After about a decade in the role, Emily Reichert has left her role at the helm of one of the largest climate-tech startup incubators in North America.
Reichert confirmed on Thursday she stepped down as CEO of Somerville-based Greentown Labs. Her last day was Dec. 5.
Greentown Labs published the news on its website Monday, but didn’t email companies about it until later this past week.
In a text to the Business Journals, she described the 10 years of building an organization dedicated to climate action through entrepreneurship as “exhilarating, rewarding, challenging and exhausting — sometimes all at the same time.”
“I’m stepping back to replenish my strength for the next bout of the climate fight and I’m proud we’ve build an amazing team and supportive ecosystem ready to take it from here,” she wrote.
Inspired by a high school teacher to dive into science, Reichert combined an advanced degree and years of experience in chemistry with an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. She’s credited with spearheading the growth of Greentown Labs into a global center for clean technology innovation, known for incubating over 400 companies since 2011.
Julia Travaglini, a spokesperson for Greentown Labs, said that Reichert is becoming “CEO Emeritus” and will assist with the transition. Kevin Taylor, Somerville-based Greentown Labs CFO, is now taking on additional responsibilities as Interim CEO while the board looks for Reichert’s permanent successor. Travaglini said she expects the “national search” to last “well into Q2” next year.
Greentown Labs was one of the stops of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Boston visit last week. The incubator, which recently added a second location in Houston, is home to 218 companies, including 142 in Somerville, and a total of 48 employees.
Reichert noted that her first day as leader of Greentown Labs was Feb. 1, 2013, but she started working with the organization in an unofficial capacity in the fall of 2012.
Reichert has also served on the Governor’s Economic Development Planning Council, the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.