Merrillville-based NiSource has expanded its executive leadership team.

The company announced the appointments of Melody Birmingham, William Jefferson, and Melanie Berman to its executive leadership team, along with a reconfiguration of leadership responsibilities for several other executives, effective July 1.

Birmingham will join NiSource as executive vice president and chief innovation officer, responsible for the company's transformation office, information technology, communications, customer, aviation, real estate, corporate security and supply chain management. Birmingham joins from Duke Energy, where she served as senior vice president and chief administrative officer responsible for information technology, enterprise security, administrative services, and the supply chain organization

“With more than 25 years of executive and leadership experience, Melody brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to NiSource,” said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of NiSource. “Melody is well-known and highly respected in the utility sector, particularly in Indiana, one of our largest operating territories, and will play a pivotal role in the company's transformation as we continue to evolve and grow with the changing energy needs of our customers and communities.”

Birmingham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership and management from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University. She completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

In 2016, Birmingham was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Jefferson was named NiSource's executive vice president, operations, and chief safety officer. Jefferson will oversee emergency response, engineering and asset management, environmental health and safety, field operations support, major projects, operational excellence, work management, and contractor support.

Jefferson previously worked for STP Nuclear Operating Co. as site vice president. Jefferson has more than 35 years of experience in the utility industry.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Purdue University. He attended the Duke Fuqua Advanced Management Program and earned a senior reactor operator's license from Peach Bottom nuclear plant. 

“Bill brings a depth of knowledge in the areas of safety and operational excellence from the nuclear segment — one of the safest, most stringent, in the world,” Yates said. “With his addition, we plan to drive operational excellence and safety to world-class levels at NiSource and our operating companies.” 

Once Jefferson joins, Chuck Shafer will lead health, safety and environmental execution, reporting to Jefferson.

Melanie Berman, NiSource's senior vice president and chief human resources officer, was promoted to the company’s executive leadership team.

“Since joining the company, Melanie has distinguished herself to be a leader of the highest caliber,” Yates said. “With more than 20 years of experience managing large-scale change, Melanie will have an important voice at our leadership table as the company navigates and evolves through the energy transition.”  

Since joining NiSource in June 2021, Berman has partnered with the leadership and the board's compensation and human capital committee to develop a talent strategy, encompassing acquisition and development of talent, succession planning, and executive compensation, at a time when attracting and retaining top talent is critical, the company said. 

Berman joined NiSource from The Michaels Companies, where she served as executive vice president and chief human resources officer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Baruch College.

In addition to Birmingham, Jefferson, and Berman NiSource’s executive leadership team also will include:

• Shawn Anderson, senior vice president risk and chief strategy officer
• Donald Brown, executive vice president and chief financial officer
• Kim Cuccia, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary
• Pablo Vegas, executive vice president and group president, NiSource Utilities

“All of the changes we are announcing today are designed to drive clearer lines of accountability across the organization, and to drive excellence in everything we do,” Yates concluded.

NiSource is the parent company of NIPSCO, which serves about 850,000 natural gas and 480,000 electrical customers across 32 counties in Northern Indiana.