SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER - Key Persons
Carmen Santos joined Sustainable Westchester in February 2020 to help accelerate the path towards a clean energy economy and a sustainable future. Carmen is a strong believer that communities, governments, and businesses can include sustainability as an integral part of their core strategy. She is involved in aiding climate action and helping create systems-based solutions.
She is a sustainability professional, environmentalist, and engineer, with global research and education experience. Her past engineering work focused on water quality and environmental remediation. She holds a M.E. degree in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College and a B.S degree in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Carmen has experienced life in various parts of the world, but finds that New York is close to her heart and where she calls home. She currently lives in Port Chester and is part of the Rye Town Committee.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Manager, Solar Programs
Claire Kokoska, Manager, Solar Programs, manages the opt-in Sustainable Westchester Community Solar program, launched in 2018. Since its establishment, Ms. Kokoska has worked to enroll several thousand residents, municipalities and small businesses across 30 community solar farms with 10 solar developer partners to provide guaranteed savings through local community distributed energy generation. The savings to subscribers will result in over $1 million in the course of subscriber participation. Ms. Kokoska began her work with Solar Programs in 2017 to administer and manage the successful Solarize Westchester program, which ultimately led to 600+ residential and small commercial solar installations across 22 municipal campaigns. She specializes in research, marketing, logistics, and enthusiastic support implementing clean energy projects in the Hudson Valley.
Prior to Sustainable Westchester, Ms. Kokoska worked in high-rise commercial property management in downtown Chicago, implementing sustainability initiatives to advance eco-friendly practices among the commercial tenants, which included several Fortune 500 corporations. Ms. Kokoska studied Philosophy at Union College in Schenectady, NY, finishing Magna Cum Laude with a focus on environmental ethics.
Job Titles:
- Director of Westchester Power Program
- Team Member With
Dan Welsh has been a core team member with Sustainable Westchester and its predecessor organization, the Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium (NWEAC), since its formation in 2009. He was a part of the original team that created the Energize NY initiative and served as vice-chairman of the NWEAC Executive Committee. Dan then served on the Sustainable Westchester formation steering committee. Since September 2016, as an employee of Sustainable Westchester, Dan's responsibilities include business operations and program development for Westchester Power, New York State's first Community Choice Aggregation Program (CCA).
In his earlier career, Dan worked for Chemtex Engineering, building their local presence in China and overseeing marketing and contracts for the plant construction there. Prior to coming to Sustainable Westchester, his focus was in IT, working in database/web programming at Air Age Publishing and data systems management for Harrison School District.
Dan is a lifelong Westchester resident, born locally in Peekskill Hospital. A member of the Lewisboro Town Board since 2008, Dan led the effort to establish the first "Complete Streets" policy in Westchester and co-chaired the Sustainable Westchester Transportation & Land Use Committee. He raised his family in Westchester County and has dedicated himself to environmental concerns in the County.
Since 2012, Jason Baker has served in the Yonkers' Mayor's office as the Deputy Director of Communications, Special Assistant to the Mayor and as of 2017, the Director of Sustainability. Jason has been dedicated to the clean energy movement and has implemented numerous programs to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. One of these programs has been implementing the Yonkers "Green Fleet Program" which is transitioning 500 gas-powered city vehicles to electric. In addition, Jason has expanded the availability of electric vehicle charging stations, as well as city and school energy conservation programs, for Yonkers. In 2019, he received a "Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Award" for completing the first-of-its-kind solar and wind powered LED lighting replacement project at Yonkers' largest riverfront park.
Jason received his Bachelor degree in political science from the State University of New York, Plattsburgh and graduated as a member of the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha. Currently he is working on a Master Degree in Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Manager
- Customer Support Manager in the Marketing and Outreach Department
Jessica is the Customer Support Manager in the Marketing and Outreach department for Sustainable Westchester. She supports the department in various avenues including developing initiatives, customer support strategies, and database management.
Prior to joining Sustainable Westchester, Jessica has been in the publishing industry for 12 years in circulation and data management. She has previously worked for local newspapers, a niche magazine publisher, and an international subscription fulfillment bureau serving global magazine publishers.
Jessica is from Mercer County, New Jersey. She has been a resident of Peekskill since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair, Managing Partner, Gravitas Americas LLC
Jim is managing partner of Gravitas Americas LLC, a boutique firm focused on effecting change through impact investing and ESG advisory services. Prior to founding Gravitas Americas, Mr. Kuster held positions as CEO of Citizens Capital Markets, Inc., head of Corporate Finance for RBS Securities, Inc., partner at Crest Advisors LLC, and managing director at JPMorganChase Securities, Inc.
In advising businesses on corporate development strategy, Mr. Kuster looks to apply traditional approaches to enhancing stakeholder value while also addressing environmental and social impact objectives. Mr. Kuster holds an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, an MBA in Financial Management from Duke University, and a BA in Economics from Davidson College.
Outside of work, he enjoys road and mountain biking and playing keyboards in a couple of different bands. He is married and has three sons.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- CEO
- Vice President, Jacobs Engineering
Julie Chang currently serves as CEO Advisor, to the Chairman and CEO of Jacobs, a Fortune 250 firm with over 55,000 employees committed to creating a connected and sustainable world. As CEO Advisor Julie focuses on a variety of initiatives consistent with the CEO's priorities, as well as supports work required for our earnings preparations, board meetings and business planning. Julie brings a passion for Jacob's culture, sustainability and leadership and has demonstrated a drive for achieving the firm's business results.
She formerly served as Vice President, Northeast Geographic Operations Manager leading a team of over 1,200 professionals dedicated to building resilient and sustainable communities from Maine to New Jersey. Previously she was also the Director of New York Operations solving complex problems in the intricate environment of NYC by partnering with our clients to make NYC a better place. Under Julie's leadership the New York office grew to a combined team of over 450 professionals providing consulting, planning, design and CM services for a host of New York and regional clients.
Prior to joining Jacobs, Julie was the NY General Manager for Sam Schwartz, an engineering, planning and consulting firm. Julie also launched the resilience practice and was a Chief Economist providing consulting services around the globe in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Morocco for more than a decade with Ecology and Environment Inc. and Waterfield Portola.
Julie lives in Pelham, New York with her husband and three sons and splits her time between Dallas and NYC.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair, Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative
As a marketing professional, Ms. Wallach has created strategic communications and business development programs to provide non-profit organizations with resources that improve campaign effectiveness and leading brands with insights to discover opportunities tied to changing consumer lives. She has worked with clients in tech, automotive, financial services, retail and packaged goods businesses to reveal how consumer environmental attitudes and values throughout the world impact market behavior. Ms. Wallach has authored monthly columns in industry publications, mentored young professionals through Advertising Women of New York, served on the Board of Directors for the American Marketing Association in New York and is a Voting Member of the Marketing Hall of Fame Academy. Committed to sustainable living, Ms. Wallach volunteered as a citizen scientist with Save the Sound and is a member of the Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative, where she helped establish the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Healthy Yards Project. She lives with her husband in Larchmont, enjoys swimming in the Long Island Sound, gardening, and taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
Job Titles:
- Westchester Deputy County Executive
Ken Jenkins has been involved in the community for many years. Mr. Jenkins currently serves as Westchester Deputy County Executive, a position he has held since his appointment by County Executive George Latimer in 2018. In his role, he has helped prioritize and develop the needs of middle-class families, including affordable childcare and tax relief initiatives. Mr. Jenkins has served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators since 2007 and was elected to his fourth full term in 2015. He has served on the boards of many distinguished community groups and organizations, such as the Greyston Foundation, United Way, the Westchester County District Attorney's Community Advisory Committee, Westchester County Crime Stoppers, and the Community Planning Council of Yonkers. In addition, he was President of the Yonkers Branch of the NAACP for over five years and has served as President of the Yonkers Community Action Program.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation
- Executive Director, Westchester Community Foundation
Laura Rossi is Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation. She leads the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for all residents in Westchester. Through her leadership, the Foundation brings together donors, funders, nonprofits and municipal partners to better understand and address the root causes of persistent challenges and emerging needs. She began her career at WCF in 2007 as a program officer, where she managed a diverse portfolio, including the Foundation's environmental grantmaking program. She broadened that program to focus on sustainability, and worked closely with local community leaders to design, implement, and evaluate innovative approaches to sustainability. She holds a J.D. from New York Law School and a B.A. from St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM. She is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Westchester, and in 2021 was an honoree for the City & State's Above & Beyond awards. Prior to her career in philanthropy, she practiced law , worked for local and statewide nonprofits, and taught at local colleges. In addition to her role as co-Chair of the board of directors of Sustainable Westchester, Laura is a board member of New York Funders Alliance and the Support Center. In 2019 she was appointed to the Westchester Housing Opportunity Commission by County Executive George Latimer.
Job Titles:
- Director of EnergySmart HOMES
- Director of the EnergySmart HOMES
Lauren Brois is the Director of the EnergySmart HOMES campaign, working to transform the local uptake of residential clean heating and cooling options and to support the goals of the New York State Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) Initiative. Since 2013, Lauren has worked with Energize NY to design a community-based approach helping homeowners realize energy savings - while making homes more comfortable - through energy efficiency improvements incentivized by NYSERDA. Lauren will be joining the Sustainable Westchester staff in the spring of 2020 to manage the second EnergySmart HOMES grant.
Outside of work, Lauren is a familiar presence at numerous sustainability initiatives across Westchester County. She is a member of the Bedford 2020 Advisory Board, collaborating on projects such as Community Compost and Single Stream Recycling. Lauren has supported the Greenlight Awards, a sustainability competition for local high school students which allows them to showcase their solutions to environmental challenges. She volunteers with Green Ossining, hosting the largest Earth Day Celebration in Westchester County and helps organize the monthly Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series. Beekeeping at Mariondale in Ossining and volunteering at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown also keep Lauren busy. Most recently, she became a member of the Westchester County Climate Crisis Task Force.
Lauren is a highly committed Environmental Educator with a strong record of influencing community behavior and policies through innovative education programs, creative marketing strategies, and strong community relationships. She is passionate about environmental stewardship and dedicated to creating a more sustainable world.
Job Titles:
- Director of Solar Programs
Leo Wiegman joined Sustainable Westchester as the Director of Solar Programs in 2021. Prior to joining, Leo co-owned the solar energy firm Croton Energy Group for ten years. In 2015-2016, Leo was a key member of the team at Sustainable Westchester when the fledgling organization launched Westchester Power as its first program offering for its member municipalities. Leo also served as a consultant to the EnergizeNY and Solarize programs and the Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Consortium.
Leo is very interested in creating the kinds of regional public-private-non-profit partnerships that can accelerate carbon reduction in significant ways. He serves as president of the board of directors of CURE100.org, a Westchester-based nonprofit composed of member communities united to reduce emissions 100% by 2040. CURE100's Carbon Tracker application helps households quantify their specific carbon emissions and create reduction plans.
A Westchester resident since 1993, Leo also had the pleasure of serving as a local elected official in Croton-on-Hudson for twelve years, including three terms as Mayor. Science is a universal thread in his life, Leo's early career in book publishing included developing book programs in the social and physical sciences.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
Michel Delafontaine is the Director of Business Development and Distributed Energy Resources at Sustainable Westchester. Michel's focus is on the future of Westchester Power, New York State's first Community Choice Aggregation Program (CCA). He has been working with solar, wind, energy storage and transmission developers to integrate large-scale renewable energy generation into the CCA supply and engaging the Westchester communities in the additionality it will create.
Michel is also working on the capture and storage of solar light in chemical energy that could displace fossil fuels. He leads the organization's efforts to develop "solar plus storage" projects in the County, including a demonstration of solar to electric vehicle energy transfer at Sustainable Westchester's new headquarters in Mount Kisco.
In his previous ventures, Michel conducted research in renewable fuels for aviation under New York State Research and Development Agency and Small Business Innovation Research contracts. He collaborated on numerous white papers pertaining to the research and development of alternative aviation fuels. He also conducted a study on renewable energy technology risk scoring through modeling and Life Cycle Analysis. Michel's reporting metrics also included the evaluation of the readiness level of renewable energy technologies, linking financial and energy returns. Michel's expertise in energy storage includes flow batteries, Lithium-ion batteries as well as an investigation of the potential of metallic Lithium batteries for light aircraft.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager for the Westchester Power Program
- Operations Manager, Westchester Power Program
Nick joined Sustainable Westchester as the Operations Manager for the Westchester Power Program in September 2021. In this role, he is charged with helping maintain the systems and processes that have made the Westchester Power Program a success, while also contributing to the evolution of the organization's work. Nick is excited to collaborate on ideas and efforts that will further streamline and improve on the existing foundation that Westchester Power stands.
Prior to joining Sustainable Westchester, Nick spent 5.5 years at an equity focused non-profit Solar PV installation company called GRID Alternatives. While there, he managed the administration of multi-million dollar state-wide incentive programs targeted for disadvantaged communities in California, among various other hats he wore. These services delivered no-cost Solar PV systems, green job training opportunities, and other energy-related technologies and financial savings to residents of the state who are most impacted by the financial and health effects of our climate crisis.
Born and raised in Northern California where he went to school and worked all of his life, Nick moved with his family to Westchester County in the summer of 2021. His pursuit of a new role with an organization that shares common values to his own led him to Sustainable Westchester, where he was fortunate to find an opening that fit his background and be chosen for that position. He is excited to be putting down new roots and hopes to bring impactful and equitable climate solutions for all the residents of his new home of Westchester County.
Job Titles:
- Director of Energy Conservation and Sustainability, Westchester County
Peter McCartt has had an extensive and successful business career with a focus over the last 15 years on the environment, energy conservation, and sustainability. Currently he is the Director of Energy Conservation and Sustainability for Westchester County.
Peter has been instrumental in the creation of several successful organizations and programs across Westchester County. Peter helped found and sits on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Westchester, Inc. He created and has chaired Eastchester's Environmental Committee since 2006, he created and is Executive Director of the Friends of Twin Lakes County Park, he helped formulate and chaired the Advisory Board of Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, and is President of the Twin Lakes Civic Association. In 2012 Peter was named United Way's Volunteer of the Year for his work on the environment in Westchester/Putnam/Rockland and has been cited for many other awards for his distinguished public service to our region.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair, Sustainability Expert, Speaker, Publisher Green That Life
- Member of the Rye City Council and Publisher of Green That Life
Sara Goddard is a member of the Rye City Council and publisher of Green That Life, a guide for sustainable living that provides practical tools, tips, and resources related to a variety of sustainability topics, including waste reduction, pollution prevention, food waste, and environmental activism. For over 15 years, she has facilitated and led community engagement and advocacy initiatives for local groups and organizations.
She is the founder and former chair of the Rye Sustainability Committee. In her capacity as Rye Sustainability chair, Sara was the chief architect of Rye's first Sustainability Plan. She spearheaded and drafted the first reusable bag law in Westchester County, earning her group national awards and recognition.
A founding board member of Sustainable Westchester, Sara is also currently a board member of Jay Heritage Center. She has also served on the boards of Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Rye Nature Center and was an appointee to the Governor's N.Y. Rising Community Reconstruction Program to assist in allocating federal disaster relief funds.
Sara Kaye is a City Council Member representing District 5 on the City of New Rochelle City Council. During her tenure, Sara has spearheaded multiple renewable energy initiatives, natural resource conservation efforts, community outreach, and strategic planning and engagement of high-impact fundraising. Her steadfastness to environmental sustainability and renewable energy is evident in her work spearheading the effort to fund the City of New Rochelle's Climate Justice Plan. As a leader in the fight against climate change, Sara sponsored a resolution declaring a Climate Emergency in New Rochelle. She also serves as the council liaison to the Ecology and Natural Resource Advisory Committee. In collaboration with community advisors and city administrators, Sara works to implement GreeNR, the City's 20-year sustainability plan.
Job Titles:
- Supervisor
- Executive Board Member and Former President
Supervisor Warren Lucas has over thirty-one years of experience as an elected Town Board official, including twelve years of experience as Town Supervisor, and prior to this role he served as Deputy Supervisor and Town Councilman from 1990-2009.
Mr. Lucas has served as Executive Board member and former President (2016) of Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA), as well as President of the Westchester Putnam Association of Town Supervisors (WPATS). He was an active part of the WMOA Legislative Committee as a member and former Chair, and spent time in Albany discussing Westchester's Legislative agenda with State Legislators and specifically, the Westchester Delegation.
Mr. Lucas has been part of the following organizations: Energize NY Executive Board member until 2020 focusing on PACE Financing for NYS, East of Hudson Watershed Corporation Treasurer (Stormwater/phosphorus mitigation), and Executive Board member at Sustainable Westchester.
Mr. Lucas is a sixty-six-year resident of North Salem along with his wife Susan and their five children and five grandchildren. He has served on the Board of Trustees and as Treasurer of Kennedy Catholic High School of Somers, NY, and is a 30+ year-long member of the North Salem Lions Club. He has taken an active former role in the North Salem Zoning Board and Board Member of the North Salem Library.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Environmental and Climate Justice
Yasmin began working with Sustainable Westchester in March 2021 and is currently the Environmental and Climate Justice Associate for Sustainable Westchester. She strongly believes that in order to build resilience, we must understand the needs and strengths of each community and strive toward filling the gaps of social inequality. Yasmin is enthusiastic about helping advance Sustainable Westchester's equity goals of serving environmental justice areas and disadvantaged communities. Prior to this position, she was a Solar Programs Associate and assisted hundreds of residents with Community Solar enrollments, performed market sizing research, and analyzed data pertaining to low-to-moderate income individuals.
Yasmin graduated Magna Cum Laude with Departmental Honors at CUNY-Hunter College in 2020, double majoring in Sociology and Religious Studies and double minoring in Foreign Language and Political Science. She was also part of Hunter's social science seminars and pre-law program. From 2018-2019 she worked as a legal assistant intern with the New York City Law Department, assisting underserved families in need of Child Support and Juvenile Delinquent services.
Born and raised in New York City, Yasmin attended Aviation Career & Technical Education High School and graduated with Federal Aviation Administration aircraft maintenance licenses in both Airframe and Powerplant. Besides her dedication to technology and social justice, she has an immense love for animals and advocates for animal welfare and adoption. Yasmin aspires to combine her skills, passion and experience and effectively serve as a climate justice ambassador for our organization.