RUTLAND, VT, October 13, 2023 – Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO), a provider of electricity transmission services in Vermont, is pleased to announce the advancement of two highly experienced professionals to key leadership positions. Mr. Tom Dunn, President and CEO of VELCO, today unveiled the elections of Mr. Mike Fiske as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Mr. Brian Connaughton as Vice President of Transmission Services and Asset Maintenance. Their elections were unanimously approved by the company’s Board of Directors on October 12, 2023.
Mr. Fiske, a dedicated member of the VELCO team since 2000, has steadily earned greater responsibilities within the organization, with roles including Substation Supervisor, Construction Manager, Director of Transmission Assets, and Senior Director of Transmission Assets. As the newly elected COO, Mike will assume a crucial leadership role overseeing core company functions such as Planning, Engineering, Operations, Safety, and Transmission Services.
In response to his election, Mr. Fiske expressed his gratitude and commitment to the company, “I am deeply honored and excited to take on this new role. VELCO has been my home for over two decades, and I look forward to learning still more and contributing in new ways to the company’s continued success.”
Mr. Connaughton, another esteemed VELCO veteran, started in 2007 as an Environmental Specialist, progressed through various roles including Environmental Manager, Director of Transmission Services and culminating now in his election as Vice President of Transmission Services. In his new role, Brian is entrusted with managing the Transmission Services and Asset Maintenance divisions, key to keeping people and communities safe and the system reliable.
In response to his election, Brian stated: “I am honored to take on greater responsibilities at this exciting time of grid transformation, and am grateful to continue to work with my dedicated and hardworking colleagues in the furtherance of VELCO’s vision of creating a sustainable Vermont.”
Tom Dunn, President and CEO of VELCO, expressed unqualified confidence in the newly elected leaders, “It is gratifying to witness the advancement of accomplished, long-standing employees who earn their way into senior leadership positions. I have the utmost faith in both Mike and Brian to lead our team and continue our commitment to operational excellence.”
Mike Fiske holds a Master Electrician License from the State of Vermont Apprenticeship program and carries with him nearly four decades of deep utility industry experience. Mike resides in Rutland, Vermont with his wife Annmarie.
Brian Connaughton holds a B.A. in Natural Resource Studies and Minor in Wildlife Fisheries from UMASS, and Masters of Business Administration from College of St. Joseph, and resides in Pittsford, Vermont with his wife Kelly and three sons.
VELCO congratulates both Mike Fiske and Brian Connaughton on their new roles, and the company is eager to help realize their newest contributions to VELCO.
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About VELCO
Vermont Electric Power Company: (VELCO) is Vermont’s statewide electric transmission provider, with our sights set on creating a sustainable Vermont through our people, assets, relationships and operating model. Formed in 1956 when local Vermont utilities established the nation’s first “transmission only” company to access clean hydro power from New York, VELCO’s system now includes: 738 miles of transmission lines, 55 substations, switching stations and terminal facilities, 13,000 acres of rights-of-way and a 1,500-mile fiber optic network that monitors and controls the electric system and serves as a key link for Vermonters’ high-speed data internet access. We are owned by the state’s 17 distribution utilities and a benefit corporation. VELCO is a for-profit company with a financial structure designed to return value to our owners, their customers, and to every Vermonter. For more information please visit our website at www.velco.com.
