NPCC Appoints Two New Board Members to Strengthen Grid Reliability Across Northeastern North America
The Northeast Power Coordinating Council, Inc. (NPCC), a key entity responsible for safeguarding and improving the reliability of the bulk power system across northeastern North America, has announced the appointment of two accomplished leaders to its Board of Directors. Nicole Poirier and Nicola Jones bring decades of collective experience in the electric utility sector to the organization at a time when energy resilience, modernization, and coordinated regulatory oversight are increasingly critical.
Strengthening Leadership to Meet Emerging Challenges
Charles Dickerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of NPCC, expressed enthusiasm for the appointments and highlighted the strategic value the new members bring to the board.
“We are excited to welcome Nicole Poirier and Nicola Jones to our board to support the continued reliability of the bulk power system across the Northeast U.S. and Canada,” Dickerson said. “Their combined insights and expertise will complement our board and provide valuable new perspectives to foster NPCC’s long-term success as we continue to identify, reduce, and mitigate reliability risks.”
The NPCC, one of the regional entities under the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), plays a vital role in ensuring the bulk power system’s reliability and security. With jurisdiction covering seven northeastern U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, NPCC operates at the critical intersection of technical reliability standards, regional regulatory engagement, and industry collaboration. The addition of Poirier and Jones to the board reflects NPCC’s proactive approach to evolving energy challenges, including decarbonization, climate resilience, grid modernization, and regulatory adaptation.
Nicole Poirier: Driving Operational Excellence at New Brunswick Power
Nicole Poirier, who currently serves as the Vice President of Operations for New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power), brings to the NPCC board a wealth of operational knowledge and leadership honed over a 36-year career in the electric utility industry. In her executive role at NB Power, Poirier is responsible for leading and overseeing all aspects of utility operations across the province of New Brunswick.
Her scope of responsibility includes the strategic planning and execution of maintenance programs, capital infrastructure investments, and the management of the province’s day-to-day electricity operations. Under her leadership, NB Power’s operational teams have focused on enhancing service reliability, workforce training, and customer-centric service delivery—key components of utility resilience and public trust.
Throughout her career, Poirier has played a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability of both conventional generation and the transmission and distribution systems. Her broad experience covers everything from grid maintenance strategies to system operations and leadership development. She has been recognized for championing process improvement initiatives with an emphasis on customer satisfaction and safety. Her proven ability to build high-performing leadership teams has also enabled her organizations to meet regulatory compliance goals while advancing modernization efforts.
By joining the NPCC board, Poirier is expected to provide first-hand insights into utility operations from a Canadian provincial perspective—offering valuable context as the organization addresses cross-border coordination, winterization efforts, and energy transition impacts unique to the northeastern corridor of North America.
Nicola Jones: Bridging Regulatory Oversight with System Reliability
Nicola Jones serves as Chief in the Office of Rates and Tariffs at the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS), where she has spent two decades building her reputation as a highly knowledgeable leader in utility regulation, rate design, and reliability monitoring.
Her regulatory expertise has been instrumental in developing programs and policy recommendations aligned with New York’s ambitious clean energy goals. Jones has worked extensively on initiatives that intersect with climate legislation, utility affordability, and tariff reform—key pillars of the state’s energy policy.
At the DPS, Jones has led efforts to assess and modernize regulatory frameworks governing utilities. Her responsibilities have included evaluating utility emergency preparedness, reviewing safety and reliability metrics, monitoring performance plans, and ensuring long-term strategic alignment with evolving legislative and environmental mandates. She has also provided testimony on key rate and tariff filings, helping to shape regulatory proceedings and ensure the integrity of utility service standards.
Jones’s appointment to the NPCC board strengthens the organization’s ability to integrate public policy with technical reliability standards. Her regulatory lens will be especially valuable in navigating jurisdictional complexities as NPCC coordinates with federal, state, and provincial authorities on both sides of the border. Additionally, her experience in emergency response evaluations is aligned with NPCC’s mission to assess and mitigate risks that could impact the bulk power system under increasingly volatile climate conditions.
Enhancing NPCC’s Board With Complementary Perspectives
The addition of Poirier and Jones comes at a time when the electricity sector is facing transformative change. Grid operators and reliability coordinators like NPCC must address a confluence of challenges: integrating higher levels of variable renewable energy, modernizing grid infrastructure, and enhancing cybersecurity—all while ensuring that traditional reliability principles are upheld.
Poirier’s extensive utility operations background and Jones’s regulatory acumen offer NPCC a valuable balance of perspectives that will help guide policy, technical strategy, and collaborative initiatives. Their unique experiences—one grounded in system operations and asset management, the other in regulatory oversight and policy implementation—reflect NPCC’s commitment to comprehensive and informed leadership.
Moreover, their appointments mark an important step toward increasing gender diversity in energy governance, a priority that aligns with the broader industry goal of ensuring that leadership reflects the communities and constituencies served by the power system.
NPCC’s Broader Role in Regional Reliability
As a regional entity of NERC, NPCC is entrusted with developing and enforcing reliability standards, conducting compliance monitoring, and supporting coordination between transmission operators, balancing authorities, and resource planners. Its jurisdiction spans a complex region, including the densely populated Northeastern United States and major Canadian provinces such as Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
This region is characterized by its integrated cross-border transmission networks, high energy demand, and growing reliance on renewable generation, including hydroelectricity, wind, and solar. Ensuring the reliability and security of this interconnected system requires precise coordination, clear communication, and forward-thinking leadership—areas where board guidance plays a pivotal role.
By bringing new board members onboard with deep regional experience and strong leadership records, NPCC is positioning itself to meet future system demands and policy challenges with agility and foresight.
