RENSSELAER, N.Y. — Emilie Nelson on Oct. 1 started her new position as chief operating officer (COO) of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which oversees the state’s power grid. The NYISO announced on Sept. 27 that its board of directors had promoted Nelson, a longtime employee, to executive VP and COO from her […]
RENSSELAER, N.Y. — Emilie Nelson on Oct. 1 started her new position as chief operating officer (COO) of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which oversees the state’s power grid.
The NYISO announced on Sept. 27 that its board of directors had promoted Nelson, a longtime employee, to executive VP and COO from her prior executive VP role with the organization.
Rick Gonzales, the previous COO and a senior VP, will retire at the end of this year, according to the NYISO. He has been with the organization since its inception in 1999, and with the New York Power Pool, which preceded it, since 1987.
Nelson first joined the NYISO in 2004. She has 24 years of experience in the electric power industry. The NYISO says it named her executive VP in 2019, tasking Nelson with lead the NYISO’s system & resource planning, information technology, and market structures organizations, with a focus on proactively addressing the evolving and dynamic challenges of the power industry and a changing electric grid.
Before joining the NYISO, Nelson worked in electric generation for Mirant New York as a power-plant performance engineer. Over her tenure with the NYISO, she has held various roles of increasing responsibility in market monitoring, energy market design, and operations. Just prior to being named executive VP, she was NYISO’s VP of market operations with responsibility for the administration of the wholesale electricity markets.
“Emilie has built a strong record of performance-driven results in a number of senior management roles throughout her career at the NYISO. She has a deep understanding of our business, the New York electric system, and the electric industry itself. She is well equipped to help guide the company successfully into the future,” NYISO Board Chairman Dan Hill said in a statement.