Thursday, April 29, 2021 | Virtual - NEW ENGLAND WOMEN IN ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
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N E W E N GL AN D W O MEN I N E N E RGY A N D TH E E N V IRON MEN T
Thursday, April 29, 2021 | Virtual
2 #NEWIEEGala
Click here to watch a special message from National Grid.
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Click here to watch a special message from MassCEC. 4 #NEWIEEGala
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About the NEWIEE Awards
Welcome to the 10th NEWIEE Awards Gala to honor and celebrate the achievements of
women leaders in the energy and environment industry. Tonight, we recognize women in four
categories:
The NEWIEE Leadership Award: The Leadership Award honors women who have
promoted opportunities for women in the energy and environmental fields and have continued
to nurture and encourage women in these areas throughout their careers.
The NEWIEE Achievement Award: The Achievement Award honors women who have
achieved professional excellence within their area of specialty and have actively paved the
way to success for other women in similar or related professional areas. These women
demonstrate excellence in a variety of professional settings, including leadership on the
national, regional, or local level.
The NEWIEE Rising Star Award, in honor of Allison Smith: In 2016, NEWIEE
created the “Rising Star Award,” in honor of Allison Smith to be given to a woman with less
than ten years’ professional experience who has demonstrated a commitment to and positive
impact on her field, both professionally and in her personal endeavors.
The NEWIEE Board Recognition Award: The Board Recognition Award is given only on
special occasions to a true trailblazer and leader in the energy and environmental fields. She’s
made a lasting impact on the industry and is someone the NEWIEE Board takes great pride in
recognizing.
Allison Smith, who was well known to many in the energy community,
lost her life in a car accident in February 2015.
She approached her work on regional electric matters with confidence,
respect and grace. She cared deeply about the climate implications of
our energy choices, and this passion influenced her decisions about her
education, her personal pursuits and her work. She is remembered for
her intelligence, inquisitive nature and incomparable ability to create
good cheer.
We want to say THANK YOU to the many volunteers who help with programming and
events, membership, marketing and social media, and our NEWIEE On Campus college
events. We couldn’t do all this without you!
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2021 NEWIEE Gala
4:00 PM Welcome
Weezie Nuara, President of NEWIEE and State Policy Director – New England,
Dominion Energy
Keynote Address
Gina Raimondo, United States Secretary of Commerce
4:20 PM Rising Stars—Where Are They Now?
Judy Chang, Founder of NEWIEE and Undersecretary of Energy, Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
with Abby Krich, Kate Epsen, and Emily Luksha
4:40 PM NEWIEE Lounge Discussion
5:20 PM Award Presentations
MC: Weezie Nuara
2021 Rising Star Award Winner
Award Presenter: Weezie Nuara
Eugenia T. Gibbons, Boston Director of Climate Policy, Health Care Without Harm
2021 Leadership Award Winner
Award Presenter: Joey Lee Miranda, Vice President of NEWIEE and Energy
Partner, Robinson & Cole LLP
Mindy S. Lubber, Chief Executive Officer and President, Ceres
2021 Achievement Award Winners
Award Presenter: Joey Lee Miranda
Sheila Dormody, Rhode Island Director of Climate and Cities Programs,
The Nature Conservancy
Jean Ann Ramey, Founder and Executive Director, Climable.org; and Co-Founder
and SVP, Synapse Energy Economics
Special NEWIEE Board Recognition
Award Presenter: Mary Usovicz, Principal, MU Connections
Marcy Reed, Former President, MA and EVP Energy Policy & Social Impact,
National Grid
6:00 PM Speed Networking
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Thank you to our Benefactor Level Sponsors 8 #NEWIEEGala
Thank you to our Platinum Level Sponsors
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Thank you to our Platinum Level Sponsors
Thank you to our Gold Level Sponsors
10 #NEWIEEGalaThank you to our Gold Level Sponsors
Thank you to our Silver Level Sponsors
#NEWIEEGala 11Keynote Speaker
Gina M. Raimondo
United States Secretary of Commerce
12 #NEWIEEGalaGina M. Raimondo
“From coastal communities to rural towns and urban centers, climate change poses an
existential threat—not just to our environment, but to our economic well-being. At the
Department of Commerce we have a significant role in shaping a more sustainable
economy and I am honored to be leading this effort. I am proud to speak at the New
England Women in Energy and the Environment event, because it represents two things
I am passionate about: empowering women leaders and addressing the climate crisis
while creating jobs.”
Gina M. Raimondo serves as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was sworn in by Vice
President Kamala Harris on March 3, 2021. As Secretary of Commerce, she is focused on a
simple but vital mission—to spur good-paying jobs, empower entrepreneurs to innovate and
grow, and help American workers and businesses compete.
Secretary Raimondo was formerly the 75th Governor of Rhode Island and its first woman
governor. She grew up in Smithfield in a tight-knit Italian-American family. Her family history
and her childhood experiences shaped her core beliefs in hard work, opportunity for all, and
the importance of financial security.
Secretary Raimondo graduated with honors from Harvard and won a Rhodes Scholarship to
Oxford University. She later graduated from Yale Law School. She clerked for US District Judge
Kimba Wood and served as founding employee and senior vice president at Village Ventures,
and founded Point Judith Capital. In November 2010, Secretary Raimondo was elected to serve
as General Treasurer of Rhode Island. Secretary Raimondo was sworn into office as Governor
in January 2015 and won a second term in 2018. She also served as chair of the Democratic
Governors’ Association in 2019. As Governor, Secretary Raimondo kick-started the state’s
economy and made record investments in infrastructure, education and job training. She focused
tirelessly on creating economic opportunity and good-paying jobs for all Rhode Islanders. Early
in her administration, she launched an innovative workforce development program that develops
business-led partnerships to address unique workforce challenges.
Secretary Raimondo is married to Andy Moffit and they have two children, Ceci and Tommy,
and a rescue dog, Sparky.
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Rising Stars—Where Are They Now?
Join NEWIEE’s Founder and Undersecretary of Energy, Massachusetts Executive Office of
Energy and Environmental Affairs, Judy Chang, in an inspiring conversation with three former Rising
Star Awardees. The group will discuss women’s leadership and how to support the development of other
women leaders in our field.
Abby Krich, Boreas Renewables (2016 Rising Star)
Abigail Krich founded Boreas Renewables, LLC in 2008, a consulting practice serving renewable energy
developers, owners, operators, and advocates, including Renewable Energy Northeast (RENEW).
Kate Epsen, ISO New England (2018 Rising Star)
At the time of her award, Kate Epsen was the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Sustainable
Energy Association. She is now an External Affairs Representative for New Hampshire and Maine at ISO
New England, Inc.
Emily Luksha, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (2019 Rising Star)
Emily Luksha is the Director of the Rates and Revenue Requirements Division for the Massachusetts
Department of Public Utilities.
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2021 NEWIEE Rising Star Award—
In Honor of Allison Smith
Eugenia T. Gibbons
Massachusetts Director of Climate Policy
Health Care Without Harm
18 #NEWIEEGalaEugenia T. Gibbons
“I am incredibly humbled to be recognized as a leader and rising star for doing work
that I love. Pushing for change is challenging, but it is rewarding, too. Over the years,
I have had the pleasure of learning from and working with many amazing women,
some of whom are NEWIEE award recipients. It is exciting to be included among
them.”
Eugenia T. Gibbons is the Massachusetts Director of Climate Policy at Health Care Without
Harm, where she works to reduce health care’s environmental footprint while helping the sector
become an anchor for sustainability and resilience, and a leader in the movement for
environmental health and justice. Eugenia’s expertise includes energy efficiency and climate
justice. For more than a decade, she has worked to build partnerships across interests and
sectors to advocate for, develop, and implement policies that are sustainable, affordable,
equitable, and achieve deep greenhouse gas emission reductions in New England.
Eugenia previously served as Policy Director at Green Energy Consumers Alliance, where she
strengthened and grew the organization’s advocacy program. During her six-year tenure,
Green Energy Consumers Alliance was co-plaintiff in Kain v. MassDEP, was instrumental in
efforts to extend the Renewable Energy Standard (RES) in Rhode Island and increase the
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in Massachusetts, helped to reinstate Massachusetts’
consumer rebate program for electric vehicles (MOR-EV). Eugenia formerly served as Program
Director with the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
She holds a masters of Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University and is a
proud alumna of the University of Connecticut. When not working, Eugenia enjoys spending time
with her family, volunteering in her community, and traveling (when that’s possible again).
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2021 NEWIEE Leadership Award
Mindy S. Lubber
Chief Executive Officer and President
Ceres
22 #NEWIEEGalaMindy S. Lubber
“Ceres, along with our powerful networks of investors and companies, are more
ambitious and committed than ever before in driving sustainability into our global
capital markets in order to tackle the worst impacts of the climate crisis. I am honored
to receive recognition from NEWIEE for this work on behalf of Ceres, alongside our
women-led leadership team, who are helping to lead the way in driving change and
finding innovative clean energy solutions for the greatest challenge of our time. It
gives me hope for our future to know we are all in this together and more determined
to reverse our current trajectory.”
Mindy S. Lubber is CEO and President of Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit working with
influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the
economy. Mindy has received numerous awards and honors for her leadership in helping to
build a sustainable future, including being named one of the World’s Top Leaders of Change
(United Nations and the Foundation for Social Change) and receiving a Climate Visionary
Award (Earth Day Network), the William K. Reilly Award for Environmental Leadership
(American University’s Center for Environmental Policy), and the Skoll Award for Social Change.
Vogue Magazine recently named her a Climate Warrior for her contributions in mobilizing
business support for the historic Paris Climate Agreement, and Directorship Magazine named her
one of The 100 Most Influential People in Corporate Governance.
Mindy has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Financial Times,
CNBC.com, National Public Radio, and other broadcasting outlets; and regularly pens blogs for
Forbes, Huffington Post, and other popular news sites. In 2014, Mindy presented at TEDx Lake
Geneva in Switzerland, highlighting the role of the private sector in solving climate change.
Prior to Ceres, Mindy joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1995 as a Deputy
Regional Administrator and was named Regional Administrator under President Bill Clinton in
2000. Mindy was also Founder, CEO, and President of Green Century Capital Management, a
family of environmentally responsible mutual funds; and Director of the Mass Public Interest
Research Group. Mindy holds an MBA from SUNY Buffalo and earned a J.D. from Suffolk
University. She resides in Brookline, Mass., with her husband and has two grown children.
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2021 NEWIEE Achievement Award
Sheila Dormody
Rhode Island Director of Climate and Cities Programs
The Nature Conservancy
26 #NEWIEEGalaSheila Dormody
“We are in an ‘all hands on deck’ moment to protect our environment and create our
clean energy future. This challenge will take each of us doing all we can with all the
resources we have. I am deeply honored to be recognized by this powerful network of
women enthusiastically supporting each other to achieve their best in this work
together. The work and support of powerful women in this field has always been my
great source of hope and motivation.”
Sheila Dormody is the Rhode Island Director of Climate and Cities Programs for The Nature
Conservancy. Sheila leads programs to position the State of Rhode Island to address climate
change through ambitious greenhouse gas reduction policies, facilitate rapid deployment of
properly-sited renewable energy, and increase the use of nature-based strategies to improve
resilience and promote social equity. Her current projects include the Act on Climate Bill, the
Providence Urban Forestry Plan, the Rhode Island Municipal Resilience Program, and the
Providence Stormwater Innovation Center.
She previously served as the Director of Policy for Providence Mayors Jorge Elorza and Angel
Taveras where she managed a six municipality effort to develop a regional approach to
stormwater management. She was the first director of sustainability for the City of Providence
and facilitated the development of the city’s Sustainable Providence plan. She worked for the
environmental advocacy group Clean Water Action for more than a decade as Rhode Island
director and New England co-director. She won a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Merit
Award in 2008 for her work coordinating the New England Zero Mercury Campaign to prevent
mercury pollution. Prior to moving to Rhode Island, she worked for the nuclear disarmament
organization, Peace Action, in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Maine.
She lives in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Providence with her husband.
#NEWIEEGala 272021 NEWIEE Achievement Award
Jean Ann Ramey
Founder and Executive Director, Climable.org
Co-Founder and SVP, Synapse Energy Economics
28 #NEWIEEGalaJean Ann Ramey
“This award brings new inspiration to my work. NEWIEE shows that, even during a time
of great uncertainty, we can count on the power of women working together to solve
big problems. Climable lives this lesson every day; our greatest strength is our ability
to collaborate with communities, with cities, with experts, and with stakeholders that
often sit on the other side of the table.”
Jean Ann Ramey is founder and executive director of Climable.org, where she oversees and
supports projects focused on the impacts of energy use and climate change. One current project
is with the Resilient Urban Neighborhoods coalition, which develops clean-energy community
microgrids with vulnerable communities. She is also SVP and co-founder of the energy and
environmental consulting firm, Synapse Energy Economics. At Synapse, Ms. Ramey organizes the
development and achievement of current and long-term organizational goals, objectives,
policies, and procedures; advises on facilities and business management functions; and consulted
on issues within the electric industry, with particular attention to public health and consumer
education.
Prior to founding these two organizations, Ms. Ramey worked as an economist in the Electric
Power Division of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and as an analyst at Tellus
Institute. She holds an MA in Energy and Environmental Studies from Boston University, and a BA
in English from the University of Oklahoma.
#NEWIEEGala 292021 Special NEWIEE Board Recognition Award
Marcy Reed
Former President, MA and EVP Energy Policy & Social Impact
National Grid
30 #NEWIEEGalaMarcy Reed
“I am beyond thrilled to be honored by NEWIEE with its special board recognition
award. NEWIEE has been a constant source of unity and learning for the last decade,
and I’m humbled by this acknowledgement.”
Marcy Reed is President of National Grid’s Massachusetts business and Executive Vice President
of US Energy Policy & Social Impact. She is responsible for the gas and electricity businesses in
Massachusetts, including their operational, customer service, financial, and reputational
outcomes. In addition, she leads energy policy development for the US business and the
effective implementation of National Grid’s new social mobility platform. Marcy joined National
Grid in 1988 and has held various positions in finance, merger integration, corporate affairs,
and business operations. She also spent three years in London as the head of Investor Relations
for National Grid.
Marcy sits on the boards of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, Northeastern University, the
Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Partnership,
the New England Council, and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. She is the global
executive sponsor for National Grid’s Women in Networks employee resource group.
Marcy is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds a master’s degree from Northeastern
University. Married with two children, she lives in Concord, MA.
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