Meet Katelyn
Katelyn Kriesel is currently serving her first term as a Manlius Town Councilor. She is a lifelong resident of Central New York, having grown up in Manlius and graduated from FM. She attended SUNY Buffalo and graduated with degrees in Political Science and Psychology. Katelyn has built her political and professional careers around her long-held passion for environmental sustainability, community engagement, and economic development.
Professionally, Katelyn runs a financial advisory practice in Manlius where she focuses on Socially Responsible Investing, helping her clients to achieve their financial goals while investing in companies that meet their values. She is also the President and Founder of the Sustainable Economies Alliance, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to raise community awareness regarding economic sustainability and empowerment. The Alliance has had several successful initiatives, including the Reinvest CNY campaign and SustainaFi, The Sustainable Finance podcast.
Previously in her career, Katelyn was the Project Coordinator of the Solarize CNY campaign to help people go solar, which added more than 2 MW of solar energy to a five county region in Central New York, including her parent’s house in the Village of Manlius. She continues her work in renewable energy as a consultant.
During her first term in office, Katelyn chaired Sustainable Manlius, the sustainability committee of the Town. With the help of the Community Chair, Ryan Dunn, they have organized volunteers to work on state run programs that encourage sustainability within municipalities, to examine ways to make electric vehicles more accessible, and to engage with our community through events like Manlius EarthFest.
The Town of Manlius is now a designated NYSERDA Clean Energy Community, and was awarded a $5,000 grant for this achievement. The committee is currently hard at work on the Climate Smart Communities program through the DEC, with an ambitious goal of becoming the first certified Climate Smart Community in the county by July.
The Town’s retired landfill is being evaluated for a community solar array. This will turn a brownfield into an asset for the Town; saving the Town money on our electricity, generating revenue for our community, and providing an estimated 400 households with solar energy.
Being a Town Councilor is also about being a convener, and bringing different stakeholders together. As the Chair of the Town’s Economic Development committee, Katelyn has focused on how we can support and grow our business community by building relationships with stakeholders in Manlius.
Katelyn is a Boardmember of the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce, and began conversations on how we could create an economic development plan in our Town. Katelyn works as a collaborator between the Town and the business community. She facilitated an effort of the Town and the Chamber to help create the #ShopGreaterManlius campaign, to promote local businesses on social media, and encourage local spending in our community.
As social justice movements continue to sweep the country, Katelyn is a passionate supporter of local efforts to champion these issues. She helped to organize the Facing Racism event in Fayetteville, and spoke at the Black Lives Matter rally in Manlius. When reelected, Katelyn will continue to be a Town Councilor for everyone.
It has been a privilege for Katelyn to serve the Town of Manlius over the last year, and while a great deal was achieved in the first year in office, there is still a lot of work to do on the Town Board. Katelyn looks forward to continuing to represent the individuals, families and businesses in the Town of Manlius.
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