Citizens for Local Power hires Jess Mullen as executive director

The board of Citizens for Local Power (CLP) has announced that it will hire Jess Mullen as executive director. Mullen, who has expertise in the energy sector and a proven record leading successful initiatives, joined CLP on March 1, 2022. CLP board president Susan H. Gillespie says, “Jess is extraordinarily well-qualified to help us improve and expand on what we do.”

With 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, Mullen most recently served as campaign manager for the Stop Danskammer Coalition, leading opposition to and defeating the proposed fracked gas plant. In an October 2021 statement, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) commissioner Basil Seggos said that this effort gave the DEC the political backing needed to make a “precedent-setting leap of faith.”

Mullen is chair of the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition, where she advocates for statewide policy that accelerates solutions in New York State: widespread solar development, battery storage, transmission line upgrades, grid interconnectedness issues, inclusivity for low-income residents and people of color, energy efficiency, carbon-free transportation, electrification, renewable heat and more. “We want a clean energy economy,” she says, while observing that there is a huge systemic shift that still needs to happen – legislatively, regulatorily, financially and tangibly.

“The depth and breadth of her capabilities are impressive,” says Gillespie. “Jess’ energy and environment expertise, marketing and grantwriting experience and social justice activism will uplift and strengthen the work we are doing at CLP.”

For her part, Mullen has been a longtime fan of CLP and welcomes the opportunity to lead the organization. “Citizens for Local Power works on the issues I want to be working on. There are a variety of challenges that need to be overcome if we want to successfully transition to a fully renewable energy economy. To have an impact on the climate crisis, community health and the environment, we can focus on where we have the ability and influence to implement change – locally and statewide. With perseverance, we can serve as a model for the nation.”