2024 Power Players in Climate, Energy & Sustainability

Cecil has been NYU’s chief sustainability officer since 2018. In 2024, NYU was ranked #3 on the Princeton Review Top 50 Green Colleges list. Cecil founded the eco-village Dancing Rabbit; is a New York State licensed professional engineer; and is a Certified Energy Manager and LEED Accredited Professional. He serves on the Board of Directors of Urban Green Council. He earned a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
NYU will continue its robust progress towards the Coolfood Pledge – a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from its food supply by 2030.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Any career is a sustainability field. Whatever you do, it can help make our society, and our planet, a healthier and more sustainable place. Remember not everything important lives in the digital world – the material world, from power generation to building maintenance, is the basis for our daily existence, as well as many rewarding (and well-paying) careers.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Don’t use what you don’t need.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Every policy decision is a choice about what we value. For sustainability, there is so much we agree upon. Everyone wants clean air, clean water, safe and healthy food, and a stable climate for the kids who will grow up this century. So let’s take every opportunity to further these common goals in the individual and collective choices we make.

Basil Seggos was appointed DEC commissioner in October 2015, leading an agency of over 3,000 professionals. As the longest-serving DEC commissioner, he oversees programs that promote a clean, healthy and accessible environment, including protecting and restoring New York’s air, lands and waters, combating climate change, enforcing State environmental laws and regulations, responding to natural and man-made disasters, and supporting world-class outdoor recreation on state lands and waters, including hunting, fishing, hiking, and paddling.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
2024 is a pivotal year for DEC. We expect to launch draft regulations for New York’s cap-and-invest greenhouse gas emissions reduction program while also ramping up implementation of the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. Equity is key and is built into both of those initiatives This month, we announced a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and civil rights by establishing DEC’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
The simplest thing is to get involved and look out for the future of our planet. That can mean recycling better, composting, driving an electric vehicle, or carpooling. These efforts will help reduce our carbon footprint. Be active. As I always say, get outside! One of the best ways to inspire the next generation of stewards is to expose them to nature.

As co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Peggy Shepard has successfully combined grassroots organizing, environmental advocacy, and environmental health research to become a national leader in advancing environmental justice. She serves as co-chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council as well as chair of the New York City Environmental Justice Advisory Board and was the first female chair of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
We are working to ensure that City and State leaders fully fund their climate commitments. Passing legislation and developing programs and policies are critical steps, but these need to be fully funded, effectively implemented and adequately enforced.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Find an organization that you admire and get involved. Become a member, participate in events, and volunteer if you can. For example, we have monthly membership meetings as well as working groups that meet to discuss and take action on various issues. Getting involved is a great first step, and can help expand your network.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Vote. Electing people who share your views and values is critical to ensuring lasting change. Vote, and make sure everyone you know votes. And if you have the time, get involved in the political process. It’s easier than you may think, and you can really make a difference.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Understand that climate change, pollution, and other environmental issues do not impact everyone equally. People of color are disproportionately impacted in every way. That’s why it’s important to understand what we mean when we talk about equity and environmental justice. It is also important to work with these communities, those who are most impacted, and the community-based organizations that serve them. Those who are most impacted by a problem are likely to have the best solutions.

Valessa is SEIA’s Northeast regional director, working to advance solar and storage policies that create jobs and bring emissions-free energy online. Before SEIA, Valessa developed utility-scale wind, solar and battery energy storage projects, worked on interconnection and permitting at the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, and ran Solarize campaigns across the Southern Tier. From Ithaca, Valessa holds a master’s in environmental studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s from Guilford College.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
SEIA works to drive demand for solar and energy storage while ensuring that clean energy technologies and economic opportunities are accessible to all communities. In 2024, SEIA is also tackling barriers such as supply chain delays, siting challenges and more, which are holding the industry back from meeting soaring demand and our decarbonization mandate.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Considering environmental conservation or climate advocacy? Add clean energy project development to your career list. Whether you stay in clean energy or not, development is an effective way to get on-the-ground experience with siting, permitting, stakeholder outreach, financing and construction realities that will serve you well in any number of legal, policy, nonprofit, research, technical and governmental careers – all while decarbonizing our electric grid.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Show up. People make calls, email and attend public meetings when they oppose a project (fossil fuel or renewable). Show up for clean energy in your community and you will have an impact.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
Understand the numbers. If we want to decarbonize, we need to bring a lot more clean energy online and upgrade our electric infrastructure. At the same time, renewable generation buildout is not unbounded – we know how much we need and where it is likely to go. Knowing the numbers is a good way to understand the full scope of the challenge and to address concerns without creating new barriers to success.

Eric Thumma has worked on renewable energy projects in and around New York since 2007. Currently, he is Head of U.S. for the global offshore wind energy developer Corio Generation. Prior to joining Corio, he was an executive with Avangrid Renewables responsible for leading offshore wind projects. He also worked on onshore wind projects upstate, including two projects totaling over 150 MWs. His development experience stretches across commercial opportunities, project siting, and military radar mitigation agreements. 

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
Corio had major announcements in 2023 – opening a U.S. office and investing in major offshore wind projects. The projects we are undertaking will hopefully create a generational opportunity for communities around the region, and create a path to bring clean energy to our shores. Our biggest objective for 2024 is to move these forward while exploring other opportunities.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
A mentor once asked me to imagine a world with affordable, renewable energy that could be produced almost anywhere. That better world is what we pursue when we work to promote renewable energy.  My generation, the first full generation to work solely on renewable energy, has made incredible progress. It’ll be the next generation that moves us ever closer toward that vision. I can’t think of a better pursuit for a young person.

Julie Tighe is the president of NYLCV and NYLCVEF. In that role, she played a significant role in passing the CLCPA, congestion pricing, and all-electric school buses. She also secured increased funding for water infrastructure and parks, a commitment for citywide curbside composting, and was instrumental in the campaign that led to the passage of the $4.2B Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Bond Act. Previously, she served as chief of staff at NYSDEC.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
We need to act on multiple sectors to fight climate change. 1: Transportation – we need a clean fuel standard to slash our use of dirty diesel and fund electrification. 2: Buildings – We must turn off the gas spigot and start the clean heating and cooling transition with NY Heat plus start to build thermal energy networks. 3: Energy – we need bolder offshore wind goals – and speed up transmission, because there is no transition without transmission!

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Take the win. Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. There will always need to be compromises but don’t forego a win today so you can get an incrementally bigger win tomorrow. You don’t stop fighting to get to the end zone when you get the first down. But it’s a lot easier to score the touchdown when you keep moving the chains down the field.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
We say this often at the League: Our Vote is Our Power. The most important thing you can do to protect the environment is to vote. In every election. We can only do so much as individuals. Elected officials are the ones who can deliver systemic policies that will–or won’t–protect our environment and stem the tide of climate change. By voting for candidates who prioritize the environment, we can help ensure a sustainable and just future.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
The League advocates for policies and initiatives that protect our air and water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote clean energy. We need policymakers to educate themselves on these issues and partner with us to adopt more sustainable policies and practices. And if they don’t, we’ll hold them to account!

Bill Ulfelder is the executive director of The Nature Conservancy in New York. Under his leadership, The Nature Conservancy is fighting climate change in New York and beyond by advancing science to inform solutions; building diverse coalitions across New York State; and working with policymakers on all levels to enact policies that grow the clean energy economy, conserve natural areas, and safeguard access to clean drinking water and air. 

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
Along with environmental, labor, municipal and business partners, we’re supporting the passage of the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act. If authorized by the State Legislature, the Act will enable Suffolk County voters to create a dedicated fund to protect and restore water quality in Long Island’s bays and harbors; provide clean drinking water; and protect public health, create jobs, and remove pollution from the waters we depend on for drinking, fishing, boating, and swimming. 

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?|
There are so many exciting possibilities in the environmental and conservation field! I encourage people to consider local, national, and global dimensions of conservation and environmental work, as they all interrelate. And know that the path is not linear. My career has had many twists and turns, many of which were not foreseen. I took a more junior position and pay cut at one point in my career to do something I really wanted, and that subsequently opened all sorts of doors. 

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment? 
Talk about climate change! The Nature Conservancy’s chief scientist, Katherine Hayhoe, wrote a great book about the importance of talking about climate change with our family and friends, and really listening to understand where they are coming from. Best of all, she teaches you how to talk about climate solutions in ways that will make people feel like the best version of themselves. I highly recommend reading or listening to “Saving Us.” 

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work? 
Environmental conservation has always been a non-partisan issue. Everyone needs clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, and safe access to the outdoors. Policymakers of all political stripes and at all levels of government can work with their colleagues and constituencies to ensure we grow public funding for environmental programs and pass strong environmental laws. Making these issues a top policy priority will ensure a bright future for our kids, grandkids and young people.

Mark Weprin, is vice president for government affairs at Invenergy, the largest private clean energy company in the U.S. He is a former member of the NYS Assembly and NYC Council. He also served as the head of legislative affairs for former Governor Cuomo. Invenergy is developing Clean Path NY with its partners and has one of the largest wind and solar portfolios in NYS. Invenergy won the recent solicitation of the country’s largest competitively bid offshore wind project.

Laurie Wheelock, Esq. is the executive director and general counsel of the Public Utility Law Project (PULP). She is also a trustee of the New York Power Authority. Previously, she worked for NYPIRG and three members of the NYS Assembly focusing on a variety of issues including affordable housing, nonprofit reform, and environmental protection. Ms. Wheelock received her B.A. in political science from Binghamton University and her J.D. and M.A.  from Vermont Law School.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
PULP is working to codify and fund the state’s Energy Affordability Program (“EAP”) to ensure its stability as NY prepares to implement a new law that will automate enrollment in EAP. The EAP is a monthly bill discount that aims to ensure that no participating low-income utility customer pays more than 6% of their household income on their energy bills. By codifying the program and securing dedicated funding, the state can protect the EAP’s integrity.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Thinking outside of the box, networking, and relationship-building are helpful. It’s also important to gain a wide range of experiences to help you shape your understanding of the type of work you want to do and what you don’t want to do. Volunteering/internships is one way to help you gain insight into different issue areas and experiences while building relationships and connections that can help lead you to a job in the field.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
One practical and impactful action that individuals can take to help protect the environment is to reduce their energy consumption and increase their household’s energy efficiency. This can be as simple as turning off the lights or unplugging countertop electronics when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, or turning the thermostat down a degree or two before bedtime. NYSERDA’s EmPower + Program can also help low-moderate income households access incentives toward energy efficiency measures.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
The growing volume of direct service cases PULP takes on, along with the critical role we play representing low- and fixed-income households in rate cases and policy proceedings before the Public Service Commission, demands a significant expansion of our team and necessitates further financial support. With additional funding, PULP can continue to deliver the level of service and advocacy we have come to expect and effectively address the evolving challenges in utility consumer advocacy.

Fred Zalcman has over 30 years of experience in the energy field. His career has centered on promoting market structures and regulatory policies that are supportive of energy efficiency, renewable resources and clean distributed generation. Prior to joining NYOWA, Zalcman was the U.S. head of government affairs for Ørsted, where his work focused on policy development and stakeholder engagement to build a robust and self-sustaining market for offshore wind in the U.S.

What is one thing your organization hopes to accomplish in 2024?
This is setting up to be an exciting year for the offshore wind industry. In March, we celebrated the completion of South Fork Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, and we hope to begin construction on two more, much larger projects. NYOWA is working hard this year to raise New York’s offshore wind development goals from 9GW by 2035 to 20GW by 2050.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pursue a career in your field?
Educate yourself on the opportunities around you. Offshore wind was a field that didn’t exist in New York not long ago, but many skills are transferable. New York and offshore wind companies have committed to training a workforce, so there are plenty of workforce development opportunities available. New York is expected to need about 10,000 people to work in offshore wind, so it is an excellent time to explore what a career could look like.

What is one thing everyone can do to help protect the environment?
Vote! To fight against climate change, we will need our elected officials to take action. We need action not only in the White House and D.C., but in the state legislature and in every county, city, town and village. Pay attention to what candidates say about climate change and clean energy, and express your opinions. It’s only together can we make a true difference.

What can policymakers do to aid in your organization’s work?
There are countless people working every day to improve the health and welfare of New Yorkers by fighting climate change. I would encourage our dedicated elected officials to keep the larger goals top of mind so we don’t let the millions of small decisions and actions derail the overall agenda. We need our elected officials to stand strong in the wake of misinformation and do what is right for our state and our planet.