Professionally, Hans Neukomm represented CH2M HILL on the Board of Directors of the Western Electric Power Institute (WEPI) that serves private and public power companies in the 11 Western States including Hawaii and Alaska and Canadian utilities located in British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon Territories. He is a Past Chair of the Operations Executive Committee of the Northwest Electric Light and Power Association (now named WEPI) – the first nonutility employee in that position in the 78-year history of the organization.
In 1998, Oregon’s Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Hans to the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council for a 4-year term; Hans was reconfirmed in 2002 by the Oregon Senate for a second 4-year term. He served as the Council’s Chairman in 2005/06. One of the most challenging projects of the Council was the decommissioning and removal of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in St. Helens, Oregon.
In 1992, Hans founded Leadership Corvallis, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides broad-based experience to citizens on how the Community works and how to prepare and motivate the participants through 9 months of education and inspiration to actively help shape the destiny of the area. As of 2008, over 450 citizens have graduated and are serving Corvallis and Benton County in a variety of community, governmental, and charity organizations.
Hans joined the Rotary Club of Corvallis in 1982, served as President in 1998/99, and chaired several club service and special project committees. In 2001/2002, he served as Assistant District Governor and in 2002 was elected Governor for the 65 clubs and 4,500 Rotarians of Rotary District 5110 (Oregon and Parts of Northern California) for the year 2003-2004.
From 1990 to 2001, Hans served on the Board of Directors of the Corvallis Benton County Economic Development Partnership. He chaired the organization in 1994/95 and again in 1997/98. In 1993/94, then Corvallis Mayor Charles Vars requested the Partnership to form a Task Force to develop strategies and implementation plans to market the City owned, industrially zoned properties at the Corvallis Municipal Airport. During Hans’ tenure as Chair of the Task Force, several organizations located near these properties, among them FedEx, and the employment base increased from about 200 to over 400 jobs.
Hans was very active in the Boy Scouts of America serving as Troop Committee Chairman of Troop 170, Benton District Chairman, and currently serves as Vice President of the Oregon Trail Council. Additionally, his community volunteer work included service on the Board of Trustees of the Good Samaritan Hospital and Linn Benton Community College Foundations, the Benton County Budget Committee, the Vineyard Mountain Water District and the Benton County Republican Central Committee, and most recently on the Oregon State University Advisory Board for the Professional Science Master’s Program.
Hans with his wife, Adele, also founded a scholarship program with the Oregon State University Foundation that enables and supports graduates from Hans’ Alma Mater in Burgdorf, Switzerland, to study and earn at Oregon State University advanced engineering degrees. Since its inception in 1997, eight students have earned or are in the process of earning Master Degrees and PhDs .The two institutions recently created an agreement for expanded cooperation that includes technology as well as faculty exchanges.
In recognition for his leadership in numerous community, charitable, and service organizations, Hans is the recipient of many recognitions, accolades, and awards. Among them are the President’s Award – Boy Scouts of America, the Distinguished Service Award – Northwest Electric Light and Power Association, First Citizen of Corvallis in 1995, and the prestigious Silver Beaver Award of the Boy Scouts of America in 1996. And, in 2002, he was honored by Oregon’s Governor with the State of Oregon – Economic and Community Development Award for Outstanding Community Leadership.