Melanie Santiago-Mosier named Deputy Director of Clean Energy Group and the Clean Energy States Alliance

Respected leader to bring expertise in solar and energy justice to both national nonprofits

Vermont Business Magazine Clean Energy Group (CEG), a national nonprofit advocacy organization focused on enabling a just clean energy transition, has announced that Melanie Santiago-Mosier will join CEG and its sister organization, the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), as Deputy Director in mid-September 2021. Santiago-Mosier previously served as Managing Director for Access and Equity at Vote Solar, where her work centered on implementing the organization’s vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

“We are very pleased to welcome Melanie to our team,” said CEG’s Vice President Seth Mullendore. “Her years of experience and commitment to clean energy access will be invaluable assets to our work. Low-income households and people of color are suffering from long-term exposure to fossil-fuel emissions while disproportionately bearing the brunt of climate disasters. Melanie’s expertise will greatly enhance CEG’s mission to address these inequities in collaboration with frontline communities and community-based advocates across the country.”

As Deputy Director, Santiago-Mosier will play a pivotal role in guiding and expanding CEG’s Resilient Power Project, an innovative, multi-year effort to increase access to resilient, clean energy solutions at critical community-serving facilities in low-income communities and communities of color. She will also support CEG’s Phase Out Peakers initiative, a collaborative project with local advocates to replace peaker power plants with energy storage and renewables to relieve longstanding air pollution burdens in environmental justice communities. She will work closely with CEG Vice President Seth Mullendore, who has been named to become CEG’s President and Executive Director following the retirement of CEG’s President and founder, Lewis Milford, at the end of December 2021.

With CESA, a membership organization focused on supporting states to advance clean energy, Santiago-Mosier will lead efforts to bring solar to manufactured homes as well as support CESA’s 100% Clean Energy Collaborative’s work on equity in state-level goals and program implementation. For both organizations, she will help strengthen and further expand their role in advancing greater access to clean energy at the state and local levels.

“The many states CESA works with have been increasingly focused on making clean energy more inclusive and accessible,” said CESA Executive Director Warren Leon. “Melanie’s expertise will help guide CESA in our work to ensure that state policies support the development of clean, affordable and resilient energy, informed by the needs of and input from local communities.”

“I am looking forward to working with the impressive teams at CEG and CESA and getting involved in the wide-ranging and important topics they cover,” said Melanie Santiago-Mosier. “My hope is that we can make significant progress in moving towards a more just and equitable clean energy future.”

A licensed attorney, Santiago-Mosier has worked to advance clean energy policy for over a decade, leading regulatory and legislative affairs at several organizations. She led government-affairs efforts for the Maryland Public Service Commission, Washington Gas Energy Services, and SunEdison, after serving as counsel and policy analyst for the Maryland General Assembly. She serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Climate Access Fund.

Santiago-Mosier is widely respected for her work and has received numerous accolades: in 2015, she was named one of Maryland’s Leading Women by The Daily Record; in 2018, she won the prestigious C3E Award for Clean Energy Advocacy; in 2019, she won a WRISE Honor for her work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in clean energy; and in 2020, she was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record.

About Clean Energy Group (CEG)

Clean Energy Group (CEG), a leading national nonprofit advocacy organization, works to provide technical assistance, independent analysis, and policy support to address climate mitigation, adaptation, and energy justice. CEG collaborates with partners across private, governmental and nonprofit sectors to accelerate the equitable deployment of innovative clean energy technologies and the implementation of inclusive clean energy programs, policies, and financial tools. CEG’s emphasis on enabling greater access to distributed clean energy technologies, primarily solar and battery storage, compliments its work with frontline communities, environmental justice advocates, technical experts, and transformative leaders to advance a just energy transition to a resilient, clean energy future. Founded in 1998, CEG has been a thought leader on effective strategies to address the climate crisis by expanding clean energy for more than 20 years. CEG staffs and manages the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA). www.cleanegroup.org

About the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA)

The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) is a leading US coalition of state energy organizations working together to advance the rapid expansion of clean energy technologies and bring the benefits of clean energy to all. Our vision is to ensure that state-led efforts advance a just transition to 100% clean energy by 2050. Established in 2002, CESA is a national, member-supported nonprofit that works with its members to develop and implement effective clean energy policies and programs. CESA’s members include many of the nation’s most innovative, successful, and influential implementers of clean energy policies. CESA facilitates the expansion of state clean energy policies, programs, and innovation, with an emphasis on renewable energy, energy storage, energy equity, and resiliency. CESA and its members perform an essential role in moving the nation from fossil fuels to affordable clean energy. www.cesa.org

CEG and CESA are headquartered in Montpelier, VT, with staff located in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.