About Mission Electric

Mission Electric is brought to you by Empire Clean Cities, a New York-based 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit and local U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Coalition. Empire Clean Cities’ mission is to ensure clean air for future generations.

Mission Electric is an electric vehicle campaign and one-stop shop for all information regarding resources, events, and funding incentives to help you transition to electric vehicles. 

We believe electric vehicles are a safe, sustainable, and zero-emission solution to clean transportation that protects our local health through air quality and our regional resilience to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Mission Electric Committee

The Mission Electric Committee will serve as subject matter experts and strategic guides to provide policy analysis, program coordination, and overall advocacy for electrifying transportation. 

Joy Gardner

Joy is Empire Clean Cities' Executive Director, as well as the Clean Cities Coalition Coordinator. She coordinates grant programs, memberships, outreach, and local events. She holds a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management from the New School for Public Engagement and has over 10 years experience working for a variety of social impact campaigns. Joy collaborates with ECC's partners and local communities to work towards an environmentally sustainable future.

Lauren Kesner O'Brien

Lauren is the Policy and Partnerships Manager at Empire Clean Cities. She earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in economic development, and worked as a journalist covering technology, energy policy, and electric and alternative fuel vehicles for Bloomberg Television, PBS, and CNBC.  Later she lobbied for successful climate bills in Albany and New York City. Lauren is committed to advancing clean transportation, sustainable mobility, and environmental justice by building impactful relationships between stakeholders, industry, and government.

Barry Carr

Barry Carr has spent his career in the advanced transportation world; working with major utilities, governments and fleets to develop clean transportation programs; including: EVs / EV charging, natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen. For the last 20 years, Barry has served as the Director for Clean Communities of CNY, the US DOE’s Clean Cities and Communities Coalition housed at the Syracuse Center of Excellence. 

Veronica Cason

Veronica Cason is the Program Manager for the Clean Communities of Central New York Coalitio.

Kathy Harris

Kathy Harris leads NRDC's work on clean vehicle policies and programs that accelerate the transition to zero-emission passenger cars and trucks. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked for the state of Delaware as a planner, addressing a variety of statewide and regional policies and programs to mitigate greenhouse gases in the transportation sector. She also served as the Delaware Clean Cities coordinator. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's degree in marine policy from the University of Delaware. She is based in NRDC's New York office.

Tevin Grant

Tevin Grant has always had a passion for the environment, the law, and automobiles. Tevin started Evolv-Electric as way to combine all of his passions. Evolv-Electric's mission is accelerate the adoption of medium and heavy duty electric vehicles in fleets, especially electric school buses. Evolv-Electric has been a major promoter of the NYC Council's electric school bus bill, Intro 455. Evolv-Electric also consults with fleet operators to devise plans to electrify their fleets, install, and pay for the necessary infrastructure and training needed to transition to electric.

Mark Simon

Mark Simon retired as the Director of EV Policy at NYC Department of Transportation. Mark founded the alternative fuel program, co-founded Empire Clean Cities in 2003, and spearheaded EV infrastructure development, including NYC's first 150 kW DC chargers. Mark’s recent focus on ZEV infrastructure and international partnerships, including a delegation to Oslo, highlights his lasting impact on sustainable transportation. 

John Markowitz

John is Director of e-Mobility Technology and Engineering at the New York Power Authority (NYPA). He manages NYPA’s electric transportation program, as well as projects in the areas of renewable energy and energy storage. He participated in the field testing of the first plug-in hybrid vehicles from the major automakers. He is also a member of the Electric Power Research Institute’s Infrastructure Working Committee. This group of representatives of the automakers and electric utilities defines safety standards for electric vehicle charging equipment.

We are doing our best to build an educational program that provides reliable information about electric vehicles to New Yorkers and are very open to feedback from the community. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach us at [email protected] or by using the contact form below. You can also follow us on social media for the latest in EV programs, funding options, events, and more!

Join the Mission

If you’re an individual, for-hire vehicle driver, business, industry partner, or any type of environmental enthusiast, you can join Mission Electric! 

We send monthly up-date-information about the latest in EV technology and charging infrastructure for your electric vehicle journey, saving opportunities for your first electric vehicle purchase, and up-to-date news and events for you to expand your EV curiosity!