Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company on Sept. 8 announced a change in leadership of the organization. After nearly 30 years of service to MMWEC, CEO and Secretary Ronald DeCurzio is retiring effective September 22, 2025.
The MMWEC Board of Directors has announced his successor is Tom Barry, MMWEC’s current Director of Energy Markets.
DeCurzio joined MMWEC in 1997 and was appointed CEO in 2008. Previously, he served as MMWEC’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.
In addition to his role at MMWEC, he sits on the boards of the Massachusetts Municipal Light Department Wind Energy Cooperative, the Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Cooperative.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Northeast Power Coordinating Council , a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act Implementation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Massachusetts Energy Transformation Advisory Board.
Prior to joining MMWEC, DeCurzio had 15 years of treasury experience in areas such as debt restructuring, portfolio management, banking relations and cash management, at the New York Power Authority, and other organizations.
DeCurzio has been at the helm of MMWEC during unprecedented times in the electric industry.
During his tenure, and under his fiscal stewardship, MMWEC has achieved several major milestones.
In 2019, all bonds related to MMWEC’s nuclear projects were paid off. It is believed that participating municipal light plants were the first public power utilities in the country to own nuclear generation debt-free.
DeCurzio also oversaw the creation of MMWEC’s unique Pooled Loan Program. Since it was approved by the DPU in 2014, the Pooled Loan Program has supported more than 15 municipal light plant projects through more than $70 million in loan funding.
Additionally, DeCurzio oversaw the development of several major projects during his time at CEO, including the Berkshire Wind Project, Northeast Reliability Center, MMWEC Master Sergeant Alexander Cotton Memorial Solar Project, and the Lightshift energy storage partnership.
He was an early champion of decarbonization technologies, particularly with regard to electric vehicle incentives and charging programs, as well as peak forecasting/peak shaving programs.
“For the past 18 years, it’s been my privilege to serve with a talented team at MMWEC,” said DeCurzio. “MMWEC truly is a special place -- created more than 50 years ago to improve the quality of life through affordable and reliable electric service for the municipal light departments’ customers across the Commonwealth. That mission of service continues to be our focus today. While I’m looking forward to my next chapter, I will miss our MMWEC team and the relationships we’ve built across the Commonwealth. The true strength of MMWEC is its people – an experienced and passionate workforce who work every day to make a difference.”
That work will be carried on by Tom Barry, who joined MMWEC in February 2024. While serving as Director of Energy Markets, Barry has been responsible for the energy and environmental portfolio management and wholesale market interaction for MMWEC.
This includes the overarching strategy, structuring and ongoing portfolio optimization of MMWEC energy infrastructure assets and demand side sustainability efforts.
Barry has a broad background as a senior utility executive focusing on commercial optimization, operational management, organizational strategy and risk management. He served as Vice President at American Electric Power in Columbus, OH.
He has also held various positions in wholesale power trading, derivative products origination, finance and treasury at Phibro Energy.
“As Director of Energy Markets, I have had the great fortune of working with the many amazing staff members at MMWEC that are dedicated to assisting our Members and Project Participants achieve their goals of providing their customers with low-cost, reliable, and energy-efficient power,” Barry said. “I deeply believe in the merits of public power and joint action agency efforts and am honored the Board has elected me to lead the company and these amazing individuals into the future. I truly appreciate and am humbled by the Board’s confidence in me and will do everything I can to serve our many stakeholders, their respective communities, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
“Ron’s knowledge and experience made him one of the top leaders in the energy industry,” said MMWEC Board Chair and Gubernatorial Appointee Mike Flynn. “His vision has positioned MMWEC well for the future, and we are excited for Tom to lead MMWEC in driving the public power industry forward.”
MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities.
MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state’s consumer-owned, municipal utilities. It is the largest provider of asset-owned generation for municipal light departments in New England.
