Service to the Environmental Industry

EBC Stephen G. Lewis Merit Award for Service to the Environmental Industry

Award Recipient:

• Catherine A. Finneran, Outgoing Chair, EBC Board of Directors; Vice President, Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Eversource Energy

In Recognition of Meritorious Service, Leadership and Dedication to Improving the Quality of the Environment and to the Development of the Environmental – Energy Industry in New England

Catherine Finneran is Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs. She oversees environmental and climate initiatives, including work to achieve the company’s industry-leading goal to become carbon neutral by 2030. She leads the team responsible for corporate sustainability, an area where Eversource has repeatedly been recognized for leadership by outside evaluators. Her scope also includes transmission, distribution, gas and clean energy environmental permitting, environmental emergency response, and management of environmental reserve sites.

Catherine has more than 20 years of experience focused on clean energy, environmental protection, and economic development. Before joining Eversource, she served as Senior Director of Renewable Energy Generation at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, where she oversaw the design and implementation of programs to grow the Massachusetts clean energy market. That included oversight of state grant and rebate programs for solar, land-based wind, renewable gas, and clean heat.

She previously served as the Director of Clean Energy for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) working with agency staff to promote clean energy initiatives across air, water, waste and other MassDEP programs. She also served as the central point of contact for the state for brownfields redevelopment, working with developers and municipalities to support the cleanup and reuse of underutilized sites. Early in her career Catherine served as Development Manager for the City of Chicopee, where she helped the City form a 501(c)3 non-profit community development corporation.

Catherine is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Environmental Business Council of New England (EBCNE), as well as Director and Membership Chair for New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE). She is a Governor appointee on the Connecticut Blue Plan Advisory Committee and the Massachusetts Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Commission. She represents Eversource on the Massachusetts Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC) which advises the Administration on the implementation of the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA).

Presenting the Award:

Robert D. Cox, Jr.

EBC Vice Chair, Strategic Planning
Partner, Bowditch & Dewey, LLP

Award Photos