Solar One is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training, and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. We empower learning that changes the way people think about energy, sustainability, and resilience by engaging and educating a diverse set of stakeholders and beneficiaries. Our programs help individuals and communities explore new ways of living and working that are more adaptive to a changing world. 

 

Stephen grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and after graduating from Brown University in 2003, came to Brooklyn to work as a Community Organizer. He worked in the Housing office of Riseboro Community Partnerships (formerly Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council) in Bushwick, Brooklyn from 2004-2006, running a Lead Safe House Program which relocated lead-poisoned children and their families. From 2006-2009, Stephen worked with the New York State Assembly, where he worked on affordable housing legislation that affected thousands of New York State residents. Stephen was elected to the New York City Council in 2009 and served as Councilmember for the 33rd District in Brooklyn from 2010-2021. As Councilmember, Stephen negotiated dozens of land use projects and prioritized expanding affordable housing and open space including ensuring the City acquire and build the long-promised 27-acre Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg. He sponsored legislation to remove PCBs from NYC schools and cosponsored the Climate Mobilization Act. From 2014-2021, Stephen served as Chair of the Council’s General Welfare Committee, overseeing the budgets and programming of the New York City Department of Social Services, Department of Homeless Services, and the Administration of Children’s Services. In this role, he focused on ensuring homeless individuals and families have access to permanent housing and that youth in foster care have long term support systems. He currently lives In Greenpoint, Brooklyn with his wife Ann and their two children.