People news: ANCA hires new clean energy program director

SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) announced it has hired a new clean energy program director.

Jill Henck will lead the economic-development organization’s efforts to advance renewable energy and energy-efficiency initiatives, as well as energy and climate-justice policy, across New York’s North Country region, ANCA said in a news release.

Henck most recently served as sustainability planner and clean energy communities coordinator with the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC). Prior to moving back to New York state in 2017, she created and implemented land-use policies in Park County, Colorado around the region’s largest cash crop, recreational marijuana.

Henck joined ANCA’s growing staff, which now includes 21 people, on Dec. 1. As clean energy program director, she leads a team of four “energy circuit riders” (ECRs) who collaborate with local communities to expand clean-energy opportunities for their residents and businesses.

“Jill’s brings with her a diverse background that will help us grow our region’s clean energy economy,” ANCA Executive Director Elizabeth Cooper said. “Her direct experience with New York’s energy landscape is invaluable as ANCA expands our community-based projects and our broader systems-level efforts to guide the development of energy infrastructure, programs and policy.”

Henck, who grew up in the Mohawk Valley, earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy from Union College in 2010 and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning with a focus in environmental planning from the University of Colorado Denver in 2015.

ANCA’s Clean Energy Program (CEP) focuses on expanding clean-energy opportunities in North Country communities and growing investments in the region’s renewable-energy systems, including grid and transportation infrastructure. ECRs work directly with municipalities, school districts, businesses, and residents to plan and implement clean-energy projects such as energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, LED lighting, electric-vehicle charging stations, and community solar campaigns.

The CEP also works closely with state and regional stakeholders to develop systems that will support a “just and equitable transition to a low-carbon future across New York,” the release stated. Henck now holds a position with the State’s Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG), which was previously held by her predecessor at ANCA, Jerrod Bley. Henck is one of three individuals who represent rural communities in the group, which is tasked with helping guide the implementation of the New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). In her role with the CJWG, Henck will address energy-related needs and interests of North Country communities, including people of color, low- to moderate-income households, and other marginalized groups.