Power Moves

When risk is your business, business is always good. But while there’s no shortage of obstacles to avoid, Alexis Harley BS’94 is confident that the skills honed over three decades in the energy field will stand her in good stead as she helps the New York Power Authority (NYPA) prepare itself, and the state, for the future.

In September of 2023, Harley was named senior vice president and chief risk and resilience officer for NYPA, the largest state power organization in the U.S. It’s the latest step in a career spent in the energy industry. In the role, she’s been tasked with setting NYPA’s vision and strategy for risk management and sustainability as it implements its VISION2030 strategic plan, in accordance with New York State’s ambitious Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The act, passed in 2019, requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, and by at least 85% by 2050. 

“There’s a worldwide focus on climate change and its impacts, and [that’s affecting] how we are looking at our energy infrastructure,” she said. “Our environmental and social goals are balanced with managing reliability as we execute this transition to new renewables.”

NYPA is looking to add renewable power sources, including solar and wind, to supplement 80% of its power generation that comes from hydropower. And as it does, Harley will be there, helping the organization chart a course that balances the risks with the opportunities.

“From a resilience perspective, we’re looking at how our [physical] assets operate in changing climate conditions or how our employees work in those conditions. Or, within our own operating model, how we minimize negative impacts to the environment and society,” she said. “We want to understand those interactions as effectively and as holistically as possible.”

“We need to be able to execute at pace but be mindful of local supply chain issues and concentrations in the market,” she added. 

With risk comes reward

The path that took Harley to her current role wasn’t a straight one. 

After graduating from Columbia Engineering in 1994 with a BS in chemical engineering, Harley was recruited to join the engineering team at KeySpan (now National Grid), the New York-based natural gas and electric utility. 

She spent the next 30 years moving not just through the ranks but through a diverse set of departments. Starting as a project engineer in alternative fuels infrastructure, then as a senior analyst in the mergers and acquisitions field and later, a manager in enterprise risk management, Harley’s career gave her experience in some of the most forward-looking areas in energy — even if the roles weren’t working with the “pipes and wires” systems work that she said many engineering graduates see as the bread and butter of the energy industry.

“While I’ve always worked in energy, it’s always been in nontraditional roles in the utility and energy company space,” she said. 

Following the acquisition of KeySpan by National Grid, she was named head of U.S. Risk Management in 2011. After five years in the role, Harley shifted to customer operations and later moved into the company’s global transformation division, where in 2022 she oversaw delivery of its New York regional efficiency portfolio. 

In 2023, when she was recruited to join NYPA, she said it was the culmination of all the different facets of her career. 

“A lot of interconnected things come into play,” she said.

And she credits Columbia Engineering for shaping her into the kind of leader she needed to be. 

“Something I’m very grateful for was Columbia’s approach to engineering education— it was one of the reasons I picked Columbia way back as a prospective student, because there were requirements for studying core curriculum. And it’s been so beneficial to me in my career,” she said.

The “well-roundedness” of that education, she said, has made her a better communicator.

“Communication is incredibly important to my role, and to conversations around risk that help us progress to a greener, cleaner, affordable environment,” Harley said. “Risk is a contact sport, and making better decisions is not about deep dive analysis, not having financial or engineering acumen — it’s primarily about getting to the heart of the matter and seeing the signals through the noise,” she said. 

As someone who has been bringing her lunch in reusable containers since she was a student at Columbia, and who still has her “Welcome to Columbia” mug from Dining Services, Harley said, she can’t believe where her life post-Columbia has taken her. 

“I celebrated my 30th reunion this year, and having landed this amazing dream job – which, back when I was 18 or 21 would not have thought it was my dream job – in the energy industry at a really pivotal time, I’m feeling just so fortunate that I’m in a place where my work will make an impact in areas that are meaningful to me.”