Lorna Wisham is Senior Advisor of Federal Affairs for the Washington, D.C. office of FirstEnergy Corp. Ms. Wisham lobbies Congress on a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from utility operations and cyber security to regulatory and environmental issues. Her primary focus includes House and Senate members within FirstEnergy’s footprint in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. She also advocates FirstEnergy’s policy position with the Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy.
Prior to joining the federal team, Wisham was Director of External Affairs for the Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison electric utility operating companies of FirstEnergy with oversight of local governmental affairs in northeast and northwest Ohio. While in Ohio, Wisham served on numerous bards and committees, including the Center for Families and Children and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. She continues to serve as a director on the University Hospital Case Medical Center and Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Boards. As a governmental affairs representative in Washington, Wisham is a board member of the New Jersey State Society and former officer of the American Association of Blacks in Energy Washington DC Chapter. She is a founding Co-chair of the Flourish (DC) Conference for Women in Leadership, an immersion summit for women executives.
Before joining FirstEnergy in 2005, Wisham worked for former Cleveland Mayors Michael R. White and Jane L. Campbell, and as vice president of Marketing for Downtown Cleveland Partnership. She is a 2005 Leadership Cleveland graduate and recipient of honors from the Women of Color Foundation, the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio and Kaleidoscope Magazine, among others. She is a 2007 German Marshall Fellow where she travelled throughout Europe on a four-week exchange program to strengthen transatlantic relationships. Earlier in her career, she was an editorial researcher for The Plain Dealer’s Washington Bureau, and member of the Washington Press Corp.
A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Ms. Wisham received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Organizational Communication from The University of Akron and a master’s degree in Public Communication from American University, Washington, D.C. The avid golfer enjoys traveling and the arts, and is a member of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Old Town Alexandria. She is a Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and an active member of the Capital City (DC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.