Menu
Our Presence
Northeast
ECC Northeast (NE) is increasing workforce diversity, enhancing MWDVBE business capacity, promoting equitable building electrification and decarbonization, and building community climate resilience through engagement with anchor institutions in across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Led by NE Regional Director, Alexis Washburn, and a team of four (Esmeralda Bisono, Sandra Lee, and Russell Paul), plus support from consultant Adam Parker, ECC Northeast employs deep community engagement strategies to reach marginalized communities.
Northwest
ECC Northwest (NW) is active in community engagement, building electrification, workforce and contractor development, and policymaking that supports equitable clean energy programs. Led by NW Regional Director, Steve Gelb, and four additional team members (Dewi Ali, Monica Guevara, Rosalund Jenkins, Winnie Wakaba) the NW has strong multi-sector support from government, labor, business, environmental organizations, affordable housing owners, and training providers. ECC Northwest serves Washington state, with an emphasis on western Washington.
Northern California
ECC Northern California (NorCal) works in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, which includes San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties. Led by NorCal Regional Director Avni Jamdar and a dynamic team (Megan Leary, Jenifer Lomeli, TTriss Williams Renard, and Carli Yoro), ECC NorCal develops sustainable projects such as clean energy, green infrastructure, and food procurement, which aim to contribute to the resilience of the Bay Area while providing low-income communities of color with an equity stake in the green economy. NorCal is harnessing the power of anchor institutions to tackle climate and health impacts via the Anchors in Resilient Communities (ARC) initiative.
Southern California
Southern California – ECC Southern California (SoCal) serves the Los Angeles, California region, including the Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura, encompassing 13 counties. ECC SoCal provides programs to address the barriers and gaps disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities face when entering the Energy Efficiency (EE) workforce. The SoCal team is led by Regional Director, Wendy Angel, and includes a dedicated team of three people (Shanette Anderson, Anthony Borunda, Joseph Warner). In 2023, SoCal was also led by Interim Regional Director, Tabaris Smith.
DMV
Officially launched in December 2023, the DMV region became the newest addition to the Emerald Cities Collaborative, encompassing the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. This region is leading efforts to integrate environment, equity, and economy, driving sustainable development and energy efficiency initiatives.
With over $3 billion invested a year in energy efficiency projects, the DMV region has emerged as a leader in addressing climate resilience through bold policies and forward-thinking legislation. However, significant challenges remain, as low-income workers, residents and firms have historically been excluded from fully participating in and benefiting from this growing economy.
Civic Infrastructure
Civic Infrastructure is the informal and formal networks and processes through which community power, including problem-solving and decision-making, is carried out. Building successful civic infrastructure means investing in the capacity for communities to lead in establishing high road – just, sustainable, and democratic – policies, programs, and practices that foster collaboration and the creation of community assets that address and solve intersectional justice concerns.
ECC’s Civic Infrastructure Team manages a number of national programs and resources designed for communities to engage with equitable place-based planning and implementation, particularly in the energy economy:
Strategic Initiatives
ECC’s Strategic Initiatives team works with national partners to carry demonstration and advisory projects to promote best practices in economic inclusion, workforce equity, and community partnerships. Strategic Initiatives play an important role in building a field of practice with local, state, and federal government, philanthropy, and the private sector. In 2021, ECC launched its Strategic Initiatives division to leverage the diverse expertise of our regional teams to provide tailored consulting services to government, corporate, and philanthropic clients. And in 2023, ECC hired its first Director of Strategic Initiatives, Chelsey Bryant. The Strategic Initiatives team also includes Katie Del Castillo-Beltran and Alyssa Moore.
Since 2021, Strategic Initiatives completed projects focused on expanding business and workforce opportunities for businesses and individuals serving BIPOC communities. Clients include: Montgomery County (Maryland), ConEdison, NICOR Gas, Peoples Gas, & North Shore Gas (a partnership of utility companies in Northern Illinois); the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, and the City of Washington, DC Department of Energy and Environment, the Barr Foundation. Demonstration projects include Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (with the ACEEE and other partners) and the American Cities Climate Challenge (funded by the Bloomberg Foundation).
