Roger B. Kelley

Roger B. Kelley took office as president and chief executive officer of the New York Power Authority, the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, on July 1, 2007.

The Power Authority’s Board of Trustees elected him to the position on May 29, 2007.

Kelley, an electrical engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in the electric utility industry, had served since 1997 as senior vice president-chief technical officer of Fortistar of White Plains, a leading developer and operator of power plants.  He oversaw technical and operational matters for the company’s 45 domestic power plants, as well as project acquisition and development in the United States and other countries.

As vice president and general manager at Fortistar from 1992 to 1997, Kelley was responsible for financial and operational performance of the company’s 200-megawatt gas-fired Lockport Cogeneration Facility in Western New York. He previously managed construction of the plant and had a lead role in development and negotiation of key commercial contracts, including all environmental permits, natural-gas supply and transportation contracts and operation and maintenance agreements.

The cogeneration plant has operated well above budgeted net income forecasts and is recognized as one of the most successful cogeneration projects in North America.

During the period of the Lockport plant’s construction and initial operation, Kelley was extensively involved in the restructuring of New York State’s electric utility industry and establishment of the New York Independent System Operator, which administers the state’s wholesale power markets and electric transmission system.

Kelley, a resident of Clarence near Buffalo, began his career in 1974 as an electrical engineer at New York State Electric & Gas Corp. (NYSEG) and served in positions of increasing responsibility during 14 years with the utility.

From 1980 to 1986, he was manager of a corporate engineering group that he established to oversee all electrical and instrumentation and control work for six multiple-unit coal-fired power stations and eight multiple-unit hydroelectric stations.  He was promoted in 1987 to supervising senior engineer in the Quality Assurance Department, with responsibility for establishing and implementing a testing and examination program to ensure the safety of the high-pressure steam production systems at NYSEG power plants.

In 1988, Kelley was one of four principals who formed Empire Energy Corp. of Vestal, N.Y., and structured a successful bid for the Lockport cogeneration project.  He served as the company’s vice president, engineering and, as a member of its Board of Directors, was the key figure in negotiating the Lockport project’s sale to Commercial Union Energy Corp. of New York City.

From 1989 until 1992, Kelley served as manager, project development at Commercial Union and then as vice president, engineering at LS Power Corp. of North Brunswick, N.J., which had acquired the Lockport project.  He continued his pivotal role in development of that project and also worked on several other cogeneration and combined-cycle power plants in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Kelley graduated with honors from Northeastern University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and has done graduate work at C.W. Post College in engineering management and engineering economics.  While at Northeastern, he worked for three years at Maine Public Service Co. as part of the university’s Cooperative Education Program.

A registered professional engineer in New York State, Kelley is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a past chairman of the Independent Power Producers of New York.  He has authored various technical articles and papers.

Kelley and his wife, Kathi, have three children, Kyle, Colin and Meghan.