Michele O'Connell, Orange and Rockland Utilities

In recognition of Women’s History Month, PUF sat down with thirteen women leaders across the energy sector to capture their perspectives at a pivotal moment for our industry.

Demand is rising. Infrastructure investment is accelerating. Utilities, regulators, and innovators are navigating increasing expectations around affordability, reliability, and resilience. In this environment, leadership is not theoretical. It is operational. Decisions made today will shape markets, systems, and communities for decades.

The women featured here represent the breadth of the modern grid. Their roles span utilities, regulatory commissions, federal public power, trade associations, research institutions, consumer advocacy offices, and technology companies. The perspectives are varied, but several themes recur: translating complexity into clarity, balancing competing priorities, preparing the workforce of the future, and keeping customers at the center of the conversation.

These conversations are not a single narrative. They are a collection of viewpoints reflecting the realities of leadership in motion. Together, they offer insight into how this essential industry is being guided forward at a time of significant change.

PUF’s Rachel Bryant: Your path to leadership has spanned multiple roles within the same organization. Looking back, what experiences most shaped how you lead today?

Michele O’Connell: I majored in engineering, but even early on I was intentional about surrounding myself with different leaders and a wide range of experiences. I always knew I was interested in leadership, regardless of where my career ultimately took me.

I paid close attention to different leadership styles, how people showed up, and how those approaches made others feel. Over time, I tried to understand what felt authentic to me.

One of the strengths of Con Edison and Orange and Rockland is the opportunity to move across the companies. Over the course of my career, I have held seven different roles, all within the same company. That gave me experience across operations, construction, project management, and customer service.

I worked on both transmission and distribution systems in multiple regions, each with its own challenges and culture. Seeing different parts of the company up close helped me understand how interconnected the work really is. Every role taught me something different, and together, those experiences helped shape how I lead today.

PUF: As you moved from construction and operations into executive leadership, how did your perspective on leadership evolve?

Michele O’Connell: My core philosophy has not changed, but my approach has evolved with the needs of the organization and the moment. For me, authentic leadership has always been foundational. It reflects who you are, what you believe in, and the kind of organization you are trying to build.

I believe strong leadership requires listening carefully and inviting input. That signals respect for diverse perspectives and a genuine commitment to finding the best solutions.

Having worked in roles outside my comfort zone taught me how important it is to ask questions like, “Can you explain this to me?” or “Help me understand your perspective.”

Being honest about what you know and what you do not know builds trust and credibility. It creates an environment where people feel comfortable learning together, taking ownership, and growing. That is how organizations move forward.

PUF: When you look at the industry right now, what topics are capturing your attention?

Michele O’Connell: One area that often generates thoughtful discussion is renewable energy. There are strong viewpoints across the industry, but from my perspective, renewable resources are reliable and flexible tools that help us operate the system more effectively, especially as conditions continue to evolve.

My responsibility is to balance affordability with reliability and flexibility, and renewable resources play an important role in helping us do that. They support system reliability and can help manage costs for customers. From an operations and customer standpoint, renewables are a meaningful part of the balance we are trying to strike across the system.

PUF: From where you sit, what issue feels most urgent for the energy industry right now, and why does it matter to you?

Michele O’Connell: Affordability is the most pressing issue we face, and it is part of nearly every conversation right now. Electric demand is growing rapidly, and the industry is working to bring new generation online while maintaining reliability.

At the same time, customer bills are rising, and we take that very seriously. Providing safe and reliable service is our first obligation, but affordability is just as critical. We know many customers are struggling, and we want to help them navigate those challenges.

At Orange and Rockland, and across the broader Con Edison enterprise, we are constantly looking for ways to support customers with affordability. That includes helping customers manage their bills and connecting them with assistance programs when they face financial hardship.

Striking the right balance between reliability, investment, and affordability is not easy, but it is central to our mission and to how I think about this work every day.

PUF: You have held senior roles across operations, customer experience, and executive leadership. How do you keep teams aligned and motivated amid so much pressure?

Michele O’Connell: Being a strong decision maker is critical, and that starts with collaboration and communication. It means engaging early, listening often, and working with teams to understand challenges at their root.

Leadership also requires being comfortable with difficult conversations. Whether the issue is performance, affordability, or organizational change, those discussions are often unavoidable. Avoiding them rarely leads to good outcomes.

I once worked with someone who believed in asking “why” repeatedly until you reach the core issue, and that approach has stayed with me. To develop the best and most effective solution, it may require various levels of team involvement along the way and providing the right level of support is critical.

Emotional intelligence matters as well. Leaders need to be calm, thoughtful, and willing to engage directly with challenges. Those skills apply whether the issue is regulatory, political, operational, or customer focused.

PUF: Looking back, were there moments or decisions that most shaped your leadership journey?

Michele O’Connell: There have been many moments, and it is difficult to single out just one. What they all share is the courage to take calculated risks and to engage in difficult conversations.

Sometimes that means moving forward knowing you may need to adjust quickly if something does not work. Our industry is rapidly evolving, and leaders must adapt quickly and pivot strategically when needed.

For me, those experiences reinforced the mindset that progress often comes from taking thoughtful risks and being willing to adapt.

PUF: Looking ahead, what priorities are guiding your focus over the coming year?

Michele O’Connell: We have a strong investment plan in place with significant infrastructure improvements ahead. Executing that work effectively is a major priority because it directly supports system reliability and resiliency.

We are also focused on educating customers and elected leaders about the value we provide. Affordability is front and center, but it is important for people to understand what those investments deliver. They have helped us maintain one of the most reliable systems in the Northeast.

Orange and Rockland also generates significant economic impact across our service territory, including approximately two billion dollars in economic activity, substantial contract spending with local businesses and supporting job growth in our communities.

PUF: As the first woman to serve as president of Orange and Rockland, what do you hope your leadership helps people better understand about the utility industry today?

Michele O’Connell: I appreciate the significance of that milestone and am honored to have this opportunity, but what matters most to me is the work itself. I want the focus to be on the role and the responsibility that comes with it.

I am here because of the experience, commitment, and perspective I bring to the job. Having this position means being able to work with a great core of people who bring years of experience and commitment to the work we do. To be able to bring my experience and perspective to the job and collaborate with this group is so rewarding in itself.

I have always been committed to every job I’ve had. That work ethic was instilled in me early, and it drives how I show up every day. What matters most to me is being a good leader, a good colleague, and a good human being.

When someone reaches out to say they felt supported or positively impacted by something I did, that is incredibly meaningful. Those moments may be small, but they matter.

I also hope people better understand that the utility industry is a great place to build a career. It is stable, dynamic, and deeply meaningful work. It is not just for engineers. People from finance, communications, human resources, and many other backgrounds can do impactful work here.

This is an exciting moment to be in the energy industry!

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