EcoAction Partners: Gerona is New Executive Director!

02 Sep EcoAction Partners: Gerona is New Executive Director!

Telluride’s EcoAction Partners is excited to have returning local Emma Gerona join the team. We are confident her ambition and drive will help lead EcoAction Partners into the future. Emma’s background in renewable energy and non-profit work fall in line with our mission and will help her to guide our organization upward. 

Emma Gerona grew up in the Telluride area, which allows her to step back into the community with knowledge and understanding of the unique mountain environment that we call home. We look forward to working with Emma and are grateful to have her as our new Executive Director.

Scroll down for a note from Emma Gerona.

Emma Gerona is new Executive Director of EcoAction Parners.

A letter from Emma:

As a San Miguel local, born and raised in Ophir, I am thrilled to be returning to this spectacular valley to join the EcoAction Partners (EAP) team as their new Executive Director.

Growing up in Telluride I was so impressed with the community’s consciousness around sustainability and our natural environment. Watching and participating in the movement to protect the Valley Floor taught me how significant change can be made at a grassroots level. Seeing our community stand up for our environment inspired me to continue advocating for sustainability initiatives when I went to school at CU Boulder, where I fought for CU to divest from fossil fuel investments and learned about environmental ethics and sustainable enterprise.

After graduation I dove into the nonprofit world with a job for the American Solar Energy Society as their Operations Director. Here I started to understand the intersectional nature of sustainability work as we created space for industry, education, community, government and nonprofit players to come together and collaborate on our goal to reach 100% renewable energy. We worked closely with communities across the country on education efforts and devising plans for renewable adoption.

In September of 2019, I moved to rural southeastern Oregon to work as a Renewable Energy Coordinator. I created and led a program to help small businesses and agricultural producers pursue renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. I pulled together incentives, rebates and grants to help financially support these projects, provided educational resources and events, and helped to design solar systems for individuals who did not have access to contractors due to their remote location. This position offered boots on the ground opportunities to be involved in the community and watch as projects developed and made a significant difference in people’s lives.

I saw the impact this work can have and wanted to give back to the community that has given so much to me. EAP’s work with the local businesses, schools and festivals on green initiatives and education piqued my interest while looking for an organization committed to the environmental, economic and social well-being of its community. EcoAction does incredible work with low income weatherization programs, green grants, waste management and so much more.

I am excited to approach these programs with new energy and the desire to improve the quality of life and environment in our little piece of paradise.