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 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.
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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.
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David Chernack
David is the Program Manager at Empire Clean Cities. He received his M.Sc. in Environmental Policy from Bard Center of Environmental Policy in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in the spring of 2021; while at Bard CEP, David focused on electromobility issues and municipal access to EV technology. Previously, David was the Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Rhinebeck, New York. David is particularly interested in how the electromobility revolution can address many of the historic economic and social inequities of the U.S.'s current transportation ecosystem.
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Zanasia Graham
Zanasia is Mission Electric’s Coordinator under Empire Clean Cities. She has worked on diverse collaboration projects to push for an environmentally conscious and healthy campus with the following organizations: UCLA Sustainability Office, UCLA Zero Waste, and local community gardens.
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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.
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Melinda Hanson
Melinda is the founder of Brightside, where she leads the firm’s work to advance sustainable urban mobility. She’s also the co-founder of the Equitable Commute Project, a micromobility policy accelerator and equity program that connects lower-income New Yorkers with quality e-bikes and accessible financing. Melinda has shared insights on reducing car dependence in the Verge, Bloomberg, Canary Media, My Climate Journey, and NPR’s Marketplace, and has been named a Grist ‘Fixer’ and a Remarkable Woman in Transport. Melinda’s spent her career working to decarbonize urban mobility, including as Head of Sustainability at Bird and as Deputy Director at NACTO’s Global Designing Cities Initiative.
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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!