2024 Power Players in Climate, Energy & Sustainability

Kevin Hansen leads government affairs and public policy in New York for Ørsted, a leading renewable energy company that recently completed South Fork Wind, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, and is currently developing Sunrise Wind, expected to be the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S. when completed. Prior to Ørsted, worked at New York State’s Empire State Development, in the Washington, D.C., mayor’s office and for the management consultancy Bain & Company.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
In March, we announced that our company had completed construction on South Fork Wind, the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., located approximately 30 miles east of Long Island. In total, the South Fork Wind project will generate enough power for approximately 70,000 New York homes each year.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Offshore wind is a rapidly growing sector, but it’s still a relatively close-knit industry where many workers know each other. If you come to industry events, then you’re bound to meet people in the field. Knowing a bit about climate change, clean energy, and infrastructure development doesn’t hurt, either!

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Support clean energy policies – there are so many economic, environmental and public health benefits of transitioning from a foreign dependence on fossil fuels to locally sourced clean energy, and New York has among the strongest winds in the country off its coast.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
New York has some of the nation’s leading clean energy policies. In the future, it will be important to stay the course through both upturns and downturns while also investing in enabling fields such as transmission and avoiding policies that act as barriers to projects reaching completion.

Pete Harckham was elected to the NY Senate in November 2018, and re-elected in 2020 and 2022; currently, he chairs the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. While in office, he has helped pass the toughest climate protection legislation in the nation and also introduced a law requiring all new passenger car and truck sales to be zero emission by 2035. His landmark wetlands legislation safeguarding fragile drinking water resources was included in the 2023-2024 State Budget.

Doreen M. Harris was appointed president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on April 7, 2021, after serving as acting president and CEO since June 2020. President Harris is leading NYSERDA to advance the policy frameworks, clean energy technologies and solutions to advance New York toward the Climate Act goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating good-paying clean-energy jobs and building an equitable economy. 

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
NYSERDA will continue to procure and advance large-scale renewable energy projects in support of New York’s 10-Point Action Plan while fostering supply chain growth and scaling up electrification in buildings and transportation to advance progress toward Climate Act goals. We’ll also continue to maximize opportunities provided by the historic Inflation Reduction Act which complements New York’s priority to deliver affordable clean energy, healthier places to live and work, and expanded opportunity for all.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Now is the time to be part of transformative change. The energy industry, in New York and globally, is going through the most significant transition in employment since its meteoric rise following the discovery of oil and gas more than a century ago – stimulating a diversity of new skilled jobs and professions as part of a growing green economy. Get informed about clean energy, see what sparks your interest and pursue it.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Implement daily changes to help reduce your carbon footprint. Whether it is reducing your electricity use by turning lights off when they are not needed, walking or riding your bike instead of driving your car, or choosing energy-efficient appliances when your existing appliances need to be replaced – little adjustments add up and can make a big difference in the long run. The key is maintaining mindfulness about being more efficient.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
NYSERDA prides itself on strong partnerships and collaboration at all levels of government and with the private sector. We make policy and program recommendations based on science, data, research and input from stakeholders and the public at large. I encourage policymakers to immerse themselves in the benefits of clean energy and to think strategically to help find the solutions we need now to secure a healthier tomorrow for all New Yorkers.

Will is the president of National Grid Ventures, US Northeast. NGV is a division of National Grid that develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies, and partnerships in the U.S. and UK to accelerate the clean energy future. Will oversees a diverse, cross-functional team that manages a portfolio of energy infrastructure investments in electric transmission, renewable and conventional power generation, and liquified natural gas which enable the energy transition in the northeast U.S..

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
In 2024, we hope to continue developing major infrastructure projects like offshore wind off the coast of New York and New Jersey under our joint venture, Community Offshore Wind. We will advance Propel NY, a project with NY Transco and NYPA that will carry energy from offshore wind from Long Island to the rest of the state. We will also operate our existing energy projects like solar and traditional generation facilities on Long Island.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Look for opportunities in different parts of the clean energy transition. The future will require a clean energy mix of offshore wind, solar, battery storage, clean hydrogen and more. Learning a little about each field will help you understand the industry more holistically and decide what sector of energy speaks to you most, similar to how a physician chooses a medical specialty.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Everyone plays a role in helping minimize the effects of climate change. Each of us can take important steps to reduce, reuse and recycle. One thing everyone can do to protect the environment is get involved with your community. There are countless organizations dedicated to local environmental conservation, so reach out, understand how you can help, and take action.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Lawmakers can support a clean energy future by educating their constituents about the need for renewable energy and dispelling myths surrounding this process. If everyone is on the same page to slow climate change and what it takes to get there, the faster we can make progress. Policymakers can also help enable more transmission, the backbone of the clean energy transition, through legislation that supports state collaboration, long-term planning, and simplified permitting processes.

As ERI’s chief sustainability officer, David Hirschler is responsible for ERI’s internal and external sustainability initiatives to help maintain ERI’s place as the most responsible and transparent IT and electronics asset disposition provider in the United States. This includes managing legislative responsibilities covering the gamut of producer responsibility regulations through data protection regulations. He has worked in the recycling field for more than 20 years, focused on the implementation, development, and marketing of innovative programs.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
Further enhance ERI’s ESG and waste diversion tracking programs, and efforts to improve circularity and ERI’s positive impact.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Do your research! Investigate organizations to make sure they are certified and practice sustainable best practices before working with them.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Responsibly recycle electronics!

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Engage in collaborative and innovation-embracing policies to encourage consumer and business buy-in to the circular economy.

Elijah Hutchinson is the executive director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice (MOCEJ), helping NYC achieve one of the most ambitious climate agendas in the country. MOCEJ develops policy and manages programs that advance climate mitigation efforts and prepare NYC for the unprecedented challenge of the impacts of climate change while improving the health and quality of life for all New Yorkers. 

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice hopes to help New Yorkers take advantage of unprecedented grant opportunities being made available by the State and Federal governments in climate and environmental justice. To do this, we are working with communities to define resilience projects and empower New Yorkers with data through our new EJNYC Mapping Tool, an interactive resource available on our website.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Get involved in community action and join existing movements. Individual choice makes a meaningful difference, but there is power in collective action and there are many campaigns to choose from. Joining a team and a broader cause will keep you motivated and build social resilience. 

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Policymakers can help by working towards creating new and permanent sources of funding for climate and resilience projects. New infrastructure in New York City is expensive, and without regular funding, we too often have to wait for a disaster declaration or a climate event to have the coordinated resources of the Federal, State, and Local governments. We should fund climate infrastructure like we fund roads or other critical needs to our economy and community well-being. 

Laura Jay serves as a regional director for North America at C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. In this role, she works with cities in the U.S. and Canada to help advance climate actions, from policies to mitigate emissions to strategies for adapting to climate impacts. Previously, Laura served as the land use planning network manager at C40 where she worked with urban planners from cities around the world on policies to address climate change. Prior to joining the C40, Laura served as a project manager at Terrapin Bright Green where she consulted with government agencies, developers and nonprofits to create more sustainability policies and designs. She has also worked at the U.S. Green Building Council on governance and strategic planning. Laura has a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University in New York and a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
Within the United States, there is an unprecedented amount of funding available from the federal government to accelerate climate action within communities across the country. One of our main goals this year is to help ensure the money is implemented in the most equitable and effective ways in cities across the country. This will lower energy bills for residents, improve air quality and create good, well-paying jobs. 

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
This field is rapidly changing, because it has to. Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time and the solutions require creativity, innovative thinking, ambition and collaboration. There is not one pathway or one set of skills that is needed to solve these problems. 

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
The first thing people can do is to vote! Vote in every election no matter how small. Politicians make critical decisions every day that impact the environment and it’s critical our voices are heard in who is making those decisions and then holding those people accountable. In addition, people can make seemingly small changes to their daily lives that will help the environment and inspire those around them. For example, using public transportation, purchasing a heat pump or induction stove for your home, eating less meat, composting or purchasing locally made or second-hand items. All of these acts support a collective effort to reduce our individual impact on the environment. 

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Local policymakers need to continue to push for ambitious climate policy and to think innovatively about how climate policy can help advance other pressing challenges such as job creation, public health, public safety and quality of life improvements. Many of the same solutions address multiple challenges and it’s important that policymakers broaden the coalition of stakeholders to ensure that local policy can have the greatest impact. For example, creating a building retrofit program creates good-paying jobs, improves air quality for the residents and lowers energy bills reducing the energy burden on the residents.

Alanah has worked in environmental advocacy for almost two decades focusing on environmental conservation, outreach and education, equity and inclusion, and environmental and climate justice. In the Office of Environmental Justice, Mrs. Keddell-Tuckey leads a dedicated team that works to ensure that the histories, circumstances, and needs of residents living in historically overburdened and underfunded parts of the state are considered, respected and represented.  

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
We’re a state agency with a mission to protect the environment, so a goal for my office is to increase our footprint and improve our offerings. We can always do better, 2024 is another year to make sure we are moving in the right direction.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
While education is always valuable, there are many elements of this work you can only learn by doing. Whether you volunteer with a nonprofit organization or seek out seasonal work at DEC or other state agencies, there is something invaluable about having that hands-on experience. If the opportunity presents itself, and you are in a position to take advantage, I recommend volunteering or taking that internship. 

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Listen. Listen to those on the front lines, listen to experts, listen to those who you disagree with. Listen.      

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
I have the privilege of being a policymaker, so I’m on the other side of this question. I would ask advocates and organizations to reach out, especially if you have questions. I’m here to make sure your concerns are addressed and that our policies address the issues that affect your daily life. I want to hear from you and I want you to hear from me.  

Kit Kennedy is the managing director of NRDC’s Power Division. Kit previously served as bureau chief of the Environmental Protection Bureau at the New York Attorney General’s Office. She serves on the boards of the Keystone Policy Center, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, and the Executive Board of the New York State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section. She is a member of the American College of Environmental Lawyers.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
2024 will be a pivotal year for NRDC’s U.S. climate and clean energy advocacy. We’ll work to implement and defend the Biden Administration’s signature climate standards – EPA’s GHG standards for cars, trucks and the first round of GHG power plant standards. Working with our partners, we’ll aim to ensure that IRA funds flow to states and communities. In all of our work, affordability and equity will be central to our strategies.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
I’m impressed with the level of knowledge and experience that young professionals in the clean energy field are developing early in their careers. My main advice is to consider all the possible settings for working on clean energy – private sector, NGO and government service –  to understand that people can move from one setting to another and bring valuable experience with them. Stay focused and determined in your job search! You will find your way.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Remember to vote in all elections – local, state and federal!

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Federal, state and local policy progress is crucial to climate and clean energy success. We all need to work together and bring stakeholders and partners together to tackle the climate challenge and move forward at all levels.

Aharon Kestenbaum serves as director of energy and sustainability at Montefiore Health System. With over a decade of sustainability leadership experience spanning government, real estate, and health care, Aharon drives Montefiore’s decarbonization strategy, stakeholder engagement, and green building initiatives. He holds a master’s in sustainability management from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in geography and environment from Bar-Ilan University. Aharon is a LEED Green Associate and WELL Accredited Professional.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
In 2024, Montefiore’s top sustainability priority is making substantial progress on our decarbonization roadmap. Through a combination of energy studies, efficiency upgrades, electrification, education and innovation, we will work to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our facilities. These efforts drive us towards our goals while also improving resilience. By accelerating our decarbonization initiatives, Montefiore demonstrates leadership in mitigating climate change and its adverse health impacts on the communities we serve.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
For young professionals, focus on building foundational knowledge and always be curious. Ask questions, attend events, and volunteer to get your foot in the door. For experienced professionals, recognize that your existing skills in areas like finance, communications, or operations are highly transferable to sustainability roles. Engage your organization’s green team to explore how you can support their initiatives. With passion and persistence, you can have an impact in any position.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
We can all adopt simple, everyday practices that make a big difference. Dispose of litter properly to keep our neighborhoods clean. Be mindful of resource use by turning off lights, adjusting thermostats, and fixing leaky faucets. Walk, bike, or take transit instead of driving when possible. While these actions may seem small, they significantly reduce our environmental footprint when multiplied across communities. Collective behavior changes drive real progress.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Policymakers play a vital role by maintaining and expanding programs that incentivize sustainability investments. Whether it’s grants for building energy retrofits, funding for cleaner power and transportation infrastructure, or support for green workforce development, these initiatives accelerate our hospitals’ efforts. Continuing the open dialogue between government and health care institutions ensures policies account for our sector’s unique needs. Together, we can realize our shared climate and public health goals.