Joseph DeNicola

Joe DeNicola serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Energy at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), appointed in January 2024.

As Deputy Commissioner, Joe leads DEEP’s Energy Branch as Connecticut transitions to a zero-carbon electric grid by 2040 and economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. He oversees development of Connecticut’s Integrated Resources Plan and Comprehensive Energy Strategy, clean energy procurements, and policies and programs to achieve universal broadband access, energy affordability, energy efficiency, strategic electrification of the transportation and housing sectors, and efforts to reduce state agency emissions, waste, and water use. In his current role, Joe serves on the board of the Connecticut Wind Collaborative and the MIRA Dissolution Authority.

Joe joined DEEP in 2023 as a Senior Advisor focusing on materials management and energy policy. He has a broad background in energy and sustainable forestry and agriculture, and significant experience with corporate and project finance, business start-up, operations re-engineering, strategic planning, team building and non-profit management.

Prior to joining the agency, Joe served as Executive Director of SosteNica, Inc., a nonprofit that works with Nicaraguan farmers and their communities to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Earlier, he held multiple senior leadership positions within GE Capital where he managed a team responsible for capital allocation, risk model development, portfolio analytics, and transaction risk review for the Energy Financial Services division. His other responsibilities included a leadership role in a joint venture focused on greenhouse gas mitigation projects, energy portfolio management and the evaluation of new energy investments.

Prior to joining GE Capital, Joe formed and managed a sustainable forestry company operating in Argentina. His early career responsibilities at the Prudential Investment Company included the management of its renewable energy portfolio, which encompassed investments in many of the first solar thermal, on-shore wind, and geothermal projects in the U.S.

Joe holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.A. in Chemistry from Yale University.