Corporate Leadership
Stuart Nachmias
President and chief executive officer of Con Edison Transmission
In his current role, Mr. Nachmias leads Con Edison’s wholesale transmission business, which is focused on bringing clean energy from where it is produced to where it is needed to meet customers’ energy needs.
Mr. Nachmias joined Con Edison in 1988 and has spent the majority of his career with the company, holding a variety of positions.
Before taking on his current position, he was vice president of Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs where his responsibilities included development of strategies to implement federal and state electric and gas policies such as clean energy policies in support of New York State’s clean energy goals and the New York State Public Service Commission’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceedings. In this regard, he led the company’s efforts working with federal and state energy regulators, Northeast independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission operators (RTOs), including the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), trade associations such as the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the American Gas Association (AGA), and other active energy policy groups. Mr. Nachmias has also worked in Con Edison’s Customer Operations, Corporate Planning, Economic Development Planning and Electric Forecasting departments, and was director of marketing for the unregulated affiliate Con Edison Solutions.
Mr. Nachmias is also chairman of New York Transco, a New York utilities electric transmission partnership, and represents Con Edison Transmission on its other projects’ boards. He also serves on the boards of the Tenement Museum and the Queens County Farm Museum in New York City.
He holds a master’s degree in business administration with a finance concentration from Baruch College and a bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology from Binghamton University. He received an advanced certificate in energy management from New York Institute of Technology, completed a PTI distribution system engineering course, and has taken executive education courses at Harvard Business School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Walter Alvarado
Vice president of Con Edison Transmission
Walter Alvarado is vice president of Con Edison Transmission, the company’s wholesale transmission business, which is focused on bringing clean energy from where it is produced to where it is needed to meet customers’ energy needs.
Most recently, Mr. Alvarado served as vice president of System and Transmission Operations at Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. He was responsible for Transmission Planning, which plans the overall development of the electric bulk power transmission system, coordinating with NYISO and neighboring utilities; System Operations, that ensures the safe operation of our electric and steam systems to ensure safe and reliable operation; Transmission Operations, which is responsible inspecting, maintaining, repairing, and constructing the underground and overhead transmission system; Transmission Project Development which coordinates the project portfolio of transmission investment.
Formerly, Mr. Alvarado was vice president of Staten Island and Electric Services and general manager of Brooklyn Queens Electric Operations. He joined Con Edison in 1992 as a management intern and has held various positions of increasing responsibility in electric distribution and system operation.
Mr. Alvarado currently serves on the boards of Teatown and North American Transmission Forum (NATF). He served as chair of the NATF Board in 2023. Mr. Alvarado also participates in the Electric Power Research Institute’s Transmission Sector Council and Edison Electric Institute’s Reliability Executive Advisory Committee. He was approved by the board of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to serve on the Reliability Issues Steering Committee (RISC).
Mr. Alvarado holds both a Master of Science degree in computer science and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering.
Joseph McGrath
Director of Finance for Con Edison Transmission
Mr. McGrath is responsible for managing annual and five-year capital and O&M budgets for Con Edison Transmission, monitoring financial performance of the company and its partnerships, and providing accurate financial reporting. He leads risk management activities and works closely with the Consolidated Edison, Inc. corporate financial team, including treasury and corporate accounting. He is also involved in evaluating current and future project investment opportunities.
Mr. McGrath joined Con Edison in 1985 and was previously director of Treasury.
Mr. McGrath holds a master’s degree in business administration from New York University Stern School of Business and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from New York Institute of Technology.
Marie Berninger
Director of Business Development for Con Edison Transmission
Ms. Berninger leads market development, origination, and partnerships in electric transmission.
Ms. Berninger previously served as director, Utility of the Future, where she led various initiatives to drive the clean energy transition. She has extensive experience in wholesale markets, federal and state energy policy, clean energy technology, and transmission development. She was a core member of the team that established New York Transco and its original portfolio of projects. She also previously served as director, Business Development at the New York Power Authority where she was responsible for pursuing opportunities in large-scale renewables, transmission, and utility-scale storage. As an engineer early in her career, Ms. Berninger worked on developing innovative designs and demonstrating new technology on the electric system in New York City.
Ms. Berninger joined Con Edison in 2006.
Ms. Berninger holds a master’s degree in business administration from New York University Stern School of Business and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College.