NECEC (Northeast Clean Energy Council and the NECEC Institute) announced the election of four new board members representing leading energy companies and cleantech ecosystem organizations.

NECEC’s newly elected board members include:

• George Sakellaris, President and CEO of Ameresco, who joins the board of the Northeast Clean Energy Council
• Christian Weeks, Vice President and General Manager of Global Demand Response, EnerNOC, an Enel Group Company, who joins the boards of the Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute
• Jeff Marks, Executive Director of the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech), who joins the boards of the Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute
• Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs, who joins the board of NECEC Institute

“We welcome George, Christian, Jeff, and Emily to our board of directors and look forward to engaging with them to advance our mission to grow the Northeast clean energy economy,” said Peter Rothstein, President of NECEC. “From influencing state and regional policy to nurturing early-stage cleantech companies, these individuals bring decades of diverse clean energy experience to the table and we are honored to have them on our board.”

Sakellaris is President & CEO of Ameresco. A pioneer and leader who has utilized vision and entrepreneurial spirit in his more than 40 year career to encourage private investment in energy efficiency and renewable initiatives, he founded Ameresco in 2000 to build a product-neutral and supplier-independent energy company. The company has grown to a $650 million public energy solutions provider that has arranged financing for over $2.5 billion in energy projects for customers, and been involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects valued at a total of more than $5 billion. On Thursday, October 26, NECEC honored Sakellaris with the special “Decade of Influence” Green Tie Gala Award for her contributions to advancing the clean energy economy over the past decade.

"It’s an honor to join the Board of the Northeast Clean Energy Council," said Sakellaris. "Since the organization's inception ten years ago, NECEC has achieved great success in its work advocating for our industry’s issues and moving the cleantech industry forward, and I am pleased to join forces to continue to advance innovation and the overall industry."

Weeks is Vice President and General Manager for EnerNOC’s global Demand Response business. Most recently, he led EnerNOC’s software and demand response businesses in Australia and New Zealand. He brings a passion for disruptive technologies and scalable growth, as well as over a decade of clean energy experience to the boards of the

Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute.

“NECEC has helped foster a community of passionate business leaders that share EnerNOC’s mission to change the way the world uses energy,” said Weeks. “I’m proud to be part of an organization dedicated to growing the cleantech ecosystem throughout the Northeast. The NECEC has been instrumental in attracting top talent to the region’s most innovative companies."

Marks is the Executive Director of E2Tech in Portland, Maine. Previously, he served in the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, with United Technologies Corp., and with the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington, DC. In addition to his new role as a board member, Marks works with the NECEC policy team as State Coordinator for Maine. His expertise in policy, financing, and innovation support for cleantech startups, and energy and environmental businesses, nonprofits and government entities will prove invaluable to the boards of the Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute.

“It is critical to work on a regional basis to influence public policy and help companies promote their innovative products and services,” said Marks. “NECEC leads in achieving both objectives and E2Tech is proud of our strong, active partnership to support the cleantech cluster in Maine and throughout the Northeast.”

Reichert serves as CEO of Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology startup incubator in the United States. As the company's first employee, she spearheaded the rapid growth of Greentown Labs into a global center for clean technology innovation, Reichert has been appointed to leadership positions on innovation, economic development, entrepreneurship and clean technology commercialization at the city, state, and federal level including Massachusetts Governor’s Economic Development Planning Council and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. On Thursday, October 26, NECEC honored Reichert with the special “Decade of Influence” Green Tie Gala Award for her contributions to advancing the clean energy economy over the past decade.

“NECEC plays a critical role in pushing the Northeast energy industry forward, and I'm proud to support an organization that's so committed to workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship, and research and development—three sectors I'm passionate about,” said Reichert. “I'm honored to join NECEC's impressive Board of Directors and eager to get to work!"

About NECEC

NECEC is the premier voice of businesses building a world-class clean energy hub in the Northeast, helping clean energy companies start, scale and succeed with our unique business, innovation and policy leadership. NECEC includes the Northeast Clean Energy Council (a nonprofit business member organization), and NECEC Institute (a nonprofit focused on industry research, innovation, policy development and communications initiatives). NECEC brings together business leaders and key stakeholders to engage in influential policy discussions and business initiatives while building connections that propel the clean energy industry forward. www.necec.org