Reducing Risk by Putting Communities at the Center

Solar energy panels and wind turbines at sea

About Clean Connect Strategies

Engineers working in wind turbine farm background

Building Advanced Energy and Infrastructure with Communities at the Center

Clean Connect Strategies advances utility-scale clean energy and infrastructure projects, including data centers, by placing communities at the center of decision-making. We combine deep expertise in state and local public policy, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and community organizing to help developers collaborate early and meaningfully with local leaders, residents, landowners, and institutions.

Our approach prioritizes transparent, inclusive dialogue that builds trust, empowers residents and landowners with clear information and a voice in project outcomes, aligns development with community priorities, and reduces opposition before it escalates. By pairing community engagement with unmatched political and regulatory insight, we help derisk projects, streamline approvals, and avoid the costly delays and cancellations that drain time and capital.

By partnering with developers, municipalities, landowners, and community stakeholders, we enable shared decision-making that accelerates the clean energy transition, delivers lasting environmental and economic benefits, and protects developers’ investments across host communities.

Our Services

Solar energy panels and wind turbine

Clean Connect Strategies helps communities, developers, and stakeholders navigate local challenges associated with utility-scale clean energy and related infrastructure development. We provide practical, inclusive support that reduces conflict, builds trust, and accelerates project timelines while ensuring communities share in the benefits of development.

Technical Assistance for Clean Energy Readiness

We design inclusive, two-way processes that amplify community voices and build support:

  • Map stakeholders and craft engagement strategies
  • Facilitate listening sessions, dialogues, and benefit-sharing discussions
  • Communicate priorities through storytelling campaigns and digital content

Stakeholder and Community Engagement

We design inclusive, two-way engagement processes that build support and amplify community voices:

  • Map stakeholders and craft engagement strategies
  • Facilitate community listening sessions and dialogues
  • Engage landowners, residents, leaders, and NGOs
  • Support benefit-sharing discussions grounded in local priorities
  • Create communications and storytelling campaigns to keep stakeholders informed

Capacity Building for Local Leaders and Organizations

We equip local leaders to shape development and tell their community’s story:

  • Train officials, planners, and organizations in effective engagement
  • Provide tools for negotiation, collaboration, and decision-making
  • Highlight successes and priorities through strategic messaging

Developer and Industry Coordination

We reduce risk and align development with community expectations:

  • Facilitate early-stage coordination and consultation
  • Provide clear guidance on local processes and timelines
  • Use communications and storytelling to ensure transparency and reduce conflict

Investment-Ready Community Development

We help communities attract clean energy investment with an integrated strategy and messaging:

  • Establish engagement and decision-making processes
  • Define development priorities and benefit-sharing frameworks
  • Streamline approvals and showcase readiness through storytelling

Director Christie Gross

Christie Gross

With over two decades of experience in public policy, communications, and strategy, Christie has crafted impactful campaigns and led research-driven strategies for elected officials and political candidates nationwide. She has played a critical role in drafting renewable energy standards, designing tax credits, and negotiating project labor standards that have shaped the clean energy economy. Christie has led initiatives to unite leaders from the fossil fuel and renewable energy sectors to develop actionable strategies, creating a roadmap for advancing sustainable energy policies.

Driven by a passion for creating a better future for her son and future generations, Christie founded Clean Connect Strategies to combine her expertise in political strategy with a strong commitment to sustainability, supported by a team of experienced professionals. She is dedicated to accelerating the clean energy transition and expanding clean power generation, driving economic growth and long-term resilience.

Christie holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Delaware.

Our Team

Darcy Wheeles

Principal Regulatory Advisor and Project Lead

Darcy Wheeles

Darcy Wheeles is a seasoned expert in land use, environmental justice, clean energy, and regulatory policy, with more than 20 years of experience bridging regulatory agencies, communities, NGOs, and industry stakeholders. She specializes in strategic planning, stakeholder outreach, and facilitation, helping clients navigate complex regulatory landscapes and build durable consensus among diverse perspectives. Her background includes supporting cities and counties in long-range planning and guiding companies through clean energy development, regulatory compliance, community engagement, and policy development. She has served in key leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and as a member of the City of Seaside Planning Commission. Darcy holds a degree from Stanford University in Environmental Policy and Marine Biology and resides in Oregon.

Jen Reiner

Stakeholder Innovation Leader

Jen Reiner

Jen is a strategic innovation leader with extensive experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She specializes in helping businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies navigate complex stakeholder dynamics to achieve project approval and public support. With expertise in market research, strategy, and stakeholder engagement, Jen designs actionable solutions that drive business success and deliver long-term environmental and community benefits.

She holds an MBA and a degree in political science and sociology and recently earned the Brené Brown Dare to Lead certificate in managing difficult conversations and fostering trust.

Jen co-founded the Carbon Neutral Coffee network to connect sustainability professionals, underscoring her dedication to fostering collaborative, community-driven solutions for environmental challenges.

Doug Heyl

Communications Strategist

Doug Heyl

Doug Heyl brings over thirty years of experience helping clients build powerful brands, craft compelling messages, and achieve their strategic goals.

As the founder of Mockingbird Strategies, Doug offers expert advice and produces targeted media across platforms for candidates, causes, companies, universities, nonprofits, and unions. His career includes serving as Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs in North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s administration and as Chief of Staff to EPA Administrator Michael Regan at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). At NCDEQ, Doug played a key role in shaping the public stakeholder process for Governor Cooper’s landmark clean energy plan. He developed the communications strategy that ultimately forced Duke Energy to undertake the nation’s most extensive coal ash cleanup.

Doug has also led high-impact campaigns for organizations like NCLCV, NRDC, and the Energy Foundation, laying the groundwork for North Carolina’s landmark climate and energy law, which sets the state on a path to carbon-neutral energy generation by 2050.

Contact Clean Connect Strategies

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your clean energy goals.

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