Barbara Romano – SJI

When Barbara Romano talks about her upcoming retirement, it’s with the calm confidence of someone who has built something lasting. As Vice President and Chief Information Officer at South Jersey Industries, she has spent the past decade ensuring the company’s technology operations are as resilient and future-focused as the energy systems they support. Yet as she looks ahead to her next chapter, Romano’s focus is firmly on her team—the people who will continue steering the company’s digital transformation long after she leaves.

Barbara Romano | SJI | CIO

“As I think about the technology SJI will need for the future, I know the team I’m leaving behind is ready to support the strategic vision of our senior leaders,” she says. “I’ve been here for 11 years and have built the team from the ground up. But I know they’re ready.”

Romano’s sentiment captures both the challenge and satisfaction of her role: building a technology function that not only supports innovation but sustains it. Under her leadership, South Jersey Industries has evolved from a traditional utility into a company with a forward-looking approach to energy, digitalization, and workforce development.

Powering innovation through technology

Headquartered in Folsom, New Jersey, South Jersey Industries (SJI) is an energy services holding company with a dual mission: to deliver reliable natural gas to more than 700,000 customers through South Jersey Gas and Elizabethtown Gas, and to lead the charge in renewable and sustainable energy through its subsidiary, SJI Energy Enterprises.

One of its most ambitious efforts is a project that transforms New York City’s food waste into renewable energy. It’s a model of circular sustainability—turning discarded organics into clean fuel while helping municipalities manage waste more efficiently. Romano’s team provided the technological foundation for this complex initiative, managing everything from cybersecurity and real-time monitoring to compliance systems, networking, and scheduling.  “Building this infrastructure would not have been possible without incredible vendor partners like Inflexion Point”, she says, “they’ve been our partners every step of the way.”

“This project required eight different business lines to communicate and collaborate seamlessly,” she says. “Technology had to make that possible while keeping our people safe and operations secure.”

For Romano, innovation is not about adopting technology for its own sake but ensuring that systems serve the business. She describes her department’s mission as “service-oriented transformation”—a philosophy that has guided her approach to everything from enterprise systems to cybersecurity frameworks.

Her team’s success in building scalable, integrated digital systems has helped SJI pursue decarbonization goals while maintaining operational reliability. More importantly, it has attracted a new generation of talent. Each summer, SJI sponsors 15 to 18 interns who gain hands-on experience with renewable energy projects and emerging technologies—a program Romano has championed as both a recruitment tool and a pipeline for future innovation.

“It’s exciting for early and mid-career professionals to work on something that’s not stagnant,” she says. “Renewables are an area where they can see how their work contributes to the bigger picture of sustainability.”

Preparing her team

As Romano prepares to retire in the coming year, her attention has shifted to ensuring that her team is fully equipped to succeed without her. While the company conducts an external search for her successor, she is working closely with her direct reports to document processes, share institutional knowledge, and build confidence across all levels of the organization.

“Within the last few weeks, I’ve realized my team knows what I do and what they need to do,” she says. “They’re prepared to carry the ball when I leave.”

Her leadership philosophy centers on identifying and developing talent—something she learned through experience. Early in her career, she focused on advancing her own technical expertise. Over time, she realized that her true satisfaction came from helping others grow.

“Early in my career, I was looking out for myself,” she says. “Eventually, it became about bringing on people who would help me rise by helping them rise.”

That mindset shapes the way she hires and mentors. She strives to understand her employees’ goals, whether they aspire to leadership or prefer to excel in individual contributor roles.

“You can’t have a team of alphas,” she says. “You need a balance—people at different stages of their career who bring different perspectives and ambitions.”

Among her current team are both seasoned managers and younger professionals eager to step into new responsibilities. Romano sees it as her job to nurture both.

“Some people say they could never be a leader, which is what I said about myself earlier in my career,” she says. “I try to help them see that capability in themselves.”

Her empathy comes from personal experience. Over a 30-year career that has included leadership roles in logistics, global IT operations, and digital strategy, she has learned that career growth often comes from taking risks. One of her pivotal moments came during her time at QVC, where she took on a leadership role managing technology she didn’t fully understand.

“I had to rely on my team,” she says. “That experience taught me to guide the work, coach the people, and trust the experts.”

Seeing technology differently

Romano’s perspective on technology has evolved alongside the field itself. She recalls a time when computing meant giant machines housed in basements, accessible only to a select few. Today, nearly every employee carries a computer in their pocket. That transformation, she says, has made technology not just a business function but a way of life.

“Technology has become ubiquitous,” she says. “It’s no longer confined to IT—it’s part of how everyone does their job.”

That ubiquity brings both challenges and opportunities. Romano believes the next frontier is not replacing people with technology but empowering them through it.

“We’ll continue to see changes with AI and robotics,” she says, “but there will always be humans in the loop. The value is in how technology enhances our world.”

Her younger employees—and the company’s interns—share that view. During their end-of-summer “executive speed dating” sessions, many ask about SJI’s use of AI in operations and customer service. Romano appreciates their curiosity and sees their questions as signs of a workforce eager to shape the future.

“They’ve grown up with technology in a way we didn’t,” she says. “Listening to their ideas is crucial.”

Balancing innovation with practicality is another constant theme in her work. “Getting buy-in for technology spending can be challenging,” she says.

“There has to be a balance between meeting customers where they are and moving them toward where the industry is going.”

SJI’s “Workforce 2030” initiative reflects that balance. The company is using automation and digital tools to modernize traditional roles—such as meter reading—while preparing for a generation of employees who expect to interact with technology seamlessly.

“Nobody graduates from school saying they want to be a meter reader,” Romano notes. “But we can show them how technology is creating new ways to serve our customers.”

A life of balance and purpose

As Romano approaches retirement, she plans to continue sharing her expertise through board service and community engagement. She currently sits on the advisory board of her alma mater, Commonwealth University–Bloomsburg, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in information technology, and serves on a nonprofit board in Philadelphia.

“I’ll stay busy,” she says with a laugh. “But I’ll be doing things on my schedule and my timeframe.”

Splitting her time between homes in Delaware and Pennsylvania, she looks forward to traveling, spending time with family, and exploring new interests. Yet even as she steps away from corporate life, her legacy at SJI will endure in the systems she built, the people she mentored, and the mindset she modeled.

For Romano, leadership has never been about control—it’s about continuity.

“When I hire people, I try to understand their goals,” she says. “Some want to lead, some don’t. But everyone has something to contribute. My job has been to help them see that—and to make sure they have what they need to succeed.”

That philosophy, like the digital foundation she leaves behind, ensures that SJI’s journey toward a cleaner, smarter energy future will continue, guided by the people she has prepared to carry it forward.