Clean Energy Expert Takes The Helm of Non-profit Focused on Advancing an Equitable and Inclusive Clean Energy Future
Clean Energy Group (CEG), a national nonprofit focused on advancing an equitable and inclusive clean energy future, announced the completion of a successful leadership transition as Seth Mullendore stepped into the role of President and Executive Director on January 1st. Mullendore succeeds CEG founder Lewis Milford, who retired at the end of 2021 after 23 years of leading the organization.
Mullendore first joined CEG in 2014, serving most recently as Vice President. Over the past seven years, he has led the organization’s successful Resilient Power Project, which is focused on enabling greater access to the benefits of solar photovoltaics and battery storage for low-income communities and communities of color. Under his leadership, the project awarded more than $1 million in regrants to advance the work of nonprofit community organizations and affordable housing providers seeking to strengthen the communities they serve through greater energy resilience. The grant program has supported nearly 100 solar and battery storage feasibility assessments in historically marginalized communities across the country. CEG is working to expand its Technical Assistance Fund in order to award another $1 million in the next three years.
“Seth’s deep energy expertise, his passion for equity, and commitment to energy justice have been pivotal in expanding CEG’s impact and reputation as a trusted partner and leader in the clean energy sector,” said Brian F. Keane, Chair of the CEG Board of Directors and President of SmartPower. “He’s exactly the leader CEG needs to face the very real challenges of advancing an equitable and inclusive clean energy future. There’s no doubt that CEG will thrive under Seth’s guidance, and I know that the entire board of directors is enthusiastic about working with him in his new role.”
“Clean Energy Group’s commitment to building a clean energy economy centered on equity and justice was a key factor in my decision to join the organization,” said Melanie Santiago-Mosier, Deputy Director of CEG. “Under Seth’s leadership, I look forward to a renewed focus on making the transition a just transition. Seth is bringing new energy to this aspect of our work, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to partner with him.” Santiago-Mosier joined CEG in September 2021, having previously served as Managing Director for Access and Equity at Vote Solar and leading clean energy regulatory and legislative affairs at several organizations.
In addition to CEG’s work on energy resilience, in 2018, Mullendore and Milford launched the Phase Out Peakers initiative, a collaborative effort to support local community and environmental justice groups in accelerating the retirement of polluting power plants with renewables and battery storage alternatives. This initiative is the first in the nation to systematically demonstrate how clean energy technologies can meet peak electricity demand and capture local health and wealth benefits for frontline communities. A major component of this effort is focused on New York City through the PEAK Coalition, a partnership between New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, UPROSE, THE POINT CDC, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and CEG that seeks to end the long-standing pollution burden and racially disproportionate health impacts from power plants on New York City’s most climate-vulnerable people.
“CEG has been a pivotal partner in our coalition to shut down polluting fossil-fuel power plants in New York City,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “Seth has been a key member of the PEAK Coalition since its inception, bringing years of experience tackling complex technical, policy, and economic issues and collaborating to formulate strategies to achieve our long-term goal, replacing the city’s peakers with clean energy. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Seth and the staff at CEG as he transitions to his new role.”
As President and Executive Director, Mullendore will work closely with staff and a diverse array of partners ranging from local community groups to national laboratories to help ensure that the clean energy transition includes the voices of all communities, creates equitable opportunities for ownership and wealth building, and addresses the past harms of the fossil-fuel industry. One of his first priorities in taking over leadership of the organization will be to oversee the implementation of core principles to center and prioritize equity and justice throughout CEG’s work and internal culture.
“It is an extreme honor to have the opportunity to lead such an innovative organization and continue working with the talented team here at CEG,” Seth Mullendore said. “It is exciting to be able to usher the organization into a new phase of our work, accelerating equitable clean energy solutions to the climate crisis while supporting the efforts of community-based partners to end and reverse the disproportionate adverse health, environmental, and economic impacts the energy sector has subjected frontline communities to for decades.”
CEG also manages and staffs the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), a coalition of state energy organizations working together to advance the rapid expansion of clean energy technologies. www.cesa.org
About SmartPower:
Created in 2002 by some of the nation’s largest private foundations, SmartPower believes that today’s energy solutions require the same consumer marketing approaches as traditional brands use. "Sell solar like it's Coca-cola" is our mantra as we create sustainability campaigns for federal, state and local agencies as well as utilities and private companies. www.smartpower.org
Brian F Keane
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