Michele O’Connell Appointed New President and Chief Executive Officer of Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.
Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) has appointed Michele O’Connell, a seasoned utility executive with over two decades of operational, customer and planning experience at Con Edison, as O&R’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. O’Connell’s appointment will become effective April 1.
O’Connell will succeed Robert Sanchez, who has served in his role for six years. Sanchez has been appointed to a newly created role at Con Edison as President, Shared Services, where he will oversee enterprise groups including People & Supply Chain, Energy Management, Emergency Preparedness, Facilities & Field Services, and Research & Development.
Con Edison’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tim Cawley said, “Bob has done a terrific job during his tenure at O&R and I’m thrilled to continue working closely with him in his new role.” He continued, “Michele is a very talented leader. Her deep knowledge of our energy delivery systems and broad experience is matched only by her commitment to our customers, employees, and the communities we serve. I know she will have a tremendously positive impact on O&R.”
Since joining the company in 2003, O’Connell has held several positions of increasing responsibility at Con Edison. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Customer Operations, where she led the successful implementation of a new customer service system for Con Edison and O&R customers. She is a graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and holds a master’s degree in business administration in Finance from Montclair State University. She is a 2023 Rockefeller Fellow, and a Board Member for the New York Building Congress.
About Orange & Rockland
Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. O&R is a regulated utility that provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to approximately 140,000 customers in New York.