About Dominic Frongillo

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Dominic Frongillo is Deputy Town Supervisor and Councilor of Caroline, NY

Dominic Frongillo made history at age 22 by becoming the youngest person ever to serve on the Town Council in Caroline, New York. Elected to a second term in 2010, Frongillo now serves as one of the youngest deputy town supervisors in New York State.

Internationally recognized for his work in clean energy and sustainability, Frongillo is a finalist for the national 2012 Barbara Jordan Leadership Award from the Young Elected Officials Network.

Frongillo is a five-time delegate to the United Nations, traveling to climate negotiations in Indonesia, Denmark, Mexico, and South Africa. In Copenhagen, Frongillo coordinated and delivered a statement from over 100 young elected officials from 30 U.S. states calling on President Obama and Congress to renew America’s leadership in clean energy.

In 2012, Frongillo founded Elected Officials to Protect New York, a bipartisan initiative of over 330 elected officials from 40 counties calling on Governor Cuomo to continue the moratorium on fracking until the drilling method is proven safe for all New Yorkers.

Frongillo served under Governor David Paterson on the advisory panel for New York State’s far-reaching 2050 Climate Action Plan, is trained by Vice President Al Gore as a climate presenter for the Climate Reality Project, is a published author, and is a trainer for the national Young Elected Officials Network and Front Line Leaders Academy.

A graduate with honors from Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology in 2005, Frongillo earned an independent degree in Sustainable Community Development.  He founded and leads Energy Independent Caroline, coordinating three “Lighten Up!” campaigns which delivered an energy-saving light bulb to a total of 20,000 households in 3 hours, the largest campaigns of their kind in the Northeast and inspiring similar campaigns across the country.

In 2012, Jeff Thigpen, author of On Point: Voices and Values of the Young Elected Officials, profiled Frongillo as one of America’s 16 most notable young elected leaders. Liz Walker, in her new book Creating Sustainable Communities: Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, New York, profiled him as of the region’s foremost champions for the clean economy.

In February, the international ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, whose local government members represent more than 560 million people worldwide, selected Frongillo as one of seven founding members of the inaugural FutureCityLeaders initiative.

Frongillo currently works as Community Energy Educator and advisor to the Tompkins Energy Conservation Corps with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.

Leadership

Frongillo is active in leadership locally, statewide, and nationally.

  • Young Elected Officials Network, Trainer
  • New York State Climate Action Plan, Integration Advisory Panel
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension, Statewide Energy and Climate Change Team
  • Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative, Steering Committee
  • Tompkins County Greenhouse Gas Plan, Steering Committee
  • Town of Caroline, Deputy Supervisor
  • Caroline Website Advisory Committee, Chairperson
  • Energy Independent Caroline, Liaison and Secretary
  • Caroline Planning Board, Liaison
  • Tompkins County Council of Governments, Liaison
  • Inter-municipal Recreation Partnership of Tompkins County, Former Chairperson
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Former Board of Directors

 

Curriculum Vitae

Frongillo has a diverse set of experiences in community organizing, education, policy, planning, and research. Some major work and academic experiences are listed below.

Energy Policy

  • Energy Independent Caroline | 2005 – Present
    • Co-founder and acting chair, Caroline, NY
    • Community Energy Educator
  • New York State 2050 Climate Action Plan | 2010 – Present
    • Integration Advisory Panel and Residential-Industrial working group
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County | 2009 – Present
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | 2007, 2009, and 2010
    • SustainUS Delegate to Bali, Indonesia; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Cancun, Mexico

Development Policy

  • Caroline Town Council and Deputy Supervisor | January 2006 – Present
    • Councilmember, Caroline, NY
  • Program in International Nutrition | March 2006 – June 2008
    • Research Assistant, Cornell University
  • Tompkins County Planning Department | Fall 2005 – Fall 2006
    • Planning Project Assistant, Ithaca, NY

Human Ecology Research

  • College of Human Ecology | August 2004 – May 2005
    • Senior Honors Thesis, Cornell University
  • Department of Design & Environmental Analysis | Spring 2003 – Fall 2004
    • Research Assistant, Cornell University

Community Organizing

  • Association of Communities Organized for Reform Now | May – July 2003
    • Assistant Organizer, Brooklyn, NY
  • Institute for Central American Development Studies | May – August 2004
    • Development Intern, San Carlos, Costa Rica

Teaching

  • Department of Design & Environmental Analysis | February 2007 – July 2007
    • Teaching Assistant, Ecological Literacy and Design

Community Outreach

  • Trainer and Member, Young Elected Officials National Network 2008 – 2011
  • Appointed Member, New York State Climate Action Plan Advisory Panel 2010 – 2011
  • Elected Member, Tompkins County Democratic Committee 2006 – 2011
  • Member, SustainUS National Youth Network for Sustainability 2005 – 2010
  • Featured Guest, DSA Presents Television, Ithaca NY  2008, 2009, 2010
  • Speaker, Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, Tupper Lake NY 2009, 2010
  • Keynote Speaker, 4-H Career Explorations, Cornell University NY 2010
  • Keynote Speaker, Youth Energy and Environment Expo, Canton NY 2010
  • Trainee, Generation Waking Up facilitator training, Colorado 2010
  • Chairperson, Energy Independent Caroline Town Action Committee 2006 – 2009
  • Board of Directors, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County 2008 – 2009
  • Keynote Speaker, Youth Energy and Environment Expo, Canton NY 2010
  • Delegate, United Nations Convention on Climate Change, Copenhagen, Denmark 2009
  • Coordinator, Central New York Delegation to Power Shift 2009
  • Panelist, Economic Crisis Forum, Ithaca NY 2009
  • Chairperson, Recreation Partnership of Tompkins County 2007 – 2008
  • Delegate Alternate, New York State Association of Towns Conference 2007 – 2008
  • Presenter, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Ed. 2008
  • Keynote Speaker, Little Live Earth, Greenville NY 2008
  • Keynote Speaker, Low-Income Forum on Energy, Albany NY 2008
  • Speaker, State of the Planet course, Cornell University 2008
  • Delegate, United Nations Convention on Climate Change, Bali, Indonesia 2007
  • Plenary Speaker, Community Forum on Energy, Ithaca College 2007
  • Participant, Powershift: national youth climate change summit 2007
  • Participant, Pathways to a Sustainable World Conference, Rochester NY 2007
  • Participant, Oikos Convergence on Sustainable Enterprise, Cornell University 2007
  • Delegate, United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 2006
  • Participant, Ithaca Car Share Summit, Ithaca NY 2006
  • Secretary, Farmworker Advocacy Coalition, Cornell University 2004 – 2005
  • Activist, Save Redbud Woods Working Group, Cornell University 2005
  • Organizer, Ithaca United Soccer Club Dryden adult team 2005
  • Volunteer, America Votes door-to-door voter participation drive 2004
  • Participant, Rural & Migrant Ministry statewide farmworker solidarity tour 2003
  • Presenter, Democracy Matters student education presentations 2003
  • Trainee, Empathic Assistance and Referral Services counselor training 2002

Publications

David Pelletier, Purnima Menon, Tien Ngo, Edward A Frongillo, and Dominic E Frongillo. (2011) “The nutrition policy process: The role of strategic capacity in advancing national nutrition agendas.”  Food & Nutrition Bulletin, Volume 32, Supplement 2, June 2011 , pp. 59S-69S(11)

Jung Lee, Edward A Frongillo, Maria A Keating, Lauren H Deutsch, Jaclyn Daitchman, and Dominic E Frongillo. (2008)  “Targeting of home-delivered meals programs to older adults in the United States.” Journal of Nutrition For The Elderly, Volume: 27, Issue: 3-4, 2008, pp. 405-415