Our first feature for our Women In Power series is Coleen O’Brien, General Manager of Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD). For the past 8 years, Coleen has reshaped the largest (41) municipal utility in Massachusetts to ensure continued success for the future. RMLD’s territory covers four towns (Reading, North Reading, Wilmington and Lynnfield center) and serves more than 29,000 customers. In her role as GM, Coleen prioritizes safety through a versatility of skills and proficiency in the public power field.
A veteran of the industry, Coleen brings 35+ years of experience in both the private and public sectors to this position. What she enjoys most about public power is providing tangible public service to so many customers through RMLD. Coleen and her team have been recipients of a number of grants including the largest Massachusetts (at the time) 5MW battery project through the ACES grant. It’s important to her to create a healthy working environment that includes leading with the proper skill sets and a good sense of humor.
Coleen is an ENE Board member and committed to the advancement of training to maintain skill proficiencies for current and future generation utility employees. We are fortunate to work closely with Coleen in her board member capacity and collaborate on projects that will ensure the continued success of public power. ENE always tries to come together with our members to work through any issues that they may face and suggest practical solutions. At ENE we support our members like Coleen and RMLD to empower the great work that they’re doing in the field.
