NEWIEE Events Calendar
The NEWIEE Gala
Sponsorships now available!
Each spring, New England’s most influential energy and environmental leaders gather for The NEWIEE Gala — the region’s premier celebration of women+ driving our sector forward.
Over 550 NEWIEE members, leaders and supporters, industry executives, government leaders, and nonprofit innovators gather for the region’s largest fundraising event for advancing women+ in energy and environment.
The night of connection, celebration, and recognition — including the presentation of NEWIEE’s annual awards, honoring the leaders and rising stars shaping the industry’s future isn’t just an event, it’s the engine that powers NEWIEE’s programming throughout the year, from mentorship and professional development to education, community building and career advancement for women+ across New England’s energy and environmental sector.
Past keynote speakers include sitting FERC Commissioners, a U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and a Massachusetts Governor.
The 2027 NEWIEE Gala will take place on May 6th at the Westin Copley in Boston. Save the date and contact NEWIEE Executive Director to learn how to be in the room and have your business featured as a supporter.
The NEWIEE Gala is Chaired by TSK Associates’ Jen Gorke and VHB’s Vivian Kimball. Thank you to our NEWIEE Gala Committee Members who support this powerful event:
Megan Aconfora, Burns & McDonnell
Amina Cephas, Eversource Energy
Ann Collier, SEPA
Molly Connors, NEPGA
Deanna Sassorossi, EPRI
Kaitlyn Woods, Eversource Energy
Keynote Address:
Judy W. Chang
Commissioner
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Judy Chang joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a Commissioner in July 2024.
Commissioner Chang is an energy economics and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience working with energy companies, trade associations and governments on regulatory and financial issues, particularly as they relate to investment decisions in electric transmission, clean energy and energy storage.
She is the former Undersecretary of Energy and Climate Solutions for Massachusetts, a role in which she led efforts to set policies across the Commonwealth’s energy sector and align strategies and plans to meet legal requirements for climate change mitigation. Commissioner Chang has presented and testified before U.S. federal and state agencies and regulatory authorities in Canada on topics related to energy resource deployment; energy contracts; transmission planning, access and pricing; and electricity market design. She has presented her work at industry conferences and academic seminars on energy and environmental policies.
Commissioner Chang has taught as an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and served as a Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government. She also served as an ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative and was a founding board member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment.
Commissioner Chang holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Davis.
Leadership Awardee:
Maria Gulluni
Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer
ISO-New England
As vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer, Maria Gulluni is the principal legal advisor for ISO New England. Also the company’s corporate secretary, she is responsible for the ISO’s work with FERC and the Board of Directors. She joined the ISO in 2000 as senior counsel and was subsequently promoted to assistant general counsel, then deputy general counsel. Gulluni began her legal career as an associate in the corporate department at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, Connecticut, where she focused on mergers, acquisitions, and corporate transactions.
Rising Star Awardee:
Alexis Washburn
Northeast Regional Director
Emerald Cities Collaborative
Alexis Washburn (she/her) is the Northeast Regional Director at Emerald Cities Collaborative, a non-profit organization working at the intersection of racial, economic, and social justice. At Emerald Cities Collaborative, she leads and supports sustainable development projects that advance racial, economic, and climate justice within the clean energy economy. She is interested in building collaborative, multi-sector approaches to support community-driven solutions that result in expanded access to and increased participation in clean energy opportunities for workers, consumers, and small-business owners. In support of these issues, Alexis serves as a commissioner on the Somerville Climate Action Commission and a councilor on the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council and the EEAC’s Equity Working Group. Prior to joining Emerald Cities Collaborative, Alexis worked on climate and buildings policy at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) where she played a critical role in improving equitable outcomes in the statewide energy efficiency programs.
Thank you to our 2026 Gala Sponsors
Carbon Offset Sponsor
Photo/Video Release Statement:
NEWIEE may on occasion take photographs and/or video of event attendees for use in print materials or by electronic methods. Your attendance at any NEWIEE event grants permission for NEWIEE to use these photographs and/or video in its marketing and public relations efforts.
Programming:
Would you like to volunteer to host, speak, sponsor, give a tour, or suggest a NEWIEE event idea? Email Programming Co-Chairs and NEWIEE Directors, Megan Aconfora and/or Vivian Kimball.
Friends of NEWIEE:
Have an event you would like to cross-promote? Please see our Friends of NEWIEE Submission Guidelines to submit your event for promotion consideration.
© 2026 New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE). NEWIEE is a non-profit, tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
