Chanell Scott Contreras
Lansing, Mich. —Michigan Saves, the nation’s first nonprofit green bank, today announced Chanell Scott Contreras will join the organization as President and CEO, effective November 1, 2023. She will take over the role from Mary Templeton, Michigan Saves’ first full-time President and CEO, who retired in July, and Todd Parker, who has been operating as acting President and CEO since July.
“I’m delighted to lead Michigan Saves as it continues its impactful work across our state,” said Scott Contreras. “As the climate crisis continues to hit close to home, the need to offer equitable clean energy solutions to all Michiganders has never been more apparent. Joining the organization allows me to apply my professional experience while pursuing a personal passion to grow accessibility and affordability of clean energy solutions in under-resourced communities.”
Scott Contreras will join Michigan Saves after six years with ProsperUs Detroit, an organization that advances economic equity by supporting under-represented entrepreneurs with opportunities and capital to build businesses, generational wealth, and vibrant neighborhoods. In 2021, under Scott Contreras’ leadership, ProsperUs Detroit became the first female and minority-led community development financial institution (CDFI) in Michigan.
“Chanell’s background leading a CDFI and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to strengthen outcomes in underrepresented communities makes her an excellent leader for Michigan Saves,” said Julie Metty Bennett, CEO of Public Sector Consultants. “Chanell is a visionary, and that’s exactly the kind of leader we need to expand access to affordable clean energy solutions and improve the quality of life for working families throughout Michigan.”
Michigan Saves promotes investments in energy efficiency to support healthy and thriving communities where everyone has access to the benefits of clean energy and climate-resilient solutions. It offers financial capital to customers to help reduce the costs of clean energy improvements, which can often be costly.
To date, Michigan Saves has enabled more than $500 million in clean energy financing while supporting job creation and energy independence. In 2009, Public Sector Consultants, a nonpartisan public policy consulting firm, formed and staffed Michigan Saves after receiving a grant from the State of Michigan to create the state’s first green bank. Since then, the organization has successfully leveraged private dollars to build residential and commercial programs that are at scale and available to the state’s energy consumers. It recently received a record-breaking $5.5 million grant from the State of Michigan, the largest contribution since it was established.
For more information about Michigan Saves, visit MichiganSaves.org.
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