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VIDEO: People Who Power New York: Negotiations Based on Common Ground

January 24, 2025

NYISO Procurement Manager Samantha Torngren knows a thing or two about breaking down barriers.

For years, she volunteered as an area representative for Youth for Understanding, an international exchange program which seeks to foster intercultural learning and understanding. Samantha, who spent time living abroad herself, helped support young people from places like Brazil and Switzerland as they adjusted to life in the U.S.

In procurement, Samantha acts as a bridge between the internal business teams and vendors, making sure purchasing contracts adhere to NYISO policy and regulatory requirements. She also helps coordinate internal reviews across the organization.

"My role is to help all of those people come together in the room and be on the same page," she said.

She fell into the energy sector almost by accident. After obtaining a Bachelor’s in Spanish Linguistics at University at Albany, she obtained her Master of Business Administration at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a program that merged engineering and business. Many of her peers were researching renewable technologies and her class even took a trip to see wind farms in Europe.

"It was a pretty unique program that ultimately directly prepared me for this role, even though I didn't realize it at the time," Samantha said.

She joined the NYISO in 2018 as a Procurement Analyst and was quickly promoted to a more senior position. Now in a managerial role, she negotiates contracts and helps translate highly technical information into language that a lay person can understand. The desire to connect people is something Samantha says she’s had her entire life.

"It is a skill that I have going back to my childhood," Samantha said. "I like to create common ground."

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