NYPA - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Executive Vice President
• Trustee

Adam Barsky is the New York Power Authority's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, he joined the Power Authority in 2019. He is an accomplished senior executive who brings more than 30 years of dedicated experience in management, finance and public policy. Adam previously served as Chief of Staff and Special Counselor at the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Prior to that he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of IDB bank NY from 2006 to the 2017. In that senior role, he oversaw all aspects of risk management for the bank including credit, market and operational risk, and strategic and reputation risk. Adam has held numerous positions in state and local government including Deputy Secretary to the Governor of New York for Public Authorities, Financing and Housing and New York City Issues. Before that, he served as Budget Director and Chief Financial Officer of the City of New York and as Director of the Mayor's Office of Operations. Adam also worked as Chairman of the New York City Employees Retirement System, Chairman of the New York City Transitional Finance Authority, and Chairman of the NYC Municipal Water Finance Authority, Acting Commissioner of the New York City Department of Finance, and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Adam graduated cum laude from the State University of New York, Albany with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He is also a certified public accountant and has also completed Columbia Business School's Risk Management Executive Education Program. Adam was appointed as Chairman and a Director of the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority by former Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 1, 2016 and has served as a member of the board of directors of the New York State Job Development Authority since 2006.

Job Titles:

• Trustee
• Senior Vice President and Chief Risk and Resilience Officer

Alexis Harley is Senior Vice President and Chief Risk and Resilience Officer at the New York Power Authority. Alexis sets the Power Authority's strategic risk management and resilience vision and implements, oversees and monitors all risk management and resilience activities. She is responsible for determining NYPA's risk tolerance and instituting associated strategic plans, including oversight of the Sustainability team, which is responsible for the development and implementation of NYPA's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. Alexis has spent her entire career learning and growing in the evolving energy industry and joined NYPA from National Grid. She has extensive experience designing, implementing and leading enterprise risk management programs to protect people, assets and communities, while preserving value and adapting to new opportunities. In her previous roles, Alexis guided the development of risk-based business continuity, process safety, compliance management and other programs supporting informed risk mitigation. She worked with executives and board members to set risk appetite, monitor emerging risks and consider the impact of multi-risk scenarios. Alexis also has experience in transformation, internal consulting, business planning and performance management, process excellence, strategic planning, and engineering project management. Alexis is a graduate of Columbia University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and is a member of its Alumni Representatives Committee. Alexis has served as a mentor through Employee Resource Groups and leadership programs. She also served two full terms on her local school district's Board of Education. Alexis enjoys travel, reading, spending time with her daughter, and finding opportunities to combine all three.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Risk and Resiliency Committee
• Trustee

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Risk and Resiliency Committee
• Trustee

Cecily LaVigne Morris retired as a New York State Family Court Judge and Acting Supreme Court Justice in December 2021. Judge Morris began working in the New York State Unified Court System in 1989, beginning as a law clerk and court attorney for the Hon. David S. Nelson. After Judge Nelson retired, she continued in the UCS, and was elected Family Court Judge, serving from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. As an Acting Supreme Court Justice, Judge Morris, in part, presided over the Integrated Domestic Violence Court Part and the Youth Part of New York State Supreme Court. Judge Morris is the current Chair of the New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board. Judge Morris has lived most of her life in St. Lawrence County, primarily in Massena, and earned her undergraduate B.A. degree in history at LeMoyne College in Syracuse in 1980, and her J.D. degree at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia in 1983.

Job Titles:

• Chief Innovation Officer
• Executive Vice President
• Trustee
• Professional Engineer in New York State

Daniella Piper is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the New York Power Authority. Daniella coordinates the Power Authority's strategic business goals, technology innovation, digitization, and research and development efforts so new technologies can be developed, tested, socialized and implemented in support of the state's clean energy targets. Daniella also oversees NYPA's Enterprise Innovation team, which serves as the incubator for new programs and ideas, allowing NYPA to develop and deploy game-changing technologies and digital solutions that advance its efforts to create a thriving, resilient New York State powered by clean energy. Daniella has more than 15 years of experience in the energy industry with a long history of success at the Power Authority, having started as a Developmental Intern in 2007. Most recently, Daniella served as Western New York Regional Manager and Chief Transformation Officer. She has been integral to some of the Power Authority's most trailblazing efforts, such as the construction of the Marcy South Series Compensation Project, NYPA's 10-Point Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, and NYPA's first Digital Transformation Office. Through her varied roles, including a previous post as Chief of Staff, Daniella developed a broad understanding of the Power Authority and has excelled at working collaboratively with employees and external parties. Daniella is a licensed professional engineer in New York State, and holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering from City College of New York, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from New York University, and a Master of Engineering Construction Management degree from Manhattan College. She has been a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 2005. In her spare time, Daniella is a mentor in the Workplace Culture Coaching Program of Westchester Community College.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Risk and Resiliency Committee
• Trustee
• Vice President
• New York and Connecticut Area Director for CWA During Bargaining With Verizon

Dennis G. Trainor is Vice President of CWA District 1. Dennis was unanimously elected Vice President of CWA District One in June, 2015. His election to the CWA's top regional position capped a career dedicated to advancing the rights of working people. As regional Vice President, he leads 140,000 workers in telecommunications, public sector, media and broadcast, health care, airlines and manufacturing across New York, New Jersey and New England. In April and May of 2016, Dennis led the successful 49-day strike of 40,000 Verizon workers up and down the East Coast, the largest strike in the country for the last five years. He also played a critical role in resolving the 17-week long IUE-CWA strike against Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford, NY in the winter of 2016-2017, including negotiating a back-to-work agreement that returned all the strikers to their jobs. Prior to his election as Vice President, Dennis had served for ten years as Assistant to the Vice President of District One. In that role, Dennis had primary responsibility for collective bargaining throughout the region, which involved hundreds of collective bargaining agreements covering all members in District One. He served as the Verizon Regional Bargaining Chair for the 2008 and 2011 bargaining. He also chaired the AT&T East bargaining for the last five contracts and negotiated a new agreement with Frontier Communications when it purchased AT&T East. Dennis was appointed the Downstate New York and Connecticut Area Director for CWA during bargaining with Verizon in 2003. As Area Director, Dennis supervised all of the CWA staff assigned to Local Unions in downstate New York and Connecticut and co-chaired the 2003 Verizon Regional Bargaining with the then Assistant to the Vice President Chris Shelton. Dennis went to work for the New York Telephone Company in 1969 as a splicer's helper. He started his union career during the seven-month long strike against New York Telephone in 1971 when he was elected shop steward in CWA Local 1101. He was elected chief steward in 1975 and represented the Bronx Construction Department in NY Tel. He held that position for eleven years until he took over the chief steward's position in the Empire City Subway Company. He negotiated break out wages for many of the crafts in Empire City Subway during bargaining in 1991 and 1994. Dennis lives with his wife Kathy in Holbrook, NY. He has three married sons, Dennis, Jr., Greg and Brian and three daughters-in-law - Dina, Jill and Kate and six grandchildren - Jesse, Henry, Julian, Scarlett, Graham and Lucy.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Chairman of the Risk and Resiliency Committee
• Trustee

John R. Koelmel has served as Chairman of the Authority since June 2012, when he was nominated as a Trustee by former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Mr. Koelmel is currently an advisor for and investor in several early-stage businesses based in Western New York. He previously served as President of HARBORCENTER, LLC, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. including its principal subsidiary, First Niagara Bank N.A. He began his professional career with KPMG LLP in 1974 and was managing partner of KPMG's Buffalo office and Upstate New York Business Unit. Mr. Koelmel earned a B.A. degree in economics and accounting from The College of the Holy Cross in 1974. He has also assumed numerous and varied leadership roles in the Buffalo and Western New York community throughout his career.

Job Titles:

• Chief Operating Officer
• Co - Chairman
• Executive Vice President
• Member of the Board
• Trustee
• Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical

Joseph F. Kessler, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, oversees NYPA's power generation and transmission assets, commercial operations and the New York State Canal Corporation's operations. Joe was the first chairman of NYPA's Asset Management Board and is a member of NYPA's Enterprise Risk Management Committee. He also serves as executive sponsor of NYPA's Multicultural Employee Resource Group. Joe is a board member of the Hydropower Research Institute and Co-Chairman of the National Hydropower Association's CEO Council and sits on the boards of the Northland Workforce Development Center and Invest Buffalo Niagara. He has served on the Electric Power Research Institute's Generation Sector and Research Advisory Councils and is on the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative Board Working Group and the Large Public Power Council's Operational Executive Working Group. Joe is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a member of the Erie-Niagara Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, the International Association of Electrical Inspectors and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• President
• Trustee

Justin E. Driscoll is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation's largest state-owned electric utility. He is responsible for developing and implementing the statewide utility's strategic vision and mission, and for overseeing its operations, legal and financial matters, and relationships with external stakeholders. He is also responsible for the operation of the New York State Canal System.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President of Human Resources
• Trustee

Karina Saslow is Senior Vice President of Human Resources at the New York Power Authority. Karina is responsible for developing and leading programs that support the NYPA and Canal workforce of more than 2,000 employees and are part of whatmakes the Power Authority a leading workplace.This includes strategy and oversight of diversity, equity and inclusion; Total Rewards programs including benefits and compensation; recruiting; organizational and talent development; HR data and systems; and employee relations. Along with her team, Karina shapes effective people and talent strategies to support long-term organizational objectives through strong partnership and coordination with NYPA's senior leadership, employee resource groups and the New York State Office of Employee Relations. Above all, she ensures the NYPA culture stays true to its five values and is an environment where everyone contributes and everyone belongs. Karina joined NYPA in 2009 and has informed transformationalinitiatives. She developedthe Total Rewards strategy, advised on Vision2020 and subsequent plans, supported ISO55001 certification, led HR functions integrating the Canalsduring acquisition and played a critical role in HR representation for COVID incident command system (ICS),including responsibility for contact tracing. Karina has workedin a variety of complex, technicalindustriesin her nearly 30 years of enhancing employee experience, including at Willis Towers Watson, IBM, MannKind Corporation and Linde (formerly Praxair). In these roles, she served as an advisor to executive management onstrengthening culture and engagement through people-focused programs and strategies. Karina holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Albright College, and a Master of Business Administrationfrom the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. A lifelong resident of NY's Hudson Valley region, she currently resides in Southern Dutchess with her husband and daughter.

Job Titles:

• Trustee
• Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Utility Law Project
• Trustee / Executive Management

Laurie Wheelock, Esq. is the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Utility Law Project. She began her career working for the New York Public Interest Research Group, where she fought for the rights of consumers across the state.

Job Titles:

• Trustee
• Vice Chair of Commercial Banking of J.P. Morgan

Lewis M. Warren, Jr. is a Vice Chair of Commercial Banking of J.P. Morgan, responsible for managing banking relationships with state and municipal agencies and authorities nationally, and with developing strategic alliances and product innovation. He has more than 35 years of experience in commercial and investment banking and global transaction services. Before joining J.P. Morgan in 2012, Warren was President, Northeast Commercial Banking, Deputy Head of Global Investment Banking and on the Management Operating Committee at Bank of America. In his community, Warren served as Vice Chairman of the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency from 2018 to 2022. He currently serves as Vice Chairman on the board of PENCIL-the New York City non-profit that partners public schools with businesses-and has recently joined the board of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, New York. Warren has twice received the President's Volunteer Service Award and the "Black Achiever in Industry Award" from the YMCA of Greater New York. He has been named a "top 100 under 50 Diverse Executives and Emerging Leaders" by Diversity MBA magazine and honored as one of "75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street" by Black Enterprise magazine. In 2019, Warren received the City of New York Mayoral Service Award for his volunteer leadership on behalf of New York City public school children. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and earned MBA and JD degrees from the University of Virginia. He lives on Long Island with his wife and two children.

Job Titles:

• Executive Vice President
• General Counsel
• Trustee
• Authority in 2011 As the Assistant General Counsel

Lori Alesio is Executive Vice President and General Counsel. She serves as the chief legal officer of the Authority, and advises and represents the Authority in all legal matters. Lori joined the Authority in 2011 as the Assistant General Counsel for Labor & Employment. Since coming here, she has assumed increasing responsibility in the critically important areas of labor and employment, working closely with Utility Operations and our colleagues in the labor unions across NYPA. Lori had recently been promoted to Deputy General Counsel and assumed the day-to-day supervision of the Authority's Assistant General Counsels. She played a critical role for the organization during the pandemic as counsel for COVID Incident Command System (ICS), working closely with management and units across NYPA to develop innovative policies and processes to keep the workplace safe and productive. Lori, a graduate of St. John's Law School, has a long and distinguished record of public service. She came to NYPA from the Westchester County Attorney's office where she served for approximately 17 years. Most of that time, she was Deputy County Attorney in its Litigation Bureau where she handled many high-profile and sensitive and high-profile cases with great success.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• President
• Trustee
• Member of the Empire State Development New York City Regional Economic Development Council

Michael J. Cusick serves as President and CEO of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC), a non-profit organization where he brings a lifetime of experience leading economic policy and community leadership to enhance Staten Island's economy. Prior to joining the SIEDC, Cusick represented Staten Island as a Member of the New York State Assembly for the past twenty years and has been credited with passing 120 pieces of legislation during his tenure. While in office, Cusick served as Chair of the Energy Committee and passed legislation that created strong cybersecurity protection for New York's energy grid, increased the adoption of electric-drive vehicles and supported efforts to bring the offshore-wind industry to New York. Mr. Cusick serves as a member of the Empire State Development New York City Regional Economic Development Council and continues his public services as a member of the board for numerous organizations, including the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the College of Staten Island Foundation. A graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School and Villanova University, Cusick worked for the U.S. Senate and the New York City Council before joining the Assembly. He resides in Staten Island with his wife Yasmin and daughter Violet.

Job Titles:

• Trustee
• President of NYPA Development

Phil Toia is President of NYPA Development at the New York Power Authority. Created in 2021, NYPA Development is tasked with helping NYPA achieve goals in its VISION2030 strategic plan by becoming a leading developer of transmission projects in New York State and working on large-scale renewables and utility-scale storage projects. Phil has nearly 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry. He has been with NYPA for 19 years, most recently as Senior Vice President of Power Supply, overseeing the operations and maintenance of generation and transmission assets. Prior to joining NYPA, Phil worked in engineering, project management and system planning roles in the power generation, investor-owned utility business and at several consulting firms. Phil holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University and a master of business administration degree from Le Moyne College. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York State, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a board member of the Clarkson University Center for Electric Power Systems Research. Phil resides in Syracuse, N.Y., with his wife Sheila. They have two adult children.

Job Titles:

• Trustee
• Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer

Robert Piascik is the New York Power Authority's Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer. He leads the development and execution of the organization's technology services and capabilities, while driving NYPA's digitization strategy serving both customers and employees. Rob held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors at the Connecticut Municipal Electric Cooperative (CMEEC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Prudential Financials. He began his career in the electric power industry at CMEEC by developing software and providing technology services. Rob served as Senior Director at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals to implement and manage global shared technology services, and support large mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining NYPA, he served as Vice President of Planning & Strategy of Annuities IT at Prudential where he led the IT transformation to evolve the enterprise digital and diversified product development and analytics capabilities. Rob has a master's degree in management with a concentration in finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a bachelor's degree in technology with a concentration in engineering from the University of New Haven.

Job Titles:

• Chief Strategy Officer
• SVP
• Trustee
• Visionary Leader

Yves is a visionary leader in the field of strategy with extensive experience both domestically and abroad. As the Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at the New York Power Authority (NYPA), he plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's long-term strategic direction and positioning it to sustainably meet the needs of a rapidly evolving industry. He is a member of the Executive Management Committee of NYPA. NYPA is the largest state electric utility in the country, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,460 circuit-miles of transmission lines. NYPA produces approximately 70% of New York State's renewable electricity and 25% of the state's total electricity. Mr. Noel responsibilities at NYPA include oversight over strategy, planning, consulting, and sustainability including ESG reporting. Mr. Noel's professional journey began in the world of technology systems consulting, where he honed his problem solving and analytical skills developing large financial systems. He then transitioned to strategic management consulting working with top tier consulting firms and specialized energy boutiques. He tackled complex challenges faced by various industries, including utilities, energy and infrastructure, collaborating with multinational corporations and government entities across different continents. His international exposure has provided him with a global perspective and a nuanced understanding of diverse markets enabling him to navigate complex business landscapes effectively. Recognized for his strategic acumen and ability to translate insight into actionable plans, Mr. Noel has been instrumental in leading major transformational initiatives. His strategic approach is characterized by a keen focus on emerging trends, changing customer expectations and disruptive business models. He champions a data driven approach to inform decision-making. With a strong academic foundation and deep understanding of the practice of strategic management, Mr. Noel brings a unique blend of expertise from his diverse professional background. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola in Maryland.