New York Power Authority Expands Executive Leadership Team to Meet New York’s Bold Energy Goals
WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority is expanding its executive leadership team to deliver on its clean energy mission, including new goals defined in the 2023-24 Enacted State Budget, which outlines new legislation providing NYPA with expanded authority to develop, own, and operate renewable energy generating projects. The Power Authority will be a key driver in assisting New York State in meeting its bold clean energy targets, including producing 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and creating a zero-emission statewide electrical system by 2040.
Following a rigorous recruiting process, Daniella Piper, an internal leader and expert in power systems and digital technology, has been promoted to Chief Innovation Officer and Alexis Harley has been hired as Chief Risk and Resilience Officer. The women join a diverse team of professionals committed to utilizing the Power Authority’s expertise to assist the state in achieving its ambitious climate goals.
“In their new roles, Daniella Piper and Alexis Harley will bring experience and new insights to our executive team and our organization as we fulfill our clean energy promise to the people of New York State,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “The new expanded authority legislation will allow us to further demonstrate the ingenuity and innovation that is part of the Power Authority’s DNA. I am excited to have Daniella and Alexis join my exceptional leadership team as we forge a clean energy path for the benefit of all New Yorkers.”
In Piper’s role as Chief Innovation Officer, she will coordinate the Power Authority’s strategic business goals, technology innovation, digitization, research and development efforts so that new technologies are developed, tested, socialized and implemented in support of the State’s clean energy targets.
Piper also will oversee a new Enterprise Innovation team that will serve 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.
Piper has more than 15 years of experience in the energy industry with a long history of success at the Power Authority, most recently serving 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 successful 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, she has developed a broad understanding of the Power Authority and excelled at working collaboratively with employees and external parties.
In Harley’s role as Chief Risk and Resilience Officer, she will set the Power Authority’s strategic risk management and resilience vision and implement, oversee and monitor all risk management and resilience activities at NYPA. She also will be responsible for determining NYPA’s risk tolerance and instituting associated strategic plans, including oversight of the Power Authority’s Sustainability team, which is responsible for the development and implementation of NYPA’s ESG strategy.
Harley has spent her entire career in the energy industry and comes to 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. With NYPA’s enhanced focus on innovation and its new expanded authority, strong risk and resilience programs will be key to balancing big ideas with thoughtful risk assessment and strategic resiliency plans.
New York State’s Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York’s unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2021, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state’s 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
About NYPA
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.
