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Strategic Advisor·Clean Energy·Grid Infrastructure

Cheryl LaFleur

Chairman of the Board (ISO New England); Adjunct Senior Research Scholar (Columbia CGEP) at ISO-NE / Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy

Boston, MA

CL
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Why they matter

Singular dual perspective: as ISO-NE Chair she shapes how a major U.S. RTO actually integrates clean-energy resources at scale, while as FERC veteran she knows what's actually possible regulatorily.

Background

Served as FERC Commissioner from 2010 to 2019; Chairman or Acting Chairman of FERC for portions of 2013-2015 and 2017. Before FERC, was Executive Vice President and Acting CEO of National Grid USA, with 20+ years in the electric and natural gas industry. Currently Chairman of the ISO-New England Board of Directors and an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar / Advisory Board Member at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. Named a Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative.

Notable deals

  • 2019
    Joined ISO-NE Board of Directors, elevated to Chairman. Direct oversight of New England wholesale-electricity market evolution.
  • 2021
    Named U.S. C3E Lifetime Achievement Award winner for clean-energy leadership.
  • 2024
    Adjunct Senior Research Scholar role at Columbia CGEP focused on electric and natural-gas adaptation to climate challenges.

Call-prep brief

Background

LaFleur sits in two seats that together are uniquely valuable for clean-energy/grid investors: ISO-NE Chairman (operational reality of integrating clean resources into a real RTO) and Columbia CGEP (academic and policy framing). Add ~10 years of FERC perspective and 20 years of operating experience at National Grid USA, and she's one of the very few people who has seen the system from every angle.

What she cares about

  • Capacity-market reform. How ISO-NE prices reliability as fossil retires.
  • Offshore-wind integration. New England is the U.S. epicenter.
  • Climate adaptation for electric + gas systems together.

Recent moves

  • Continues as ISO-NE Board Chair (active 2024-2026).
  • Regular speaker / advisor through Columbia CGEP.

Sensitivities

  • ISO-NE governance is sensitive. She won't share confidential market-design details.
  • Treat as a sitting independent board chair, not a former regulator only.

Questions to ask

  1. Where is ISO-NE's capacity-market construct heading as offshore wind comes online and gas plants retire?
  2. What's the realistic timeline for offshore-wind project completion vs. originally-bid timelines, post-cost-escalation?
  3. Which interconnection-queue reforms have the best chance of being adopted across U.S. ISO/RTOs?

Outreach draft

Subject
ISO-NE market evolution: would value your read
Hi Ms. LaFleur, I lead clean-energy and grid investing at [Firm]. We're calibrating views on offshore-wind execution and capacity-market evolution in New England, and your perspective from the ISO-NE seat plus Columbia CGEP is the most informed combination in the market. Would you have 30 minutes for a structured conversation in the next two months? Happy to defer to your schedule. Best regards, [Your name] [Your firm]

Linked companies

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