The City of Houston’s former Chief Sustainability Officer will support the incubator’s continued growth and next decade of climate impact
Houston, Texas and Somerville, Mass., Oct. 26, 2021 — Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, today announced Lara Cottingham will serve as the organization’s Chief of Staff. For the past seven years, Cottingham served as the City of Houston’s Chief Sustainability Officer and the Chief of Staff for the City’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA) Department. As Greentown’s Chief of Staff, Cottingham will oversee the day-to-day operations and communications for Greentown’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Emily Reichert, along with key stakeholder engagements and strategic initiatives for the incubator.
“Lara brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to our team from her dynamic leadership role at the City of Houston,” said Reichert. “Her breadth of knowledge in sustainability, climate, and the energy transition, and her expertise in regulatory and stakeholder aspects of the energy industry, will be incredibly valuable to our team and community. I am thrilled to welcome Lara as our new Chief of Staff as we scale Greentown’s impact in this critical decade for climate action!”
Cottingham is the chief author of Houston’s Climate Action Plan, a science-based, community-driven strategy for Houston to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead the global energy transition. During her tenure at the City of Houston and thanks to her leadership, she helped the city move to 100 percent renewable electricity and address one of the city’s oldest environmental justice challenges by turning the 240-acre Sunnyside landfill into the nation’s largest urban solar farm.
“In leading the Climate Action Plan, Lara helped spark Houston’s leadership in what has become a global energy transition and was a passionate advocate for climate action in Houston,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “While she will be missed, this new role will only strengthen our partnership with Greentown. I look forward to working with Emily, Lara, and the Greentown team to meet our climate goals and make Houston the energy capital of the future.”
Prior to joining the City of Houston, Lara was a member of Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Houston office, providing strategic counsel in various areas including crisis and executive communications, corporate governance, sustainability and social responsibility issues, and stakeholder engagement for a broad range of clients across the energy sector.
“In working with Mayor Turner and Climate Mayors across the U.S., I saw how important partnerships are to helping cities decarbonize,” said Cottingham. “There is no better partner or place for climate action at work than Greentown Labs. Greentown is 100 percent committed to attracting and nurturing the energy companies of the future and making Houston the energy transition capital of the world. I’m excited to join the team and see how climatetech can help cities reach their climate goals.”
Outside of the office, Cottingham volunteers at BARC, Houston’s animal shelter, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. She attended the University of Texas in Austin, where she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in history, ancient history and classical civilizations, and government. In 2013, she earned an MBA in energy finance and public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, where she co-founded the UT Energy Savings Fund.
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About Greentown Labs
As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, and a large network of corporate customers, investors, and more. With its headquarters in Somerville, Mass. and a recently opened incubator in Houston, Texas, Greentown Labs is home to more than 180 startups and has supported more than 400 startups since the incubator’s founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 7,800 direct jobs and have raised more than $1.5 billion in funding. For more information, visit www.greentownlabs.com or Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Greentown Labs Media Contact:
Julia Travaglini
Greentown Labs
julia@greentownlabs.com