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Rodney (Rod) O. Powell is president and chief operating officer of Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO), a subsidiary of the Northeast Utilities (NU) system. Rod is responsible for the overall operations of the Company, its electrical distribution system and satisfying the needs of WMECO’s 200,000 customers throughout 59 communities in western Massachusetts. Rod also serves as NU’s principal officer in the region.
Prior to joining WMECO, Powell was Vice President Customer Relations for WMECO’s sister utility, the Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P). Powell was responsible for the interface between CL&P’s distribution organization, customer support functions and the 1.1 million retail electric service customers of
the 149 towns in Connecticut. He also managed CL&P’s Community Relations, Conservation and Load
Management, Customer Services and Economic and Business Development functions. Powell began his career at NU in 1978 as a budget analyst and was promoted to senior analyst in 1982. In 1994, he worked as a customer engineering and marketing services consultant and a year later was promoted to manager in Regulatory Relations. In 1997, Powell was named general manager of the CL&P’s Simsbury Area Work Center before assuming the role of CL&P Vice President Central Region in 1998. In 2002, Powell was named CL&P Vice President Customer Relations, serving in this capacity until he assumed his current position with WMECO. Prior to joining NU, Powell worked for Arthur Anderson and Company as a senior staff auditor and as associate director of a federally funded community health program with the University of Connecticut
Medical School.
Powell serves as the Chair of the Capital Workforce Partners; member of the Boards of Directors of the
Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development, Economic
Development Council of Western Massachusetts and Capital City Economic Development Authority;
member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning; former president
of the Connecticut Chapter/current northeast region coordinator of the American Association of Blacks
in Energy. Powell is also the Chairman of Trustees of the Liberty Christian Center (formerly Horace
Bushnell Church).
Powell was born in Norfolk, Virginia and graduated from Norfolk State College with a Bachelor of
Science degree in accounting in 1974. He has three children, two daughters Joel and Jasmine and a
son, Taylor.
WMECO, a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, is the largest electric distribution company in western
Massachusetts, meeting the daily energy needs of over 200,000 customers in 59 communities throughout
western Massachusetts. WMECO delivers safe and reliable energy and offers a wide range of innovative
energy solutions designed with the diverse needs of its customers in mind. | 