Chris Castro

About Chris Castro

Chris is a senior sustainability and clean energy leader with more than 17 years of cross-sector experience spanning nonprofit founding, entrepreneurship, local and federal public service, and executive leadership in sustainable finance. His career has been dedicated to advancing climate action, energy transition, resilient communities, and impact-oriented financial solutions. From 20••••25, Chris joined the Biden-Harris administration as a presidential appointee serving as inaugural Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) managing multi-billion dollars in grant funding. Chris was later promoted as the Senior Advisor in the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). In both roles, Chris worked to advance President Biden’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals and transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.From 20••••22, Chris became a renowned public official in his role as the Senior Advisor to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Director of Sustainability & Resilience at the City of Orlando, Florida.#GreenWorksOrlandoIn addition, Chris is known for his eco -entrepreneurial efforts over the last 18+ years, including co-founder and President of IDEAS For Us, a global UN-accredited 501c3 nonprofit working to fund innovative projects that advance environmental action globally. In 2012, Chris also started a clean-energy consulting firm called Citizen Energy, and in 2013 co-created Fleet Farming, a renowned urban farming social enterprise program. In 2020, Chris joined partners to launch Climate First Bank, the first nationwide B-Corp certified, FDIC-insured community bank where he serves as Founding Director and EVP-Chief Sustainability Officer since February 2025.Chris has served on over a dozen nonprofit and academic boards, including the Florida Solar Energy Center, US Green Building Council, Project Greenschools, Solar United Neighbors, and Goodwill Industries of Central Florida.Over the years, Chris has become nationally recognized for his efforts; including being named the 2018 Public Official of the Year by Governing, a ‘Champions of Change\' by President Barack Obama, the \'Guru of Green\' by the Orlando Business Journal, the Grist 50 Fixer, and formal recognition from President’s Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and VP Al Gore. As a thought leader, Chris has been a Brookings Institute fellow and spoken at more than 200+ conferences and events, including the United Nations summits, Vatican Youth Symposium, NASA Innovation Expo, TEDx Orlando, and more.

Experience

1. EVP, Chief Sustainability Officer

   Climate First Bank

   Feb 2025 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   As Chief Sustainability Officer, I embrace, advocate for, and work to advance the vision of an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system. Reporting to the Executive Chairman, I support executive leadership in various ways to improve operations, offer sustainability consulting, accelerate strategic market expansion, enable new partnerships, engage in public relations and external affairs, and drive business development at the Holding Company level, including Climate First Bank, and clean energy fintech subsidiary, OneEthos.https://ClimateFirstBank.comhttps://OneEthos.com

Education

• Coral Reef Senior High School

  High School, International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, Spanish / IB

  2002 — 2006

• University of Central Florida

  BS, Environmental Science & Policy, Energy & Sustainability

  2006 — 2010

Skills

• Sustainable Energy
• Sustainability Consulting
• Entrepreneurship
• Solar Energy
• Policy Analysis
• Ecology
• Environmental
• Cleantech
• Sustainable Development
• Energy
• Community Outreach
• Environmental Issues
• Climate Change
• Water
• Sustainability
• Environmental Awareness
• Start-Ups
• Program Development
• Alternative Energy
• Energy Management
• Program Management
• Proposal Writing
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Energy Efficiency
• Public Policy
• Sustainable Business
• Energy Conservation
• Leed
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Environmental Science
• Environmental Education
• Smart Grid
• Public Speaking
• Leadership
• Research
• Renewable Energy
• Green Building
• Environmental Policy
• Energy Policy