MeLena Hessel

Deputy Program Director, Midwest

MeLena Hessel serves as Vote Solar’s Deputy Program Director, Midwest. In this role she coordinates Vote Solar’s regulatory and legislative priorities across the region, supporting the Midwest Team as we work to bring the benefits of solar and storage home to communities across the Midwest.MeLena has a decade of experience in advancing community-centered climate solutions across the Midwest, first as a Policy Advocate at the Environmental Law & Policy Center and more recently as Policy Director at Elevate.  She lives in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago with her husband and two children.