Power a Clean Future Ohio Announces Inaugural Board Members, Building on Success Over Past Three Years

(COLUMBUS, OH) — Launching as a coalition project in February 2020, Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) is taking an important and momentous step today in establishing itself as a nonprofit organization. Today, the organization announced the members of its inaugural Board of Directors. PCFO will continue to build on its work with cities and local governments across the state of Ohio by providing local leaders with tools and resources to create carbon reduction plans and implement them in ways that are achievable, measurable, equitable, and economical.

PCFO formed as a partnership between nonprofit organizations, local leaders, and policy experts that work with communities to identify opportunities to reduce climate pollution. In recent weeks, the organization filed the required documents with the IRS to receive the designation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

“There are currently 44 cities, villages, and counties under the PCFO umbrella,” said Joe Flarida, Executive Director of Power a Clean Future Ohio. “We are thrilled to announce the members of our first Board of Directors who are committed to helping us grow and engage these communities all across Ohio.”

The 2023 Power a Clean Future Ohio Board of Directors includes:

  • Dayna Baird Payne, President

  • Rashida Manuel, Secretary

  • Randi Leppla, Treasurer

  • Kyle Strickland, Board Member

  • Divya Sridhar, Board Member

"Power a Clean Future Ohio has a proven track record of working with local communities to lower emissions, save money, and bring federal dollars to our state," said Dayna Baird Payne, Board President, and long-time political and clean energy consultant. "As PCFO becomes a formal nonprofit organization, I'm eager to continue supporting the organization as the first President of the Board of Directors."

PCFO staff and technical experts provide direct support that provides each community with the level of support they need, for the challenge and goal they are pursuing.

"Dozens of Ohio communities have already joined Power a Clean Future Ohio, from big cities to small villages,” said Rashida Manuel, Board Secretary and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio. "I'm excited to serve on the Board of Directors to support these communities and expand this movement to other communities that need it most across the state."

The PCFO team has also assessed the challenges that local governments have experienced in pursuing federal funding sources. Through the formation of a unique resource called the Infrastructure Grant Assistance Program, they have identified direct, tangible, high-impact resources to support PCFO member communities.

"No other state has an organization like Power a Clean Future Ohio," said Randi Leppla, Board Treasurer and Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. "PCFO is uniquely suited to serve Ohio’s local governments and their community members, and is critical to moving the state toward a more sustainable future. I'm thrilled to be a part of this organization as it continues to grow."

"Some people think that climate change is an insurmountable problem that cities and states can't impact," said Kyle Strickland, Board Member and Senior Legal Analyst, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. "But PCFO has proven that that's not the case. Local communities can lead the way through an equitable and representative program that changes the pathway that Ohio has been on. PCFO is leading in Ohio and showing what is possible nationally."

Board members of PCFO are committed to working together to expand the reach of sustainability programming throughout the state. This inaugural board is ready to take on this role and set the stage for future investment.

"If Ohio is going to be a leader in the clean energy movement, it's going to happen at the local level," said Divya Sridhar, Board Member and Manager of Climate Resiliency and Sustainability, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. "Power a Clean Future Ohio provides communities with the tools they need to lead the way. I'm excited to serve as a member of the Board of Directors."

More information on Power a Clean Future Ohio, member communities, available resources, and contacts can be found on the organization website at https://www.poweracleanfuture.org/.