Cranbury resident to assume control of PSEG
By: Candice Leigh Helfand
CRANBURY A local resident is set to take on the very large job.
Ralph Izzo, an employee of the Public Service Electric & Gas Co. since 1992, will become the new president and chief operating officer of PSE&G’s parent company, the Public Service Enterprise Group, in March.
Along with overseeing PSE&G, the Public Service Enterprise Group is also in charge of PSE&G Power LLC and PSEG Energy Holdings LLC.
According to its Web site, PSE&G supplies energy to 2.1 million electric customers and 1.7 million gas customers in New Jersey a mix of residential and business customers within a 2,600-square-mile corridor in the state, ranging from Bergen County to Gloucester County.
Prior to this promotion, he was president and COO of PSE&G.
His interest in public service and energy started early on in his life.
"The energy industry became of interest to me because when I was graduating high school and entering college, that was about the time of our first Arab oil embargo," Dr. Izzo said. "As an idealist, I thought the world should not fight wars over oil; I thought that would be an interesting area to pursue in college."
With that in mind, Dr. Izzo went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, as well as a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University. He went on to receive a master’s in business administration from Rutgers University’s School of Business, competing all of his schooling by 2002.
Even today, he has kept sight of the same ideals that inspired him to pursue his interest in energy.
"We’re facing a whole set of important social and economic questions around global warming, air pollution and its effects on human health," Dr. Izzo said. "And at the same time that our energy needs are greatly increasing to support the kind of quality of life that we’ve grown accustomed to."
Apart from his anticipation to make a difference, Dr. Izzo looks forward to the opportunity to use such a large resource for positively affecting the lives of New Jersey residents.
"The electric utility industry is at the center of a lot of decisions, power plant construction, how to help people conserve energy and maximum benefits from energy use," Dr. Izzo said. "I’ll get to lead a company that is really one of the five to 10 biggest in nation, in that industry."
Dr. Izzo has been a resident of Cranbury for seven years with his wife and two children. Before that, he resided in Plainsboro for 18 years. He is involved in other causes and activities, such as serving on the board of trustees for the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, the Industrial Advisory Group and sits on the board of directors for the Electric Power Research Institute and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Dr. Izzo said he has enjoyed working with the people that PSE&G has connected him to customers and employees alike and he looks forward to continuing to do so, especially for the sake of helping.
"The words ‘public service’ really has quite a bit of significance for this company, and it’s that involvement that helps us participate in the overall ‘good’ for the state, and it has been tremendously rewarding."

