Joseph DeNicola

Joe DeNicola serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). He previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Energy and Technology Policy.

As a Senior Policy Advisor, his focus is on several key initiatives at DEEP, including leadership of the Heat Pump Accelerator program, advancing work on thermal energy networks and ground source heat pumps, and other energy initiatives. 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.