Aaron Choo, Board Member
Aaron Choo is the Vice President of National Grid’s Gas Network Operations, US. He is responsible for managing Gas Control Centers, Liquid Natural Gas Assets, and Instrumentation & Regulation across National Grid’s operations in both New York and Massachusetts. He has financial, operational, and customer-focused performance responsibility along with managing relationships with regulators, government officials, and the local communities National Grid serves.
Aaron is committed to ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable, resilient, and affordable gas service to 3.4 million customers, as well as advancing National Grid’s clean energy goals in support of NY & MA clean energy goals.
In his twenty-plus year tenure at National Grid and its legacy companies, Aaron has served in several operational roles, most recently serving as Vice President of Gas Field Operations & Programs in National Grid’s Downstate NY territory. Aaron has held leadership positions with responsibility in, Community and Customer Management, Customer Operations and Electric Generation, that has enabled him to become a dynamic energy professional.
Aaron is committed and leads on National Grid’s inclusion and diversity vision. He is an Executive Sponsor for the company’s Pride Employee Resource Group, a global colleague support group serving as a resource to the company in its commitment to build awareness and inclusion. He is a former board member of the Association of Black Professionals ERG.
Aaron is also active in industry and community associations. Currently, he is serving as Vice Chair of the United Way of Long Island Board of Directors. He is a member of the Hofstra University Department of Engineering Industry Advisory Board. He is a member of the American Gas Association Leadership Council and the American Association of Blacks in Energy. He is a former board member of Empire Clean Cities.
Aaron also completed The Energeia Partnership which is a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex, and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region. He was accepted into the class of 2024 David Rockefeller Fellows that provides business leaders with a unique opportunity to better understand New York City and take a more active role in shaping the city’s future.
Aaron has a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Hofstra University and a Master of Business Administration from Baruch College. He is a licensed fundamental engineer in New York State. Aaron is also one of the first Gates Millennium Scholars, which provides good-through-graduation scholarships for 1,000 talented students each year nationwide.
Melanie Littlejohn, Board Member
Melanie Littlejohn is the President and CEO at Central NY Community Foundation. She was National Grid’s Vice President of Customer & Community Engagement for New York state. She led external affairs, and customer and stakeholder engagement. A thought leader and visionary, she has a demonstrated history of driving sustainable change. She built and maintained relationships to achieve superior customer satisfaction and promotes the safety and reliability of the energy network. Her roles included leadership in emergency management, economic development, energy efficiency, and clean energy solutions. She was also responsible for the design and delivery of Project C. This initiative inspires positive change across New York communities through partnerships and collaborations. Melanie led the charge to create a more equitable future for customers.
Prior to 2017, when Melanie was named to her current position, she served as Director of Customer & Community Management in Upstate New York. She joined the company (then Niagara Mohawk) in 1994 as the Director of Inclusion & Diversity-US Operations.
A highly respected community leader and sought-after nonprofit board member, she currently serves as vice chair of the Onondaga Community College Board of Trustees and Chair Emeritus for the CenterState CEO’s Board of Directors, and a member of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council for Central New York and SUNY Morrisville Business School Council of Advisors. She also sits on the board of directors for Pathfinder Bank, N.A. She previously served on boards: Manufacturers Association of Central New York, Central New York Community Foundation, Consensus CNY, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New York, Say Yes to Education, Hospice of Central New York, Interfaith Works of Central New York, Community Folk Art Center and the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Center.
Melanie has been recognized for her efforts to improve the quality of life in Central New York by the Yva Jourdan Foundation, FOCUS Greater Syracuse, Manufacturers Association of Central New York, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, The Business Council, and the NAACP.
Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and MBA from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.
Eboné M. Carrington, Board Member
Eboné M. Carrington is a managing director with Manatt Health, an interdisciplinary policy and business advisory practice of Manatt. Based in New York and a distinguished health and business executive, Eboné draws on her extensive leadership experience with complex health care organizations to advise clients with successfully operationalizing groundbreaking care delivery strategies as they continue to evolve in line with the broader industry’s transformation.
Eboné helps clients identify challenges and opportunities, forecast goals, streamline operations, and develop new strategic initiatives. She advises health care organizations on operational management, performance improvement, managing through cultural transformation, cost containment initiatives, building effective teams, patient experience, and quality of care.
Before joining Manatt, Eboné was the Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where she led initiatives improving revenue performance, bolster patient experience metrics, reduce the patient readmission rate by 10%, and eliminate a $40 million budget deficit. Both she and the hospital received multiple awards and recognitions throughout the years. To modernize Harlem Hospital, she redesigned and reorganized systems advancing change management strategies and championed an internal cultural transformation to help it become a high-reliability organization. Eboné led the public health system’s response to COVID-19, directing all aspects of pre-, intra- and post-COVID-19 inpatient, outpatient and emergency department COVID-19-related patient care.
Prior to Harlem Hospital, Eboné served as the Chief Quality Officer for Interfaith Medical Center, where she oversaw quality management, regulatory and compliance, and performance improvement processes. She conducted root-cause analyses for cases reportable to the Department of Health.
Eboné is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a degree in Business Management and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University. She is an Executive Leadership Fellow of the Advisory Board.
She is a member of Executive Fellowship, Leadership, The Advisory Board 2016, Board of Trustees Secretary, First Corinthian Baptist Church, Green and Bronze Certification in Lean Methodology, Volunteer Mentor, The DREAM Center, At-Risk Youth among other organizations. Her achievements include Crain’s New York Business, “40 under 40,” 2018, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer Leadership Award, 2017, Concerned Women of Brooklyn for Excellence in Healthcare Leadership, Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patient Network for Outstanding Service among others.
Hon. Louis Elisa, II, Board Member
Louis Elisa, II was elected to the 2012 Massachusetts Electoral College where he had the honor of placing the President’s name into nomination for re-election. In 2008, Louis served as a Gubernatorial Appointee, the Executive Secretary of the Seaport Advisory Council (SAC). He oversaw and directed Harbor Economic Development and growth, along with port safety and security throughout the 1,500 miles of the Commonwealth’s coastline.
Previously, Louis served as a Presidential Appointee, Senior Executive Service for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). While at FEMA, he served as the Region I Director overseeing management, training and preparedness for all six New England states. He later served as the International Affairs Officer; US Permanent Representative to NATO, in Brussels, Belgium. He took over the position as Director in Preparedness and Training Division, responsible for intergovernmental security agency coordination and developing a process for interfaith organizations to qualifications in disaster preparedness.
Louis is presently the co-founder and Director of International Outreach for Africa and European Affairs for World Disaster Management LLC. He is a member of and consultant to the Black Emergency Managers Association, Inc. (CBEMA), founder of the Black Boston Covid Coalition (BBCC), Commissioner of the Mayor’s Task Force on Black Men and Boys and Permanent Democratic State Committee Member. In addition, he serves as a Deacon at his church and volunteers as a mentor in a K-6 elementary school and founder of the Friends of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.
He has certifications in Arbitration, Energy and Environmental Safety, NBC Certification, Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Environmental Safety, Disaster Management, WMD, ICS, Drug Counseling and Substance Abuse Mitigation and Terrorism Response
Don Lowery, Treasurer
Don Lowery is Senior Vice President, Community Engagement, for Nielsen, a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry.
He leads a team that develops and executes Nielsen’s outreach to private and public sector entities familiarizing them with Nielsen’s overall strategy: developing partnerships to build panels and conduct surveys that accurately represent all populations. Joining Nielsen in 2004, he has served as Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and Senior Vice President of Corporate Reputation.
Don serves as one of the Executive Sponsors of Nielsen’s Black employee affinity group, SABLE (Sustaining Active Black Leadership and Engagement) and is a member of the company’s Political Action Committee. Currently, he is a fellow for CEO Action for Racial Equity, an organization of businesses committing to implement public policy solutions to enhance racial equity in the U.S.
Working in newspapers, TV, public relations and government affairs throughout his career, Don began as a general assignment reporter for the Roanoke (VA) Times & World News. In 1980, he joined the Boston Globe as a business reporter specializing in financial and economic news. While working for The Globe, he was part of a team of reporters awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the aftermath of school desegregation in Boston.
Don joined the New England Patriots in 1994, as Vice President of Public Relations and Community Affairs and later as Vice President of Player Development and Community Affairs. He was part of the senior administrative staff during the 2001 season when the Patriots won the first of their six Super Bowls.
His journalism awards including honors for editorial writing from the Associated Press, United Press International, Lincoln (MO) University and the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmys)
A native of Chicago, Don received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in economics from Wesleyan University. He resides in New York City.
Christine A. Berardi, NY Grant Visioneer & Management, Communication Lead/Editor
Christine Berardi is the Communication Lead/Editor for National Grid Foundation. As a communications professional, she utilizes her expertise to further the Foundation’s mission and its support of partner organizations by giving them a voice and sharing their accomplishments on the Foundation’s website and in its publications. Christine is the Editor of Destiny, National Grid Foundation’s quarterly newsletter.
In addition to her communications role, Christine serves as brand advocate and grant ambassador among her wide-ranging responsibilities. She and her talented team members work together creating opportunities to help better the lives of those in our communities.
In December 1990, Christine started her career at Brooklyn Union and continued working in Corporate Communications at KeySpan and National Grid. In 2010, she began working at National Grid Foundation.
Calvin L. Corriders, Board Member
Calvin L. Corriders was the Regional President, Syracuse Market at Pathfinder Bank in Syracuse, New York. He was responsible for the implementation of the bank’s strategic focus and direction for the Syracuse Market, Pathfinder Bank. He provided strong community presence and growth of customer base in Onondaga County and manages the commercial and retail lending sales in the Syracuse Market. He had over 40 years of banking experience.
Currently serving on the SUNY Upstate Hospital Advisory Board, he also is a member of the Joint School Construction Board responsible for the administering, renovations, and financing of the educational buildings for the Syracuse City School District. Calvin is a member of 100 Black Men of Syracuse; The Excellus Governance Board, Syracuse Housing Authority as Board President, a board member of the Syracuse Community Health Center, and President of the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance.
Calvin is a former member of the Syracuse City School District Board of Education. Former Commissioner Corriders was first elected to the Board of Education 1999. He was re-elected in 2003, 2007; appointed 2011. He served as the Board’s President and Vice President in 14 years of service as well as the Budget and Finance committee chair, the Curriculum committee chair, and the Facilities committee chair. Calvin is a Past President and Board Emeritus of Home Headquarters.
A lifelong resident of Syracuse, Calvin has garnered numerous community, banking, and service awards for all of the volunteer and professional work that he has done for over 30 years. Most recently, he received the Charles Dozier Public Service Award and the HSBC Community Banker Award. He graduated from The State University at Brockport with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He and his wife have two children.
Lorraine Lynch, Board Member
Lorraine Lynch is Group Head of Audit at National Grid. She is responsible for providing independent and objective assurance to the Board through the Audit & Risk Committee and the Safety & Sustainability Committee, and the Group Executive Committee. She focuses on the organization’s existing risk management, control, governance frameworks, and operating effectiveness to meet National Grid’s strategic objectives.
A seasoned executive, Lorraine has over 30 years of experience in the utility industry, holding various leadership roles in Finance, Treasury, Corporate Audit and the Transformation Office at National Grid.
Passionate about giving students of need an opportunity, Lorraine continues to lead a scholarship / internship program with a local college that offers students the opportunity to obtain work experience, and mentorship.
A member of the United Way New York City Board, Lorraine is an active member of the Community Impact and Public Policy Committee and the Finance and Investment Committee. Previously she served on the board of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a 160-year multi-arts center engaging both global and local communities, located in the heart of Brooklyn, New York.
She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Accounting from St Francis College, Brooklyn and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. Lorraine is a Certified Treasury Professional and has Executive Education Certificates from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Lorraine lives in New York with her husband and two children.
Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Vice - Chair
Dr. Gary V. Simpson brings to the National Grid Foundation Board of Directors the expertise of a scholar, educator, author and composer; the leadership skills of a pastor, board member and corporation president; and the caring concern of a husband, father and community advocate. Educated in the public schools of Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (Phi Beta Kappa) from Denison University, Columbus, Ohio; a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio. He has been Senior Pastor of The Concord Baptist Church of Christ for 30 years and is Associate Professor of Homiletics at Drew University Theological Seminary, Madison, New Jersey.
His numerous religious and community affiliations include: Board Chair, Concord Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Chair, The Fund for Theological Education (FTE); former Chair, Long Range Planning Committee-Progressive National Baptist Convention; Board Member, Denison University and the Institute of Church Administration and Management (ICAM); Advisory Board Member, African American Pulpit; member, American Baptist Churches and The New York Council of Churches, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Allocations Committee, United Way; Progressive National Baptist Convention; and former Board Member, Union Theological Seminary.
Ed White left National Grid Foundation on June 30, 2023
to pursue new professional opportunities.
National Grid Foundation is grateful to Ed for his leadership, dedication, and extraordinary accomplishments while leading the Foundation. Ed has been a passionate advocate for the Foundation, the many organizations it supports, and has expanded its reach while deepening the connection to our grant recipients.
Eileen R. Cohen, Chair
Eileen R. Cohen was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors in December 2018. She replaces Al Wiltshire who retired as Chair the same month. Eileen retired as Managing Director for JP Morgan Asset Management in 2018, a position she has held since 2001. At JP Morgan, she was Chair of the North America Proxy Committee and led the firm’s initiatives in corporate governance. She was also a Senior Client Portfolio Manager and a proven expert in investment consulting, portfolio management and financial communications. She then joined the communications firm of Abernathy MacGregor in 2019 as a Senior Counselor. Eileen currently holds a position of Senior Counselor at H/Advisors Abernathy, a global communications firm.
Prior to her Managing Director position, Eileen worked for Invesco, formerly Chancellor Capital where she was a partner and held various roles including Portfolio Manager, Head of Asset Allocation and Head of Client Services. In her earlier professional career, she was a partner at Buck Consulting, an actuarial and investment consulting firm and held manufacturing and finance positions at International Paper Co.
Additionally, Eileen served as a mentor in the Executive On Campus program at Baruch College, where she received the Alumni Allegiance Award. She also was a past member of the advisory council of SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board).
Eileen has been an Adjunct Lecturer on corporate governance at Baruch College and currently teaches a class on Governance and Ethics at NYU. She completed her BA in economics at Queens College and continued to Baruch to earn an MBA in finance and economics. She was selected for inclusion in the 2017 NACD Directorship 100.
FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP
Foundation team & creatives
Stephen J. Woerner, Board Member
Steve is an experienced divisional CEO, President, COO and CIO with extensive experience across the electric and gas utility industry. He currently leads his own consulting firm and works with several private equity companies providing advice and governance on investments.
Steve was the President of National Grid's New England Jurisdiction and a member of the National Grid, National Grid Group, PLC executive leadership team until January 2024.
Joining the company in October 2021, he brought more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry. He led more than 6,000 employees and was responsible for gas and electric operations in Massachusetts, as well as Liquefied Natural Gas, High Voltage Direct Current and Transmission in New England.
In his role, Steve was responsible for the operational and financial performance of the New England businesses and was for National Grid’s relationships with government officials, regulators, customers, and communities served by the company.
Before joining National Grid, he served as President & Chief Operating Officer for Baltimore Gas and Electric, when the company recorded its highest performance in safety, service, reliability, and customer satisfaction. Steve held numerous executive, leadership, and technical roles, with responsibilities for distribution and transmission engineering, customer service, operations, emergency preparedness and construction management. Steve co-led the integration of Constellation and BGE into Exelon.
A registered Professional Engineer, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola University Maryland.
In both his Maryland and Massachusetts roles, Steve was a very active a member several business organizations including the Edison Electric Institute CEO Policy Committee on Reliability and Business Community and the American Gas Association.
He is also active in civic organizations, Currently, he is a board member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the New England Council, and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.
He is a former board member and Chair of the Board of numerous non-profit organizations including: The United Way of Central Maryland, Humanim, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, and the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He serves as an Emeritus member of the Board of Advisors for the University of Maryland School of Engineering.
Carmen Fields, Vice - Chair
Carmen Fields was the Director of Community Relations/Economic Development New England for National Grid. Prior to that position, she was Director of Media Relations and Corporate Giving. Carmen has been a fixture in Boston’s journalism community for more than 30 years. Her experience includes both print and broadcast journalism; journalism education and media relations. She currently hosts the monthly public affairs program “Higher Ground” at WHDH-TV, Boston’s Channel 7.
She was part of the Boston Globe team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Boston’s school segregation. After working at the Boston Globe, Carmen served as a TV reporter/anchor in Boston and was an assistant professor at Northeastern University. She has served as a member of the Boston Adult Literacy Fund and Board Chair of the Museum of African American History on Boston’s Beacon Hill and Nantucket. Among her many awards for service and civic engagement, Carmen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Salem State University (Salem, MA).
Pamela Focá, Creative Adviser & Brand Alchemist
Pamela began her career at Brooklyn Union and worked as a creative throughout the company's transition to National Grid. She brings over 30+ years of experience to the Foundation through design in print and social media. She continually seeks opportunities to align the Foundation's brand to champion the organizations and programs it supports building positive awareness and relationships within the communities National Grid serves ensuring a greater success.
Pamela is a Certified Wholistic Health Coach and continues her studies in Homeopathy and nutrition.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Deborah Drew, Director, Philanthropic Development
Deborah (Deb) Drew has served as a communications professional for the vast majority of her more than 25 - years tenure with National Grid and its legacy company, New England Electric. She has a proven track record of successfully managing internal and external stakeholders, along with effective reputation management. Deb transitioned from strategic communications to the Foundation in 2017 and is focused on supporting its philosophy and mission by delivering programming, outreach and communications efforts in New England. She helps manage grant-making procedures and policies; prepares Foundation materials and documents; serves as Foundation representative and spokesperson in the community; and proactively builds and maintains positive internal and external relationships with National Grid Foundation stakeholders to assure and strengthen the Foundation’s reputation. Deb has a passion for supporting underserved communities, especially children, and enjoys working with the Foundation team to advance and grow this area of philanthropy. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Friends of the Children-Boston and the Learning Community in Central Falls, RI.
Kahri Fuller, Program Coordinator
Kahri is a dedicated administrative professional with 10 years of experience in process improvement and a deep passion for helping and serving underrepresented communities. Kahri's passion for community service has always been at the core of her professional endeavors. She strongly believes in using her skills and expertise to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through her work, she has collaborated with community organizations and volunteered her time to improve the wellbeing of the communities we serve. She takes pride in fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment, both inside and out of work and is proud to be a part of a Foundation that shares those same values.
The Board of Directors consists of esteemed business and community leaders who represent diverse industry and cultural and humanitarian organizations. They are collectively responsible for the Foundation staying true to its mission and focus, overseeing the Foundation’s activities and acting as the top-level advisory board. The Board of Directors meets quarterly to select prospective grant recipients.