Connecticut State Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development

Press Releases

Governor Dannel P. Malloy

09/12/2011

Gov. Malloy Appoints Members to Reconstituted Clean Energy Authority; Names DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith as Chair

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today said that the Board of Directors of the reconstituted Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) will soon be working to institute new initiatives that will drive innovation and boost the use of environmentally friendly energy in the state.

"This group will work to more aggressively expand the state's opportunities to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy usage through more flexible methods, helping Connecticut maintain its position as a leader in clean energy," Governor Malloy said. "Their work will help strengthen Connecticut's economy, protect community health, improve the environment, and promote a secure energy supply for the state."

Legislation overwhelmingly approved by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Malloy this summer recreated the state's previous clean energy investment group into the newly formed Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority and broadened its ability to develop programs that will stimulate the use and affordability of clean energy. CEFIA is the nation's first full-scale clean energy finance authority, leveraging public and private funds to drive investment and scale-up clean energy deployment in Connecticut.

"This new model allows the Authority to further improve on its mission of promoting, developing and investing in clean energy and energy efficiency projects," Governor Malloy said.

In addition to the appointed members, Commissioner Catherine Smith from the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) will serve as chairman of the board, and the commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the State Treasurer, or their designees, will serve as ex officio members. Legislative leaders also have four appointments.


Members of CEFIA's Board of Directors appointed by the Governor:

  • Mark Cirilli of Norwalk is a co-founder and Managing Director of MissionPoint Capital Partners. Prior to forming MissionPoint, he served as Chief Investment Officer of Marshall Street Management, LLC and was a founder and Managing Partner of MSM Capital Partners, LLC, where he developed and executed the firm's investment strategy in clean technology and environmental sectors. [Member with experience in financing clean energy projects.]

  • Mun Young Choi of Storrs is dean of engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Connecticut. Before joining UConn in 2008, Choi served as department head of mechanical engineering and associate dean for research and graduate studies at Drexel University. He has helped to develop national outreach and educational programs with federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, NASA and U.S. Department of Education. [Member with experience in research and development or manufacturing of clean energy.]

  • Reed Hundt of Washington, D.C. is the CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital as well as Principal of REH Advisors. He is Chair of the Aspen Institute's International Digital Economy Accord (IDEA) Project and was a member of President Barack Obama's Transition Team (2008-09), where he was the economic agency review group head. Hundt served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1993 to 1997. [Member with experience in financing clean energy projects.]

  • John Olsen of Clinton serves as president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, which consists of approximately 500 affiliated labor unions involving more than 200,000 union members statewide, a position he has held for more than 20 years. Olsen served on the board of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, serving as its vice chair from October 2009 through June 2011, and served for three years on the Connecticut Clean Energy Advisory Committee. [Member representing labor organizations.]