Daily News

Mark Kempic Named President and COO of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts

WESTBOROUGH — Columbia Gas of Massachusetts today announced that Mark Kempic will assume the role of president and chief operating officer, effective May 1.

“Mark will continue to focus on working with our customers, state and local leaders, and community stakeholders as he leads our gas business in Massachusetts,” said Pablo Vegas, executive vice president and president, gas utilities at NiSource, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts’ parent company. “This includes the next phase of the recovery effort in the Greater Lawrence area and continuing to meet our customer and community needs across the state.”

Steve Bryant, who has been serving as president of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, announced his retirement, effective May 1.

Vegas went on to say, “Steve dedicated his career to the important work of providing gas service to his home state of Massachusetts. We thank Steve for his many years of service and wish him all the best in retirement.”

Since January 2019, Kempic has served as chief operating officer for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. From September 2018 to January 2019 he was a key part of the leadership team for the Greater Lawrence area restoration efforts.

He has more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry and has served in a broad range of functions, including information technology, engineering, gas supply, corporate planning and regulatory policy.

Most recently he served as NiSource Chief Transformation Officer (CTO), responsible for enhancing NiSource’s efforts to integrate processes and technology across the company’s seven-state footprint. He also previously served as president of Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and Columbia Gas of Maryland, responsible for ensuring safe, reliable, high-quality service to customers and delivering value for stakeholders through our programs.

He holds a law degree from Capital University School of Law, a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science from the University of Pittsburgh and an associate’s degree in solar heating and cooling engineering from Pennsylvania State University.