Foley is a Senior Research Support Specialist at the Cornell ILR Climate Jobs Institute based in New York City. He joined the ILR School as a Research Support Specialist in 2023 and has focused his research on strategies that ensure an equitable energy sector transition that supports high-road, union jobs within the context of climate change. He is also interested in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies across sectors that expand access to union careers for underserved individuals and communities, including those most impacted by the changing climate and environmental hazards. His current work examines the physical, social, and job impacts of data centers, as well as strategies that protect community interests. He also supports Climate Jobs Coalitions in the western United States.
Before his current role, Foley held professional roles focused on employee engagement and development, completed an Undergraduate Research Fellowship with the ILR Labor Leading on Climate Change Initiative, and held a student position at Cornell’s Einhorn Center for Community Engagement.
In addition to being a staff member, Foley is also an ILR School alumnus with a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. He is actively engaged in graduate-level Disability Studies coursework at the City University of New York and holds an M.A. in Climate and Society from the Climate School at Columbia University.
Beyond research and stakeholder collaboration, Foley is deeply committed to student engagement, including working with Undergraduate and Graduate Research Fellows at the Climate Jobs Institute, where he helps support their development and research skills.
Report Contributions
Co-Authored
Cohen, R., Goodwin, A., Foley, A., Rodriguez Diaz, A., Ragy, H., Figueroa, B., Smith, D.C., Morley, J., Packman, I., & Palacios, R. (2026). Building the Future: A Bold Vision for Climate Jobs in Oregon. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University.
Mahadevan, P., Nguyen, L., Packman, I., Lamm, N., Hoek Spaans, A., Valdivia, M., Haskins, M., Foley, A., Goodwin, A., Figueroa, B., Smith, D., Ragy, H., & Spears, J. E. (2026). Climate Jobs New Jersey: Moving Towards a Resilient Future. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University.
Shetler, M., Harper, B., Skinner, L., Valdivia, M., Packman, I., Liao, A., Scanlon, L., Lavine, S., Morley, J., & Foley, A. (2025). Colorado's Clean Energy Jobs Path. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University.
Cohen, R., Lamm, N., Packman, I., Liao, A., Scanlon, L., Morley, J., & Foley, A. (2024). A Climate Jobs Program for Pennsylvania: A Worker-Centered Approach to an Equitable Clean Energy Future. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University.
Research Support, Editing, and Review
Nguyen, L., Cohen, R., Milliken, G., Lamm, N., & Thorsfeldt, M. (2026). Bringing Unions Home: A Blueprint for Labor-Led Residential Decarbonization in New York. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Reviewer].
Scanlon, L. & Palacios, R. (2026). Mass Timber Primer: Advancing Sustainable Construction and High-Quality Job Creation. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Research Support].
Cohen, R., Nguyen, L., & Smith, D. C. (2024). Understanding Thermal Energy Networks: A Building Decarbonization Approach to Achieving Scale, Equity, and High-Quality Union Jobs. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Research Support].
Hoek Spaans, A. & Morley, J. (2024). Exploring the Conditions of the New York State Solar Workforce. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Research Support].
Hoek Spaans, A., Skinner, L., Raman, A., Moskowitz, H., Packman, I., Shetler, M., Harper, B., Lamm, N., & Morley, J. (2024). Building the Clean Energy Commonwealth: A Climate Jobs Roadmap for Massachusetts. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Reviewer].
Skinner, L., Hoek Spaans, A., Moskowitz, H., Lamm, N., Harper, B., & Raman, A. (2023). Washington Climate Jobs Plan: A Worker-Centered Approach to a Clean Energy Future. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Undergraduate Research Support & Review].
Skinner, L., Raman, A., Hoek Spaans, A., Shetler, M., & Midori, V. (2022). Climate for Change: A Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City. ILR Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University. [Lead Student Researcher].
Research interests
- Climate Change Mitigation, Law, and Policy
- U.S. Labor Movement
- Construction-Related Labor Standards
- Energy Technologies, Systems, Law, Policy, and Regulation
- Impact of Data Centers on Climate, the Environment, Host Communities, and Labor