Elizabeth (Betta) Broad
Director
Betta Broad is working on the transition to a clean energy economy in New York. A native New Yorker, Betta has been an advocate for social justice, peace and sustainability for over two decades. Her first campaign was organizing for “Justice for Janitors” on her college campus. She then worked for a labor union, on campaigns to oppose unfair free trade agreements and to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. As Deputy Director of Earth Day Initiative, she organized the major Earth Day festivals in NYC for five years before joining the campaign to ban fracking. She co-produced a series of videos called “Love NY: don’t frack it up!” and worked with advocates across the state to successfully ban fracking in New York. While working for Catskill Mountainkeeper she created the RenewableNY program that subsequently received a $1.8 million award from NYSERDA to expand Solarize campaigns across 15 counties.
In 2016, she helped launch the New Yorkers for Clean Power campaign and continues to serve as NYCP’s director, working collaboratively with an extensive network of advocates to accelerate the shift off fossil fuels in the building, transportation and power sectors. She recently joined the team at the Association for Energy Affordability as the Director of Advocacy and Organizing where she primarily works on advancing energy efficiency, equitable electrification, and clean energy policy, programs and legislation that benefit low-income communities in New York. She serves on the boards of directors of Citizens for Local Power and Brooklyn for Peace. She was appointed to the City of Kingston’s Climate Smart Commission, the Ulster County Climate Smart Committee and the Power Generation Advisory Panel for the NYS Climate Action Council, making her the only person in New York to serve on a climate action advisory board at the city, county and state level.
Jennifer Metzger
Policy Director
Jen Metzger, PhD, former NYS State Senator (2019-2020) and previously, executive director of Citizens for Local Power, joins the NYCP team to provide expert guidance on state policies!
Prior to her election to the State Senate, Senator Metzger served for over a decade in local government in the Town of Rosendale, and co-founded and directed Citizens for Local Power, an organization dedicated to fighting unfair utility rates and practices and helping communities shift to a locally-based clean energy economy.
In the State Senate, Senator Metzger was a leading voice for action to tackle climate change, move away from reliance on fossil fuels, and increase job-creating clean energy investments. She was an active member of the Senate’s workgroup on the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which was signed into law in July 2019, and she led efforts in the State Legislature to create a permanent ban on fracking, passed as part of the budget in 2020.
Senator Metzger also introduced a number of bills to tackle climate change and encourage clean energy investments and practices, including the Freedom from Fossil Fuels Act (banning new fossil fuel infrastructure), a package of legislation to support and expand clean transportation, a bill creating a carbon-farming tax credit to promote healthy soils and sequester carbon, legislation to reduce high utility fixed charges, and bills to improve recycling and encourage re-use.
Melissa Iachetta
Program Manager
Melissa graduated SUNY New Paltz in 2015 where she majored in Geography and minored in Environmental Studies. While in attendance she was the Campus Recycling Coordinator and organized large-scale events such as Reuse 2 Reduce, an end-of-year move-out program, which in her final year of managing diverted six tons of material from the waste stream. After graduation, Melissa worked with RAMTeCH Software Solutions on-site for Central Hudson Gas and Electric in the Electric GIS department. She managed a team of 12 technicians in the United States (and a few more off-shore in India) as their Project Coordinator. While working in her Geography realm for the next 5 years, Melissa continued to follow her environmental passions on the side. She joined the Climate Smart Kingston Commission in 2018 and is now in her second term. Also in 2018, she accepted a part-time job with NYCP as an Outreach Representative. In this role, she helped plan a Waste Conference with the Ulster County Environment Management Council, organized a Climate Solutions Summit with NYCP and facilitates Kingston’s Repair Cafes. Most recently she has been a cohost of a series of meetings to guide Hudson Valley municipalities through Scenic Hudson’s Solar Mapping tool. Melissa is the new Program Manager at NYCP and is excited to bring her management background, event planning and passion to the campaign to help lead the NYCP team.
Brynn Fuller-Becker
Communications Coordinator
Cal Trumann
Education Coordinator
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
Senior Clean Power Fellow
Ibrahim is a bright, playful spirit who authentically reflects and acts on bold questions. He has woven fatherhood, sports, protecting the planet, technology, youth development, culture, music, poetry and a commitment to faith and family into a career focused on transforming our relationship to the planet, deepening democracy, and finding regenerative solutions to persistent human problems. He sits on the boards of the International Living Future Institute , the New York Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land , Sapelo Square, and Green City Force. Ibrahim is the author of Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet and earned his Master of Public Administration at Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, where he now lectures. In 2018 Ibrahim founded Green Squash Consulting, a management consulting firm based in New York working with people, organizations, companies, coalitions, and governments committed to equity, justice, and protecting the planet.
Amelia Gross
Junior Clean Power Fellow
Amelia is a rising senior at the University of Rochester and a Junior Clean Power Fellow with NYCP. At school, she is studying Environmental Health and Political Science and is passionate about fighting the climate crisis and protecting human health. This past year, Amelia worked as an Environmental Programs Intern for the City of Rochester where she assisted on projects to make access to nature and environmental education more equitable for children. She is excited to continue working on environmental issues with a commitment to equity and justice with NYCP. Amelia is originally from Tarrytown and remains in New York for school, so she is especially excited to promote the transition to a green economy for her home state.
Edwin Alonso
Intern
Edwin is a rising college freshman who will be majoring in Finance. He currently resides in Queens, New York. In the past, Edwin has interned with organizations like Solar One and NHS of Queens, where he helped communities with ongoing problems and looked for solutions for the future. He is excited to continue learning about ways to combat climate change with NYCP. Edwin enjoys spending time outdoors, playing sports, and listening to music.
Lara Milanovic
Intern
Lara Milanovic graduated from Forest Hills High School this year and will be entering the University of South Florida in September as a Political Science major. Throughout her high school years, she volunteered and worked every summer. Last summer she worked for Cloud Research doing research and database work. Before Cloud Research, she worked in a clerical position working mostly with Excel. She considers herself very communicative and social and loves interacting and working with others. She hopes to pursue a career in law in the future. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with my friends, trying out new foods, and traveling.
Tom Konrad
Clean Energy Coach
Tom Konrad, PhD, CFA, is a portfolio manager, financial analyst, and freelance writer specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, to review energy updates and state programs with community members. He also serves as the Chair on the Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission, and has joined the NYCP as our first Clean Energy Coach!
You can schedule a time to talk with Tom for free – click the button below for more information and to schedule a meeting.
Samrat Pathania
Clean Energy Coach
Samrat Pathania grew up in India. His childhood love for science and mathematics culminated in a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur (India). After working several years as a software engineer with various multi-national corporations, Samrat became a teacher and currently teaches physics, mathematics, and software programming courses at Wallkill High School. He is a member of New York State Master Teacher Program and was named the sole winner of the 2017 STEM Teacher Scholarship from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. Samrat is former chair and coordinator of the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition. He is also a Climate Reality Leader and currently serves as co-chair of the Hudson Valley/Catskills chapter of the Climate Reality Project.
You can schedule a time to talk with Samrat for free – click the button below for more information and to schedule a meeting.