Vineyard Wind Announces the Departure of Erich Stephens, Names Rachel Pachter Chief Development Officer

DECEMBER 19, 2019

New Bedford – Today, Vineyard Wind announced the departure of Erich Stephens, Chief Development Officer. Stephens was a founding principal of Vineyard Wind, formerly called OffshoreMW and since 2009 has held senior leadership positions.  Most recently, Stephens was responsible for pre-construction development of Vineyard Wind 1, which is on track to be the nation’s first commercial scale offshore wind project. Rachel Pachter, current Vice President of Permitting Affairs, will assume the position of Chief Development Officer. 

“Erich has served as an integral member of the Vineyard Wind team since the company began, providing unrivaled knowledge of the many issues and important stakeholders at the core of the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “Erich’s leadership and wealth of experience accumulated over the last twenty years in clean energy was instrumental in our winning Massachusetts bid to develop the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the country and I wish him all the best in the future. Rachel’s exceptional offshore wind experience has been critical to Vineyard Wind on many of our most pressing issues in recent years and I congratulate her on this new position.”

“My decision to move on to new endeavors was not easy to make, but it was made easier knowing that Vineyard Wind is in the hands of a superb team, and that the Vineyard Wind 1 and Park City Wind projects will soon be up and running,” said Erich Stephens. “I want to especially thank all of the supporters and partners on the Cape and Islands who I’ve had the honor to work with, and who gave us a chance to help set a new course for offshore wind here in the US.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Erich over many years taking on the challenges of offshore wind development in the United States,” said Rachel Pachter. “I have much respect for his work to build Vineyard Wind and I appreciate his trust in our ability to carry the projects forward. I am excited to continue the journey with our team in my new capacity and deliver amazing energy projects to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and others.”

About Erich Stephens

Erich Stephens has been advancing clean energy policies and renewable energy project development in the Northeast for over 20 years, most recently serving as Chief Development Officer for Vineyard Wind. Prior to leading the formation of Vineyard Wind (formerly called OffshoreMW) in 2009, Stephens was head of development operations for Bluewater Wind, one the first US offshore wind development companies.  Stephens was also founder and executive director of a non-profit organization promoting clean energy policies and cooperative buying, and was also a founding partner of a solar and green building construction company. Stephens began his career in marine ecology, receiving a BS from Brown University and working for conservation organizations and aquaculture start-ups.

About Rachel Pachter

Rachel Pachter has served as Vineyard Wind’s Vice President of Permitting Affairs since 2016, where she has led all aspects of federal, state, and local permitting for the company. Pachter has nearly 20 years of experience in offshore wind development, specifically in permitting and regulatory compliance, environmental and site investigation, federal, state, and local regulations, stakeholder outreach, and public relations. She previously led and finalized the permitting for the first and only fully permitted offshore wind farm in federal waters of the United States. Pachter has a degree in Geology from the University of Alaska.

About Vineyard Wind

Vineyard Wind LLC is an offshore wind development company seeking to build the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the US, to be located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables. For more information, visit www.vineyardwind.com.

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Vineyard Wind Press Contact: Press@vineyardwind.com

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