New Jersey Natural Gas Names Helen Ayotte Vice President of Engineering, Construction and Asset Management

WALL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Jersey Natural Gas, (NJNG), a regulated subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), announced the appointment of Helen Ayotte as Vice President of Engineering, Construction and Asset Management effective today. Ms. Ayotte will succeed John Wyckoff, Vice President of Energy Delivery, who is retiring on July 1, 2026.

In this role, Ms. Ayotte will oversee NJNG’s engineering, construction, environmental and asset management functions, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the natural gas distribution system. She will lead long-term system expansion and reinforcement planning, manage critical infrastructure and facilities, ensure environmental and regulatory compliance and advance asset investment strategies that support safety, reliability and customer needs.

“Helen brings deep technical expertise and proven leadership essential to safely and reliably serve our customers,” said Steve Westhoven, President and CEO of New Jersey Resources. “As we continue prudent infrastructure investments in an increasingly complex regulatory and energy environment, strong execution and disciplined asset management are critical. I am confident Helen will be a valuable member of our executive team and will play a key role in advancing NJNG’s long-term infrastructure strategy.”

“John Wyckoff has been a highly respected leader at NJR for more than 30 years, guiding critical energy delivery and operations functions with a strong focus on safety and reliability,” said Westhoven. “His leadership has been instrumental to our operational excellence and the trust of our customers, regulators and employees. I thank John for his many contributions and wish him well in his retirement.”

NJNG is the largest stand-alone natural gas utility in New Jersey with nearly 600,000 customers. It operates one of the most environmentally sound distribution systems with the fewest leaks per mile of any natural gas utility in the state. It is also a leader in energy-efficiency with innovative programs that help customers save energy and money, including on-bill repayment plans, financing options and whole-house solutions.

NJNG was named a Most Trusted Utility among residential customers, according to the 2025 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential study by Escalent, a leading advisory firm specializing in human behavior and data analytics. This is the 11^th time out of the past 12 years the company was recognized for brand trust among its customers.

Prior to joining NJR, Ms. Ayotte spent over 20 years working in the energy industry, where she held leadership roles spanning, engineering, operations and asset oversight at natural gas utility and consulting companies, including Cornerstone Energy Services, LLC, Summit Utilities Inc. and Unitil Corporation/Northern Utilities. Throughout her career, she developed broad experience managing complex infrastructure programs, leading multidisciplinary teams, and advancing safety and reliability.

About New Jersey Resources
New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a diversified energy infrastructure and energy services company that provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:

• New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates and maintains natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex, Sussex and Burlington counties.
• Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.
• Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
• Storage and Transportation serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its ownership of Leaf River Energy Center and the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline, as well as a 50% equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility.
• Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey.

NJR and its nearly 1,300 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as SAVEGREEN®.

For more information about NJR visit www.njresources.com
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