Friday, April 28th
SUNY Sullivan
112 College Road
Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759

Attendance is free.

New York State will add over 200,000 jobs to its economy over the next decade, as we accelerate the transition from fossil fuel power to clean energy. How can Sullivan County best respond to and benefit from this opportunity?

GREEN JOB FAIR
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Register to table at job fair
Register to attend job fair

Meet employers and training providers to take advantage of local opportunities for joining the green workforce! If you are interested in learning more about the fast-growing industries involving heat pumps, solar energy, weatherization, energy auditing, geothermal, insulation, and more, welcome! Both field and office jobs are available.

Young people, women, people of color, previously incarcerated individuals, veterans, and individuals from historically disadvantaged communities are strongly encouraged to attend.

Already in the industry? We still have space for additional businesses and organizations who work and hire within Sullivan County to come and table!

This career fair will take place in conjunction with SUNY Sullivan’s annual Earth Day celebration. Student attendees will be encouraged to visit the job fair and learn about the paths required to pursue clean energy careers as they look ahead to their futures.

CAREER LUNCH & STAKEHOLDER SUMMIT
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Register to attend Summit

Join local contractors, career training providers, workforce development specialists, teachers, diversity & inclusion experts, municipal officials, and other collaborators to discuss the needs and opportunities of the rapidly expanding clean energy industry.

If you serve any of these fast-growing industries, including heat pumps, solar energy, weatherization, energy auditing, geothermal, insulation, and more, welcome! If your work prioritizes young people, tradeswomen, people of color, previously incarcerated individuals, veterans, people with disabilities, or individuals from other historically disadvantaged communities, please join us! If you are interested in promoting good-quality jobs in Sullivan County and the surrounding area, we would be delighted to have you. A catered lunch will be served to all attendees.

Our keynote address will be graciously provided by Heather Brown, Acting Commissioner of Planning, Community Development & Environmental Management for Sullivan County; and Dwayne R. Norris, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Soulful Synergy. See below for additional keynote and panelist information.

EVENT SCHEDULE

9:30-10:00 Arrival, check-in

10:00-10:45  Welcome; keynote address

10:45-11:15 Job fair walk-through; coffee (transition from auditorium to conference room)

11:15-12:15 Local workforce expert panel

12:15-1:00 Lunch + networking

1:00-2:15 Breakout discussions (topics below)

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:00 Discussion report-backs and closing remarks

SPEAKER BIOS

Heather Brown has worked for Sullivan County since 2004 and currently serves as Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Community Development, and as the County’s Sustainability Coordinator. Her tenure began in the Division of Planning as a Research Assistant; she was promoted to Research Analyst in 2005 and Junior Planner/Environmental Specialist in 2007. Shortly after, she was recruited by the County Manager to be the Research Analyst for the Office of Management and Budget and was assigned to the Sullivan County Energy Commission in 2008. From 2008 to 2017 Ms. Brown worked on a wide variety of initiatives across the spectrum of services provided by County government. In 2017, she was appointed as the Sustainability Coordinator leading the new Office of Sustainable Energy.

Ms. Brown has served as the Co-Vice Chair of the Climate Action Committee of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), one of the most influential advocates for the State’s 62 counties, since the Committee’s inception in 2019. In her capacity as Deputy Commissioner of Planning, she also serves on a number of influential County boards and committees.

Ms. Brown earned her Bachelor of Science from Harper College at the State University of New York at Binghamton after graduating from Monticello High School in 2000. Born and raised in the Town of Bethel, she is proud to call Sullivan County her home.

Dwayne R. Norris is the Co-Founder & COO of Soulful Synergy, LLC. Through his work, Mr. Norris seeks to address systemic issues that affect disadvantaged communities by providing transformational services, designed to improve lives and create long term, sustainable development.

As Soulful Synergy COO, Mr. Norris is responsible for overseeing day to day operations, developing strategic partnerships and working with stakeholders to design programs that create impact in our community. Mr. Norris aides in the design of curated curricula for career advancement that encompass classroom training, hands-on vocational training, communication and soft skills training, financial literacy training, covered resume writing and assistance with job placement and career advancement. Mr. Norris manages multi-million dollar workforce development programs for government and private funded institutions; engages community partners across the state of New York to re-design and implement training programs that have succeeded in training more than 5,000 people for careers in the construction industry, clean energy industry, and security industry to name a few.

Mr. Norris was born July 14, 1985 at Bronx Municipal Hospital, Bronx, NY. He is the youngest of three children born to Vienna & Robin Norris, natives of the island of Barbados. Mr. Norris’s parents instilled in him from a young age the importance of education and the need to live life with integrity and compassion. These lessons have stuck with him throughout his life. At the age of seven he and his family moved to New Mexico where his father was a professor at the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West; a two-year international baccalaureate school, enrolling 200 students annually from around the world and representing 80 different countries. This unique exposure to a wide array of cultures, personalities, and ideas has been a defining part of his development. Mr. Norris proudly serves as board member for New York based nonprofit, Active Plus, whose mission is to improve the lives of our youth through health, fitness, leadership and nutrition education. Active Plus is dedicated to bringing more equity and inclusion to sports, mental and physical health through customized programming. Mr. Norris is a long time martial artist, teacher and practitioner of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do since 2008. He believes in the vital connection of mind, body and soul. Recreationally he plays soccer, basketball, and tennis. Mr. Norris is the Board Chair for the Rotary Club of Harlem Foundation and was recently appointed by Westchester County Executive, George Latimer to serve on his African American Advisory Board where he sits on the Economic Development Committee. He is a recipient of the Business Council of Westchester’s “40 under 40 Rising Star” award and the Brooklyn Crown Heights Lions Club “Community Service Award” amongst other achievements.

Mr. Norris has a deep unwavering commitment to the needs of underserved communities.

Larry Reeger is the Director of Sustainability at SUNY Sullivan and works as a Professor of Green Building Technologies, teaching tomorrow’s green workforce. Professor Reeger’s diverse and extensive experiences include working as an engineer and technical trainer in an automated manufacturing facility and working at a local wind farm as a wind technician. Professor Reeger has been trained by US Department of Energy and the Building Performance Institute and is recognized as a solar trainer in the Solar Trainer Network and a Certified Building Analyst.

Sameer Ranade is Climate Justice Advisor for the New York State Climate Action Council and is based out of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. He holds an M.P.A. in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Washington. Mr. Ranade’s background includes experience as a legislative staffer and election campaign organizer at the both the federal and state levels and extensive work experience with clean energy and environmentally oriented nonprofits and government agencies. Mr. Ranade’s expertise is at the intersection of ethics, social science, climate policy and public administration. His hobbies include writing rhymes, reading the New York Times climate section, drinking coffee, and jogging in New York City’s parks.

Bio to come for Caitlin Martusewicz, Certified Passive House Designer at Cycle Architecture + Planning.

Contact Cal Trumann at cal@nyforcleanpower.org with any questions.