Noam Bramson will be leaving his job as Mayor of New Rochelle at the end of 2023 after 18 years in office. However, the Democratic official will not be starting 2024 in consultation with recruiters or scanning potential job openings on LinkedIn and Indeed ”“ his next job has already been secured and publicly announced.
Sustainable Westchester, the Mount Kisco-based nonprofit focused on clean energy solutions and environmental justice, has named Bramson to take on the role of executive director once he departs New Rochelle”™s City Hall. He will assume the reins of leadership from Jim Kuster, who has served as the organization”™s interim executive director last November after Nina Orville stepped down from the leadership position.
In a press statement announcing Bramson”™s new job, Sustainable Westchester praised him for “serving as a regional and statewide model for environmentally-friendly, transit-oriented development” and for coordinating the city”™s GreeNR sustainability plan along with policies that included the expansion of open spaces and the establishment of a program for securing renewable energy from Westchester County”™s Community Choice Aggregation program.
Bramson is not a stranger to Sustainable Westchester ”“ he is one of the organization”™s founding board members.
“Mayor Bramson”™s demonstrated track record of building consensus, attracting investment, and prioritizing healthy environments perfectly positions him to lead Sustainable Westchester”™s continued growth and expand the great results we deliver to our members,” said Sara Goddard, board chairwoman of Sustainable Westchester. “We are extremely excited to welcome him aboard.”
Bramsom spoke with the Business Journals after the news of his executive director appointment was released.
Congratulations on your upcoming new position. Why did you decide to take this opportunity after you leave office?
I think Sustainable Westchester is among the most important and impactful organizations in the region. Thanks to its very capable and dedicated staff, it has already made important contributions to environmental policymaking and programming.
And with the state now establishing very ambitious climate goals, Sustainable Westchester”™s role in the county will be even more significant. For me, this is a very exciting opportunity on both a personal and professional level and a natural extension of many of the things that I have worked to pursue as mayor.
Sustainability is critical for the environment, of course, but what is the role of sustainability in today’s economic development endeavors within the county?
I think there is an important synergy between our economic and our environmental goals. For example, land use patterns can have a significant effect on the sustainability of our communities, to the extent that we can promote walkable, compact, transit served downtown’s. We reduce our dependency on automobiles, we reduce heating and cooling costs, and we strengthen our economies.
I will be looking for opportunities to partner with not just with member municipalities, but also with organizations across the region that work on the different aspects of progressive policymaking. That is one of the opportunities in this in this new role.
When you come aboard as executive director at Sustainable Westchester in January, what are your immediate priorities going to be?
I think it’s premature for me to list specific priorities. That is several months away, and I’m going to want to have in-depth conversations both with Sustainable board members and with members of the staff. But as a general matter, it will be my goal to ensure that the member municipalities have the support, the encouragement, the information and the tools that they need to advance their own environmental goals and to position Westchester County as a whole as a real model for sustainable policymaking and program.
You are staring your new job in January, but here we are in June. Why did you decide to have the announcement go public now while you are still in office until the end of December?
I think both for Sustainable Westchester and for New Rochelle it was important to have some level of clarity on the path forward. And so even though I will not begin working with Sustainable for some time, I think it’s helpful for the organization to understand what the transition will look like.
And from a New Rochelle perspective, this provides the assurance that I’m able to remain in office until the end of the term and provide for an orderly transition to my successor.
