CGC Also Hires Nenha Young as Director of Policy and Network, Promotes Henry Litman to Senior Vice President of Investment
Washington, DC— The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) today announced that Eli Hopson has joined the organization as chief operating officer and executive director following his tenure as the chief executive office of the DC Green Bank. CGC has also hired Nenha Young as director of policy and network and has promoted Henry Litman to senior vice president of investment.
“I’m excited to welcome Eli Hopson to serve in this critical role for CGC as we prepare to launch a single, national green bank that will make clean energy cheaper and accessible for everyone,” said Reed Hundt, founder and chief executive officer of CGC. “In addition to Eli, Nenha and Henry will help position CGC to deliver on the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to effectively bring green investments to communities across America, especially low-income and disadvantaged communities.”
“This is a once-in-a-generation moment to make a difference on climate and in disadvantaged communities,” said Eli Hopson, COO and executive director for CGC. “After working closely with the CGC team for so many years, I am thrilled to be joining the organization as we work to establish the United States’ first national green bank and apply our learnings and tools to accelerate our country’s transition to a just and equitable clean energy economy. We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us, and our team has the experience in climate finance, with our network of over 20 green banks in 17 states and the District of Columbia, new green banks in formation, and our community finance partners, to deliver on the promise of a national climate bank.”
“I’m excited to join an organization that is set to play an outsized role in transitioning our country to clean energy,” said Nenha Young, director of policy and network. “The Inflation Reduction Act will be transformational for decarbonizing America, and the network of green banks CGC partners with is best positioned to deliver this urgent change that will improve Americans’ lives.”
“After nearly two years with CGC spent advocating for legislation to establish a national climate bank, I’m excited to take on this new role as we ramp up our efforts to establish this national clean power financing institution,” said Henry Litman, senior vice president of investment. “With our deep climate finance experience and a broad coalition that includes an unparalleled network of green banks, we plan to deliver benefits to every community.”
On September 9, Senators Edward J. Markey and Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan to “encourage” the rapid maximum funding of “a single, independent, non-profit national climate bank that would maximize the leveraging of private capital investment, ensure the efficient distribution of funds within a growing green bank network and create opportunities for large scale, transformational investments — particularly in environmental justice communities…” They explained that the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GHGRF) in the Inflation Reduction Act is “poised to accomplish that goal” and urged EPA ” to rapidly invest maximum funding” in that national climate bank.
The September 9 letter follows a statement on August 12, 2022 by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell submitted for the congressional record on the day the House voted for the IRA stating that the legislation is intended to “capitalize a single independent, non-profit national financing institution — the first ever national green bank.”
Staff Bios
Eli Hopson, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director
Eli previously was CEO of the DC Green Bank, where he led the strategic and operational implementation of DC Green Bank’s programs and fostered relationships with key partners and stakeholders. Under his steady leadership, DC Green Bank developed its first financial offerings, established strategic relationships, and explored opportunities to realize the District’s ambitious Clean Energy goals and DC Green Bank’s mission of becoming the integrated hub of information and investment to accelerate DC’s transition to a sustainable and thriving future.
A clean energy expert, Eli previously served as VP of Legal and Chief Compliance Officer at Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, successor to a merger with Cube Hydro Partners where he was VP of Legal, Regulatory, and Policy. Eli’s prior experiences also include Latham & Watkins, Union of Concerned Scientists, US House of Representatives Committee on Science, and US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Eli received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and M. Eng. and B.A. in Environmental Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Nenha Young, Director of Policy and Network
Nenha is an experienced community development professional and recently completed her Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, specializing in Energy and the Environment. Nenha believes that the clean energy transition is one of the most critical opportunities to address the climate crisis and wants to ensure that low and moderate income communities are prioritized.
During graduate school, Nenha supported various efforts to advance decarbonization and the clean energy transition across the United States. She worked with the Yale Center for Business and Environment to implement an online training on clean energy. As an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow, Nenha worked with the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment to implement the city-wide Green New Deal. Additionally, Nenha worked with Forsyth Street Advisors to support the development of a state-wide green bank and a national fund to expand clean energy financing for community development financial institutions, and credit unions.
Before graduate school, Nenha worked on affordable housing development, philanthropy, and small business lending. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies with a minor in Architecture from Cornell University in 2012.
Henry Litman, Senior Vice President of Investment
Henry leads CGC’s work to identify new products, markets, and opportunities where green bank-style capital can accelerate the transition to a carbon free economy. Henry also supports CGC’s federal policy work, which includes advocating for legislation that supports green banks and helping to illustrate how policies that support climate finance will affect different regions of the country.
Prior to joining CGC, Henry was a Senior Vice President at Quadrant Strategies, a research-driven consultancy in Washington, DC. At Quadrant, Henry specialized in the technology industry, where he advised companies from startups to unicorns to members of the Fortune 50 on how to identify new opportunities, market new products, and adapt their businesses to react to policy pressure and front page news stories.
###