Our Sponsor Spotlight Series highlights the top ten companies that have supported NEWIEE’s growth over the past decade. Today we feature Eversource Energy. Previous Sponsor Spotlights recognized include National Grid and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).

Board Member Mary Usovicz sat down with five senior women executives from Eversource, two of whom were past recipients of the NEWIEE leadership award: Penni McLean-Conner, Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President of Eversource’s Customer Group, and Edna Karanian, Director of Gas Supply. Joining them were Catherine Finneran, Director of Environmental Affairs (NEWIEE Board member), Ellen Angley, VP of Supply Chain, and Christine Carmody, VP of Humans Resources and Information Technology.

Q: Why is Eversource so supportive of NEWIEE?

Women are the world’s greatest asset, and diversity and inclusion are keystones of Eversource’s employment efforts. Increasing women on the board and in the c-suite are not only shared goals of NEWIEE and our industry in general, but goals at Eversource specifically. Additionally, it is local, it aligns with our service territories in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and the events are an excellent way for our team to network.

Q: Last year, NEWIEE launched a new mentoring program. What are your thoughts on this program?

Eversource had 16 employees participating as mentors and mentees, so it definitely provided additional value to the NEWIEE membership. Because the program is run externally, it provided a safe and confidential place for women in energy and environmental businesses to discuss their career goals and concerns. You never had to worry about being judged or having your confidentiality breached in any way. We have high hopes for the future of the NEWIEE mentoring program to continue growing, developing, and providing members with its unique and great opportunities.

Q: How can we improve our signature events, and do you think NEWIEE should host more events?

The “Women Shaping the Agenda” event will be held on July 24th, the Annual Meeting and Fall Fete this November, and the Annual Awards Gala (10th anniversary edition) to be held on Thursday, April 29, 2020).

Eversource on our Women Shaping the Agenda event:
We love the diversity of the panel – the program features women that are not as well known or have recently taken on new leadership positions. For Eversource, the event recognized that we were one of the first groups to merge energy with environment!

Eversource on our Award Gala:
We all agree that the Award Gala is the best of the signature events. It is a great chance to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women in our field. We wonder if a luncheon might work better than a dinner.

Eversource on our Annual Meeting/Fall Fete Event:
At all NEWIEE events, the biggest benefit is the opportunity to network. As experienced attendees of this reception, we would love to see new women being guided by those who may be more comfortable in the event’s setting to provide an optimal networking experience for all. Eversource will definitely be increasing the number of women we have attending NEWIEE events.

Q: What are ways that NEWIEE could add value for its members?

Overall, we agree that webinars would be an excellent way to reach more members in a way that is both informative and convenient. They are effective in educating women on complex issues in our industry, and will help with expanding the NEWIEE brand by reaching new, more diverse groups of women.

Q: Are there additional areas that NEWIEE should turn its focus?

Building a strong pipeline of girls and young women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is so important to our industry. Anything you can do to encourage more women to pursue a STEM career will be a major help to our industry.

We’d love to see NEWIEE expand reach to other regional business organizations to grow our network and build partnerships. I can imagine some really exciting opportunities for us to hold joint programming that adds our voices and insight to discussions of important current issues. No matter what you’re involved in, you need energy to do it – and you need to protect and preserve the environment to ensure opportunities for the generations to come.

Eversource’s overall appreciation of NEWIEE is evident in their offer to host future meetings and to continue to sponsor all three of our signature events. Special thanks to Christine, Ellen, Penni, Edna, and Catherine for taking the time to share their thoughts on NEWIEE.

Despite the threat of gray skies, we ventured out to have our picture taken next to an Eversource truck to illustrate that Eversource is a service provider – we at NEWIEE appreciate their support.

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