Solar has installed more than 125 solar systems in the nation's capital at no cost to homeowners with good credit through tax credits and private funds, it says, adding that Davis he plans to implement similar programs in 2016 in New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Another guest is Cary Dixon of Huntington, W.Va. She was invited because, along with the president, she spoke at a community forum in Charleston, W.Va., last fall. Dixon spoke about the opioid epidemic "and spoke candidly about the struggles of having an adult child with a substance use disorder," according to the release.