Dear CPES Members and Friends,
If your summer is anything like mine, you are busy juggling work, volunteer and family activities, and hopefully taking some vacation time to replenish your personal energy supply.
While we’re juggling all of that, I’m excited to report that CPES has been putting together a great lineup of programs for the summer and to kick off our 2015‒16 season. We’ve made several enhancements based on recent feedback from our members. We will continue to hold our monthly meetings and plan several energy conferences with our partners, but we will be trying out some new meeting formats and locations to better accommodate where people work and their busy schedules. I think you’re going to like where we’re headed.
On September 9, we will kick off our first monthly meeting and I am delighted to partner with a great organization for this event—the New England Women in Energy and the Environment. (I proudly serve on the NEWIEE board of directors.) This will be our second collaboration with NEWIEE, and a new location for CPES—the meeting will be held in downtown Hartford. The event will start at 5:30 p.m., as usual, but we will combine the food and the networking and then move more quickly into the program. Our goal is to pack more energy into a shorter evening. Several industry leaders will share their insights on the emerging world of competitive transmission in New England. We are putting the finishing touches on the program and will send out the announcement and registration very soon. You won’t want to miss this timely discussion.
We are kicking off a new Policy Committee that will provide opportunities for our members to learn about timely energy policy issues in Connecticut and New England, in a more condensed and interactive program. The first meeting is scheduled for August 13 and will feature timely reports on energy legislation passed by the General Assembly and a new presence in New England for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Don’t worry, we’ll share the content afterward if this overlaps with your vacation.
One of our best events of the year is the What’s the Deal – 21st Century Energy conference that we put on in collaboration with our good friends at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. The conference will be October 7 in Cromwell. We have an innovative and “refreshing” new program that you won’t want to miss. Everyone will be talking about it afterward—so be sure you are there to be part of it.
We are coming up on a 30 year anniversary for the organization in December and we will be taking some time to “look back” and celebrate with some old and new friends. You’re all invited.
As we think about our mission, we are continually thinking about ways to generate information, share ideas and educate Connecticut on energy issues. I am pleased to announce that we are rolling out a new look for the organization. This includes a new CPES logo that is previewed for the first time in this update.
The CPES board has assembled an outstanding group of professionals to serve on a new Advisory Committee and their input is already proving invaluable as we continually seek to enhance the value of the services we provide to our members. And, as your president, I always welcome your feedback.
So, as you enjoy the rest of your summer, please know that we have some great activities planned for the future. Please check out the CPES website for the latest information: www.ctpower.org. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you.
Joey Lee Miranda
President
Connecticut Power and Energy Society