AEIC elects new officers, board members, including Ameren Illinois’ Singh
The Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the electric utility industry’s leading organization for all aspects of operational excellence, has elected new officers and members to its board of directors.
Heather Rivard, senior vice president, Transmission & Distribution, Southern California Edison, has been named president for 2024. Rivard replaces Werner Schweiger, executive advisor for Operations, Long Island Power Authority, who moves into the role of immediate past president.
“AEIC has guided the electric industry for more than a century, and I am honored to be part of it,” said Rivard. “I hope my appointment will inspire more women to consider careers in the energy industry and I look forward to continuing our progress together toward a decarbonized future in 2024.”
Also serving on the AEIC Executive Committee are Robert Sanchez, Orange & Rockland Utilities president and CEO, as first vice president; Jim Heilbron, Southern Company senior vice president of Technical Shared Services, as second vice president; and Steve Hauser, CEO, AEIC.
Ameren Illinois Chairman & President Leonard “Lenny” Singh, from Glen Carbon, Ill. (Photo courtesy AEIC)
In addition, AEIC elected several additional industry executives to its board of directors:
- David Bonenberger, president, Rhode Island Energy
- Michael Finissi, COO, Santee Cooper
- Joi Harris, president and COO, DTE Energy
- David Perez, COO, Commonwealth Edison Co.
- Leonard “Lenny” Singh, chairman and president, Ameren Illinois
- Wade Smith, executive vice president and COO, Puget Sound Energy
- Ed De Varona, vice president, Transmission and Substation, Florida Power & Light Co.
Founded by Thomas Edison in 1885, AEIC continues to hold a unique and important position in the electric industry today as the place where senior leaders and operational experts come together to share knowledge, collaborate, and provide technical guidance to the industry. AEIC builds one-of-a-kind industry relationships and networks and develops operational best practices by engaging leaders from across the utility industry.
“AEIC’s member companies represent a ‘who’s who’ of utility industry leaders,” said Hauser. “We are extremely fortunate to have executive leaders on our board who understand firsthand, not only the operational challenges of keeping the lights on every day, but also what it takes to accelerate change to achieve the transformation to a future electricity infrastructure at this critical time of transformation for our industry.”
To learn more about AEIC, its technical committees, and member companies, visit https://aeic.org/.
