This month’s Employee Spotlight is…
Darlene Clauson – Accounting Specialist
1. Where did you grow up? Where do you reside now?
Quincy, Massachusetts, about 15 miles south of Boston, is where I lived for 25 years. I have lived in Dryden, NY, ever since.
2. What did you want to be when you grew up (when you were a child)?
A Flight Attendant – I hold an Associates Degree in Travel and Tourism and even worked in the airline industry for approximately 5 years.
3. What guided you into the energy efficiency industry?
I wish I had an amazing “carbon footprint” kind of answer, but if truth be told, I worked for a family-owned company for 28 years, and they retired and closed the company. I was “just looking for a job,” and energy efficiency was not on my list of requirements!
4. What does a day in your life at PSD look like?
It’s all about the money$! Clearing expenses & reimbursements. Reconciling the FSA payments. Posting/clearing payments received via The PSD Store. Paying the Benefit Vendors. Processing payroll. Setting up new employees, projects, and tasks in Replicon. Each day is different, and I have the privilege of interacting with most people in the company.
5. Our company has five core values (Integrity, Passion, Collaboration, Vision, and Making an Impact). Which of these values resonates most with you and the work you do at PSD?
Definitely, “Integrity”. Working in the finance department demands honesty, confidentiality, and consistency.
7. What do you do when you aren’t at work? Do you have any interesting hobbies? 
My husband and I have a large pond with kayaks and a paddle-boat, so in the summer months, or should I say weeks in upstate NY, we spend a lot of time there. We also have a 2000 BMW Convertible that is so fun to drive, as well as a pontoon boat to cruise around Cayuga Lake. My winter hobby is searching for somewhere warm to move to when I retire! In January, my husband and I tap our maple tree and make syrup.
8. Do you have any pets?
I have a dog, Roxanne. And you’re welcome…you will be singing The Police song for the rest of the day! We rescued her when she was just 6 weeks old, weighing 2 pounds. She is now 4 and weighs 40 pounds! She is a Pit Bull/Terrier mix. I like to say she is part Boston Terrier, and when people ask me why, I say “because she bahks!” (Get it?)
9. What is your favorite holiday?
Hands down, Thanksgiving! I love to get up early and bake banana and cranberry bread. I love doing most of the cooking for dinner. The bigger the group, the better. This year we had 22 at our table.
10. Favorite travel destination? Or dream travel destination?
Hmmmm, I love going back to Boston. The seafood is simply amazing. My girls are both grown and live in NC, so that is a frequent destination, and I am loving the beaches in the Wilmington area. I hope to travel to Italy someday for the joy of eating and drinking wine, which is the main purpose of vacationing there.
11. Favorite musician/genre? 
I am all over the place here! I love Ella Fitzgerald, Pink, Aerosmith, Carrie Underwood, Queen, and I’m newly loving Chappell Roan.
12. What’s the top item on your bucket list? Have you checked anything cool or fun off?
The top of the bucket list is retiring with financial security, LOL!
Two years ago, I crossed off a Hot Air Balloon ride! 10 out of 10!, I highly recommend it.
13. What is an interesting thing about yourself that people may not know?
I am the youngest of a family of 6, and we are all named “D”: Dianne, Debbie, Donny, David, Doreen, Darlene. I have a nephew who could never tell Doreen and me apart, so he called us both Doorlene.
Thank you, Darlene! We appreciate you taking the time to do this and are excited to have people get to know a little more about you!
