ABOUT RENEW

WHAT WE DO

RENEW Northeast (RENEW) is a non-profit association uniting the renewable energy industry and environmental interest groups whose mission involves coordinating the ideas and resources of its members with the goal of promoting and increasing renewable energy in New England and New York.

RENEW works to create and strengthen the public policies that will lead to the development and integration of high levels of renewable energy production for the benefit of the region. Modeled after successful organizations in other parts of the country, RENEW was initially a collaborative project of the wind industry and public interest environmental organizations. RENEW’s goal is to recruit as members other renewable energy companies, suppliers, utilities and manufacturers that share a common vision of clean, renewable and environmentally responsible power development. RENEW strives to be a single, coherent voice for its membership to achieve renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals by sharing resources and aligning messages. RENEW takes a leadership role in policy development on renewable energy issues before ISO New England and NYISO, state legislatures, governors, and utility commissions.

FRANCIS PULLARO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Francis Pullaro is the Executive Director of RENEW Northeast (RENEW)- an association of the renewable energy industry and environmental public interest groups in New York and New England. In leading RENEW, Mr. Pullaro promotes clean renewable technologies for the region that will increase energy diversity, spur economic development, and improve environmental quality.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MICHELLE CADIN GARDNER

CHAIR | RENEW NORTHEAST
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS | NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES

Michelle Cadin Gardner is currently Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs – Northeast for NextEra Energy Resources. In her present role, Michelle represents NextEra Energy in the NEPOOL Participant Process and in the PJM stakeholder process. She previously represented Capital Power Corporation in NEPOOL and before the FERC as Senior Counsel, Regulatory. Prior to working for NextEra Energy and Capital Power, Michelle was a Counsel with Day Pitney LLP, serving the NEPOOL Participants Committee and other clients.

Nicole Verdi

NICOLE VERDI

VICE-CHAIR | RENEW NORTHEAST
NEW ENGLAND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND POLICY | ORSTED

Nicole Verdi presently works as Orsted’s New England Head of Government Affairs and Policy. In this role, she is responsible for working with the New England Congressional delegation, governors’ offices and state and local officials to advance Orsted’s vision of a world run entirely on green energy and support successful development of Orsted’s New England project portfolio.Prior to joining Orsted, she worked for Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio as his Chief Legal Counsel and Senior Energy Advisor. In this role, she provided strategic leadership and oversight on senate legal matters and leadership priorities. Before working for the Senate President, she worked for Governor Gina M. Raimondo as her Deputy Chief of Staff. It was her job to support the Governor and lead the Governor’s efforts to combat climate change, ensure Rhode Island’s roads and bridges are safe and reliable, improve transit, and work with the state’s public safety professionals to keep Rhode Islanders safe. Before joining the Governor’s Office, Ms. Verdi worked as an attorney at Adler Pollock & Sheehan (AP&S). At AP&S, she represented clients in complex regulatory and permitting proceedings, including energy, environmental, public utilities, land use and water transportation. Ms. Verdi also clerked for Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice, Maureen McKenna Goldberg.

Kate McKeever

KATE MCKEEVER

TREASURER | RENEW NORTHEAST
VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS OFFSHORE U.S. | RWE RENEWABLES

Kate McKeever is Vice President of Government Relations for Offshore at RWE Renewables where she is responsible for offshore wind public policy in the U.S. Kate joined RWE in 2019 after working for three years as the Director of Regulatory and Institutional Affairs at Enel North America. Kate previously worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 17 years, where she last held the position of General Counsel in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) in the Baker-Polito Administration.

SARAH JACKSON

SECRETARY | RENEW NORTHEAST
CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICY MANAGER | NATURE CONSERVANCY’S NORTHEASTERN DIVISION

Sarah Jackson is the Climate and Energy Policy Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s northeastern division. In this position, she serves as a subject matter expert, advisor, and point-person on regional clean energy and climate issues, provides strategic guidance on specific policy engagement strategies at the state and regional levels, and develops and coordinates energy policy priorities across the Northeast. Sarah came to the Conservancy from Synapse Energy Economics, a research and consulting firm specializing in energy, economic, and environmental topics, where she co-managed the company’s regional energy market work and analyzed the economic and environmental implications of energy and environmental policies on the electric industry.

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