The ISO-NE Board of Directors announced Friday that Cheryl LaFleur was elected as its next chair, replacing Kathleen Abernathy, who is retiring this month.

LaFleur, whose term will begin this Friday, joined the board in 2019 after serving for more than nine years as a FERC commissioner.

“I’m honored to take on this role at such a pivotal time in New England’s transition to a clean energy future,” LaFleur said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board, the ISO-NE team, and government and industry leaders to help move the region forward.”

In addition to Abernathy, who has been chair since 2019, Philip Shapiro is also retiring. He served as chair from 2014 to 2019.

“Kathleen and Phil’s leadership during a period of unprecedented change in the energy industry has put New England on the path to a cleaner, more reliable grid. We are grateful to them both for their service in multiple roles on the board, their warmth and humanity, and their invaluable contributions to our organization and the region,” ISO-NE CEO Gordon van Welie said. “With her wealth of knowledge and experience, Cheryl is the perfect leader to build upon this foundation. We feel very fortunate that she has committed to help us, and the region, navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by the clean energy transition.”

The board has also announced the following committee assignments for the upcoming term:

• Audit and Finance Committee: Michael Curran (chair), Steve Corneli and Catherine Flax
• Compensation and Human Resources Committee: Roberto Denis (chair), Caren Anders, LaFleur and Vickie VanZandt
• Information Technology and Cyber Security Committee: Mark Vannoy (chair), Brook Colangelo, Curran and VanZandt
• Joint Nominating Committee: Colangelo (chair), Anders, Corneli, Curran, Denis, Vannoy and VanZandt
• Markets Committee: Barney Rush (chair), Corneli, Curran, Flax and Vannoy
• Nominating and Governance Committee: Colangelo (chair), LaFleur, Rush, Vannoy
• System Planning and Reliability Committee: VanZandt (chair), Anders, Colangelo and Denis

With the elections of Anders, Corneli and Flax, plus the re-election of Curran, the board will have 11 members for one year. It will return to 10 when VanZandt retires in 2022. (See related story, ISO-NE Elects 2021 Board of Directors Slate.)