Empire Clean Cities Executive Director Joy Gardner Inducted into Clean Cities Hall of Fame for Leadership in Advancing Clean Transportation in New York
U.S. Department of Energy Recognizes New York City Leader for Advancing Clean Transportation
With six years of experience as an executive director in the Clean Cities and Communities (CC&C) partnership, Joy Gardner works vigorously to improve air quality and transportation access in local communities.
On Thursday, September 12, Gardner was honored for her leadership of Empire Clean Cities (ECC) by being inducted into the CC&C Hall of Fame, which places her among a group of elite CC&C coalition directors who have been recognized for their resolute commitment and contributions to furthering alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in U.S. transportation.
Mark Smith, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Integration Program, made the announcement on the third day of the 2024 Clean Cities and Communities Training Workshop, where coalition representatives from across the nation come together to learn about the latest transportation research, share experiences, and recognize each other’s successes.
Strong Partnerships Multiply Impact
Joy Gardner joined Empire Clean Cities (ECC) as executive director in 2018.
Always with a smile on her face and a can-do attitude, Gardner manages a staff of five and a stakeholder body of approximately 200. Gardner’s leadership has helped multiply the coalition’s impact through an impressive variety of projects that improve the lives of people living in the diverse areas of New York City (NYC) as well as Clean Cities and Communities’ capabilities.
ECC recently received two competitive DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Funding Opportunity Announcement awards. One, titled the Bronx is Breathing, is engaging with business and community stakeholders from the historically disadvantaged neighborhood of Hunts Point in the South Bronx to develop a community-driven EV charging deployment plan and install six DC fast chargers (DCFCs) in the area.
The coalition also participates in the Equitable Commute Project, working to expand economic access to sustainable micromobility through a focus on electric bikes, as well as the Bronx Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus project, which will deploy two hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses into Metropolitan Transportation Authority service in the Bronx. In addition, the coalition is a key partner with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in a pilot project to seed deployment of four solar and battery powered refrigerated truck trailers at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx. They also play a role in the Redhook Recharge Zone, which is building out 20 DCFCs in the Redhook neighborhood of Brooklyn to provide alternative transportation options to neighborhood residents, create a local pipeline of well-paying green jobs, and build grid resiliency to help the neighborhood withstand climate-related impacts.
The coalition also leads Mission Electric, an electric vehicle campaign and one-stop shop for all information regarding resources, events, and funding incentives to ease the transition to electric vehicles.
Furthering the CC&C mission through empowering New York state coalitions, Gardner is leading the effort to envision and implement the New York State CC&C Alliance among all six coalitions in New York. The Alliance plans to expand CC&C services to underserved counties in the state, enhance services to existing stakeholders, increase revenue sources for all coalitions involved, and unite statewide communications through enhanced newsletter and website platforms.
Numbers also speak to the strength of Gardner’s commitment to the CC&C mission; in her tenure of just six years, ECC stakeholders have displaced over 70 million GGEs. “I am so grateful to all of Clean Cities and Communities for being my mentors and friends and providing great ideas to continuously improve my coalition,” said Gardner. “I’m so happy to be part of the CC&C team!”
Empire Clean Cities coalition is a designated member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office partnership of more than 75 active coalitions. Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation’s environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. For more information, visit cleancities.energy.gov and cleancities.energy.gov/hall-of-fame
With six years of experience as an executive director in the Clean Cities and Communities (CC&C) partnership, Joy Gardner works vigorously to improve air quality and transportation access in local communities.
On Thursday, September 12, Gardner was honored for her leadership of Empire Clean Cities (ECC) by being inducted into the CC&C Hall of Fame, which places her among a group of elite CC&C coalition directors who have been recognized for their resolute commitment and contributions to furthering alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in U.S. transportation.
Mark Smith, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Integration Program, made the announcement on the third day of the 2024 Clean Cities and Communities Training Workshop, where coalition representatives from across the nation come together to learn about the latest transportation research, share experiences, and recognize each other’s successes.
Strong Partnerships Multiply Impact
Joy Gardner joined Empire Clean Cities (ECC) as executive director in 2018.
Always with a smile on her face and a can-do attitude, Gardner manages a staff of five and a stakeholder body of approximately 200. Gardner’s leadership has helped multiply the coalition’s impact through an impressive variety of projects that improve the lives of people living in the diverse areas of New York City (NYC) as well as Clean Cities and Communities’ capabilities.
ECC recently received two competitive DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Funding Opportunity Announcement awards. One, titled the Bronx is Breathing, is engaging with business and community stakeholders from the historically disadvantaged neighborhood of Hunts Point in the South Bronx to develop a community-driven EV charging deployment plan and install six DC fast chargers (DCFCs) in the area.
The coalition also participates in the Equitable Commute Project, working to expand economic access to sustainable micromobility through a focus on electric bikes, as well as the Bronx Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus project, which will deploy two hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses into Metropolitan Transportation Authority service in the Bronx. In addition, the coalition is a key partner with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in a pilot project to seed deployment of four solar and battery powered refrigerated truck trailers at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx. They also play a role in the Redhook Recharge Zone, which is building out 20 DCFCs in the Redhook neighborhood of Brooklyn to provide alternative transportation options to neighborhood residents, create a local pipeline of well-paying green jobs, and build grid resiliency to help the neighborhood withstand climate-related impacts.
The coalition also leads Mission Electric, an electric vehicle campaign and one-stop shop for all information regarding resources, events, and funding incentives to ease the transition to electric vehicles.
Furthering the CC&C mission through empowering New York state coalitions, Gardner is leading the effort to envision and implement the New York State CC&C Alliance among all six coalitions in New York. The Alliance plans to expand CC&C services to underserved counties in the state, enhance services to existing stakeholders, increase revenue sources for all coalitions involved, and unite statewide communications through enhanced newsletter and website platforms.
Numbers also speak to the strength of Gardner’s commitment to the CC&C mission; in her tenure of just six years, ECC stakeholders have displaced over 70 million GGEs. “I am so grateful to all of Clean Cities and Communities for being my mentors and friends and providing great ideas to continuously improve my coalition,” said Gardner. “I’m so happy to be part of the CC&C team!”
Empire Clean Cities coalition is a designated member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office partnership of more than 75 active coalitions. Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation’s environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. For more information, visit cleancities.energy.gov and cleancities.energy.gov/hall-of-fame