In the Media

Boston, Mass. January 6, 2016 – New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE), a Boston-based organization comprised of professionals in the energy and environmental sectors, has announced that it has elected Elizabeth Barton of Day Pitney as President, and Mary Ellen Paravalos of National Grid and Catherine Williams of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) as Board members. 

"We are very excited to have such reputable women leading our organization," said Judy Chang, the former President of NEWIEE." We are enthusiastic for them to lead us for the next two years and establish themselves as mentors to women in the energy and environment sectors."

Elizabeth Barton, an environmental partner at Day Pitney, has been involved with NEWIEE since its founding in 2008. Beth brings more than 25 years of experience in environmental and land use consultation, permitting, and litigation at the federal, state, and local levels. Her work involves substantial contact with federal agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, and with state agencies, including the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Beth has also worked closely with various federal, state, and local authorities in connection with a number of innovative development projects, including a wide range of energy projects and large restoration projects such as Blue Back Square in West Hartford, Connecticut and the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, Connecticut, as well as smaller urban initiatives, such as the Learning Corridor in Hartford, Connecticut. She has also served on legislatively created task forces on environmental matters and presently serves as a member of the Steering Committee assisting the statutorily-created Water Planning Council with the preparation of a comprehensive statewide water plan for the State of Connecticut. Beth is a graduate of Tufts University and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Mary Ellen Paravalos, Director of Strategy and Performance at National Grid, focuses on developing and implementing innovative energy solutions, with an emphasis on policy, that meet customer needs today and tomorrow given the changing environmental, economic, and technical landscape.  She previously was Corporate Strategy Manager for National Grid in London, and has held roles at National Grid US in energy regulatory policy, commercial contracts, reliability compliance, and system planning and engineering. Mary Ellen has held roles on a number of energy industry committees including for the New England ISO, New York ISO, and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI).  She chaired EEI's Electric Delivery Executive Advisory Committee from 2013-2015 and represented New England's electric utilities in the US Department of Energy-funded Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC) study effort.  Mary Ellen is a graduate of Northeastern University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is a registered engineer in Massachusetts. 

Catherine Williams, the Senior Director for Marketing and Communications at MassCEC, a publicly-funded agency dedicated to expanding the clean energy sector in Massachusetts. Prior to joining MassCEC, Catherine served as acting director of communications and press secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Catherine worked as a journalist before joining the state serving media outlets including the State House News Service, NECN and the Boston Business Journal. Her work was recognized for excellence in journalism by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and by the Society of Professional Journalists. Since 2010, Catherine has served on the board of directors for the Commonwealth Children's Center, a nonprofit childcare facility in Boston. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Vermont and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.