Climate Jobs Institute to Host Panel on Infrastructure Funding and Green Jobs in New York and Puerto Rico at the 2024 SOMOS Conference

On Thursday, November 7th, at 10:30am, the Climate Jobs Institute (CJI) will co-host a panel discussion on “Infrastructure Funding and Green Jobs in New York and Puerto Rico” at the 2024 SOMOS INC Puerto Rico Conference. The discussion, involving a wide range of stakeholders, will take place at the Caribe Hilton and focus on leveraging investments in clean energy to improve grid reliability and create high-quality jobs.

Senator Monica Martinez, Senator Jessica Ramos, and Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman are sponsoring this panel. Along with CJI executive director, Dr Lara Skinner, the panelists will include:

• John King, SUNY Chancellor 
• Jeanette Moy, Commissioner, Office of General Services (OGS)
• Doreen Harris, President and CEO, New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA)
• Robert Rodriguez, President & CEO, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY)
• Santos Rodriguez, Chief of Staff of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (Building Trades)
• Theo Moore, Executive Director, ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York (ALIGN)

The conference theme is “Navigating Change Together: Fostering Collaboration for a Sustainable Future.” SOMOS is a twice-annual conference organized by members of the New York State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force that aims to raise awareness of issues affecting the state’s Puerto Rican and Latino communities. The organizers host one convening in Albany, New York, and another in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The convening brings together over 1,500 New York-based legislators, labor leaders, business leaders, community organizers, and philanthropists. 

At the 2023 SOMOS INC Puerto Rico, CJI facilitated a panel discussion on “Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce in the Clean Energy Economy: Labor-Led Initiatives.” Earlier this year, in Albany, team members met with NYS legislators and highlighted equitable micro-mobility policies at the “Delivering Justice and Street Safety” panel with other organizations, including Workers Justice Project, Los Deliveristas Unidos, Transportation Alternatives, and the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. 

At this year’s conference, CJI will share its ongoing research into renewable energy infrastructure in New York, Inflation Reduction Act job tracking data, and emerging technologies, such as thermal energy networks. The team will also be able to engage new audiences on ongoing projects, such as the Carbon Free & Healthy Schools campaign, led by Climate Jobs New York, and findings from its previous studies, including the NYS Solar Workforce Study and the Apprenticeship Readiness Report.

CJI representatives will include executive director, Dr Lara Skinner; assistant director of labor outreach and workforce equity, Melissa Shetler; and team members Bethany Figueroa, Alec Goodwin, Johanna Lugo, and Rohan Palacios.

2023 SOMOS INC Puerto Rico: “Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce in the Clean Energy Economy: Labor Led Initiatives"

2024 SOMOS INC New York: CJI Team with Carl E Heastie, Speaker of the New York State Assembly