Talk CNY: Season 1, Episode 4 - Melanie Littlejohn

Today's guests of Talk CNY presented by NBT Bank is Melanie Littlejohn, Vice President of Customer & Community Engagement for National Grid-New York.

Melanie Littlejohn joins us to talk about the importance of companies investing in and do the real work associated with diversity, equity and inclusion. She will share how National Grid is benefitting from their investment and why she believes the Central New York Business Community should lead these efforts to create a more welcoming community.

As vice president of Customer & Community Engagement for National Grid-New York, Melanie leads a team responsible for engaging with customers and key community leaders and policy makers across New York State. She is focused on the delivery of safe, reliable and affordable energy to the 4 million customers and 800 plus communities, while advancing National Grid’s net zero solutions, while leaving no one behind.

Melanie is also responsible for the design and delivery of the Company’s corporate social responsibility effort called Project C.  The focus is to inspire positive change across New York communities. Through partnerships and collaborations, she is leading the charge to create a more equitable future for every customer, in every community that National grid serves. started Project C to inspire positive change across our New York communities. 

Prior to 2017 when Melanie was named to her current position, she served as Director of Customer & Community Management in Upstate New York. Melanie joined the company (then Niagara Mohawk) in April of 1994 as the Director of Inclusion & Diversity-US Operations.  

A thought-leader and visionary, Melanie is an active member of chambers of commerce, boards, and community organizations where she represents emerging industry trends and energy policy to ‘bring energy to life’ for customers. Melanie currently serves as Board Trustee and Vice Chair of Onondaga County Community College.  She is also on the Board of Directors for CenterState CEO, SUNY Morrisville Business School and Path Finder’s Bank.

Melanie has also received numerous awards such as the 2022-Yva Jourdan Foundation- Women of Prestige; 2019 Wisdom Keeper, 2014 Partners for Education and Business-Business Leaders Award, the 2012 House of Providence Humanitarian Award, the Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business award in 2011, the 2011 Leadership Greater Syracuse Distinguished Community Leader Award, 2011 Community Wide Dialogue Racial Justice Award, 2010 NAACP Freedom Award, and CNY 40 Below.

Melanie obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. 

Learn more about National Grid.

Connect with Melanie Littlejohn on | LinkedIn

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Produced with 32One Media or Kate Hammer Consulting LLC | Transcript