Obama Honors Norwalker for Promoting Solar Power

Jessica Bailey of Norwalk has been named one of 10 "Champions for Change" by President Obama for her work to promote solar energy as director of Connecticut's "Green Bank."

Bailey is director of the Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) at the state's Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA), the state's "Green Bank."

Bailey joined C-PACE in August 2012. Before that she worked with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She grew up in Chicago and now lives in Connecticut with her husband Brian and their two children, Luke and Eliza.

“Congratulations to Jessica Bailey on being named a Champion for Change for her dedication to expanding the use of solar energy in Connecticut,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes in a news release.

According to Himes' news release: "The statewide program Bailey designed as director of C-PACE allows building owners to access financing to perform clean energy improvements on their properties. In the first year, this program brought $20 million in financing to clean energy projects in Connecticut, resulting in the deployment of over 3 megawatts of solar energy and millions of dollars of energy efficiency savings across 2 million square feet of buildings."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal also congratulated Bailey in a news release: "I applaud Jessica and the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority for this important recognition today — fitting praise for the program's success in attracting significant sources of new financing to critical alternative energy projects."

In her past job as program officer for sustainable development at the New York City-based Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bailey "co-managed a $7 million portfolio of grants focused on combating climate change and promoting clean energy," according to the CEFIA website.

Bailey has a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from Yale. She sits on the board of directors for the New England Clean Energy Council.

CEFIA was founded in 2011 to combine public and private funds to promote  clean energy in Connecticut. The first state “Green Bank” in the nation, CEFIA has served as a model for other states, according to Himes.