ISO New England elects Cheryl LaFleur to board of directors

ISO New England, which oversees the region’s wholesale electricity markets, elected members to its 2019 board of directors.

Cheryl LaFleur, who served as a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) commissioner, join the board as a new member. LaFleur will replace retiring board member Raymond Hill, who has served on the board since 2010.

“Both Gordon and I want to thank Ray for his outstanding years of service,” Shapiro said. “New England’s wholesale market structure has evolved to become one of the most sophisticated in the industry during Ray’s leadership of our Markets Committee, and we will miss his valuable insights and guidance.”

LaFleur’s term will begin on Oct. 1.

“I am excited to join the board of ISO-NE, and look forward to engaging with my board colleagues and all stakeholders to understand and address the energy challenges and opportunities it faces,” LaFleur said. “New England is my home and where I have spent most of my career, and I welcome the opportunity to be part of an organization that serves electricity consumers across the region.”

LaFleur had been a FERC commissioner for nine years serving as both chair and acting chair. She stepped down from that role on Aug. 30.

“We are pleased that Cheryl has come home and joined the ISO New England Board,” ISO Board Chair Philip Shapiro said. “She not only will bring insights from her long tenure at FERC, but also from her experience at National Grid.”

Before FERC, LaFleur was executive vice president and acting CEO at National Grid. She also worked with chief operating officer and  president of the New England distribution companies, and general counsel at New England Electric System. She holds a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University.

“Cheryl is a welcome addition to the ISO New England Board,” Gordon van Welie, president and CEO of ISO New England, said. “The sum of her career experience will be put to good use as the region’s grid continues its transition to a future with cleaner, more distributed resources.”

Joining LaFleur on the board are two returning members, Barney Rush and Vickie VanZandt.

Rush has been on the board since 2013. Rush is the mayor of Chevy Chase, Md., and chairman of the board of Azure Power Global. He is also senior representative for Fieldstone, a regional investment bank.

VanZandt joined the ISO New England Board in 2011. She manages VanZandt Electric Transmission Consulting, Inc., based in Washington State. She is also the Western Electricity Coordinating Council’s Program Manager for the Western Interconnection Synchrophasor Program.