Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition

Working with Metropolitan Energy Center since 2008, Kelly Gilbert became the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition (KCRCCC) coordinator in 2009 and director in 2010. She headed up a proposal group of 17 partners that received a $15 million Clean Cities grant from the Recovery Act. The grant will support the installation of a variety of refueling stations and aid in the deployment of more than 300 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

Gilbert co-chairs the Greater Kansas City Plug-In Readiness Initiative to prepare the metro area for electric vehicles. Under her leadership, KCRCCC holds bi-monthly stakeholder meetings and events and coordinates grant opportunities for stakeholders/members. It launches a Green Fleet initiative in 2010.

Gilbert serves on the board of directors of the Squash Blossom Food Cooperative, a corporation dedicated to bringing local natural foods to the Greater Kansas City area, and is a Master Food Volunteer through the MU Extension. She also volunteers as a co-organizer of Green Drinks Kansas City, an environmental networking and education group. Prior to working with KCRCCC at Metropolitan Energy Center, Gilbert was assistant managing editor at Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Aaron Brown joined Metropolitan Energy Center in 2010 as an intern working on the Clean Cities program and shortly thereafter became a full-time Program Assistant. In 2012, he was named Co-Coordinator of the Coalition. Brown is involved in strategic planning, stakeholder-member relations, event coordination, intern coordination, communications and website management.

Brown graduated with honors from the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Bloch School of Business with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. His experience includes project management and event coordination. Brown possesses a spirit of volunteerism and is active in a variety of philanthropic organizations.