Bennett L. Gaines has recently retired as the Senior Vice President of corporate services and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for FirstEnergy Corp. In June 2023, Mr. Gaines was named the first Executive Director of The Grand Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé) in the 119-year history of the organization.  The Grand Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé) is a graduate and professional membership organization. It is the oldest Greek-letter fellowship for predominately African American men. The Fraternity began in 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and now has 142-member boulés in communities in the United States, United Kingdom, and the Bahamas.

In his role as CIO at FirstEnergy Corp, Mr. Gaines was responsible for the delivery of all IT services, including strategy, development, and governance, as well as communication and data networks. Mr. Gaines was head of Cyber Security for the organization which includes policy, governance and overall cyber security operations. In addition, his responsibilities include supply chain, physical security, facilities, and corporate travel.

Prior to joining FirstEnergy, Mr. Gaines served as vice president and Chief Information Officer at Cincinnati-based Cinergy Corporation. Mr. Gaines was responsible for the delivery of all IT services and telecommunications network operations. In addition, his responsibilities included head of cyber security operations.

Before joining Cinergy in 2003, Mr. Gaines was managing director, Business Services at Powergen plc in the United Kingdom. He was responsible for the strategy and delivery of IT services and other shared services. Prior to this, he has worked for several Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, EDS and McKesson in senior management roles in business, information management and operations.

Mr. Gaines earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace University. He has been involved in numerous civic and community organizations, such as serving as a board member of Knoxville College and the Akron Community Foundation. He is also a Board of Trustee at Baldwin Wallace University. Mr. Gaines is married to his wife Linda and has a daughter who is married with one child.