The 51st State Initiative

Mr. Champley was appointed commissioner to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in September 2011 by Governor Neil Abercrombie. Commissioner Champley has over 40 years of experience analyzing, integrating and managing complex economic, public policy and technical issues facing the energy utility industry. Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Champley was a Maui-based senior energy consultant focused on clean energy resource integration in Hawaii.

Prior to re-locating to Hawaii, Commissioner Champley was a senior executive with DTE Energy, a major electric and gas energy company where he held various executive positions including Senior Vice President-Regulatory Affairs and Senior Vice President-Power Supply.

Commissioner Champley holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University, with emphasis in Finance and Public Utility Economics and Regulation.

Steve Corneli is an independent advisor to companies and organizations on clean energy innovation, policies and strategies. He has worked in the power sector since 1990, focusing on the intersection of new technologies and business models with the key policy-making institutions of state and federal government. From 2001 to 2016, Steve served in various leadership roles at NRG Energy, including wholesale market design and advocacy, government and regulatory affairs, climate policy, and clean energy policy and strategy. Prior to NRG, Steve was a utility consumer advocate in the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and a regulatory specialist serving competitive power sector clients in the law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard. Earlier in his career he managed a 600 acre family farm for more than a decade. Steve serves on the board of the Climate Action Reserve, the Executive Leadership Council of the Smart Electric Power Alliance’s 51st State initiative, RMI’s eLab Advisory Council, and has served on the board of the Solar Energy Industries Association and as a member of the Operating Committee of North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC). Steve has a MA in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute, concentrating on energy, environment and technology policy, and a BA degree from St. John’s College.

Ralph Izzo was elected Chairman and CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) in April 2007. He was named as the company’s President and COO and a member of the board of directors of PSEG in October 2006. Previously, Mr. Izzo was President and COO of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G). Since joining PSE&G in 1992, Mr. Izzo was elected to several executive positions within PSEG’s family of companies, including PSE&G Senior Vice President — Utility Operations, PSE&G Vice President — Appliance Service, PSE&G Vice President — Corporate pPlanning and PSE&G Vice President — Electric Ventures. In these capacities, he broadened his experience in the areas of general management, strategic planning and finance. Mr. Izzo is a well-known leader within the utility industry, as well as the public policy arena.

Mr. Izzo’s career began as a research scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, performing numerical simulations of fusion energy experiments. He has published or presented over 35 papers on magnetohydrodynamic modeling.

Mr. Izzo received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in applied physics from Columbia University. He also received a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in finance from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management. He is listed in numerous editions of Who’s Who and has been the recipient of national fellowships and awards. Mr. Izzo has received Honorary Degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Doctor of Science), Thomas A. Edison State College (Doctor of Humane Letters), Bloomfield College (Doctor of Humane Letters), Rutgers University (Doctor of Humane Letters) and Raritan Valley Community College (Associate of Science).

Mr. Izzo serves as nominating committee chairman of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of directors for The Williams Companies, the New Jersey Utilities Association, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and The Center for Energy Workforce Development. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Peddie School, Columbia University School of Engineering Board of Visitors and the Princeton University Adlinger Center for Energy and the Environment Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Visiting Committee for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at MIT. Mr. Izzo is a former Chair of the Rutgers University Board of Governors and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Kenneth Munson is President and Co-Founder of Sunverge Energy, a leader in the emerging clean-tech market focused on smart grid optimization and energy storage services delivered via a cutting-edge software-as-a-service computing platform. Kenneth leads the company’s operations and is responsible for the company’s strategic development including new business initiatives, corporate financing and mergers and acquisitions activity. Kenneth also serves as Adjunct Lecturer at St. Mary’s College of California Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA). There he teaches Entrepreneurial Finance and Managing Innovation with the focus of strategic management of technology.

Kenneth also serves on the Board of Directors for Safety Center, Inc. Prior to founding Sunverge, Kenneth was Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Kinetek, Inc. — a subsidiary of Jordan Industries. He drove expansion of its motion control technologies group throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe by leading and supporting joint ventures, acquisitions and new product development efforts. Concurrently, Kenneth oversaw Kinetek’s global brand management strategy for its entire portfolio of companies. Kenneth holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA) in international finance and business administration and a bachelor’s degree in marketing communications from California State University, Sacramento.

Treasurer

Seth Frader-Thompson co-founded EnergyHub in 2007 and continues to serve as its President. Under his leadership, the company has become a leading provider of both utility-installed and Bring Your Own Thermostat demand response services. EnergyHub offers utilities end-to-end demand response program management, including program design, installation, marketing and customer support services, as well as EnergyHub’s Mercury software platform for device control, with the goal of enabling both utilities and consumers to benefit from participation in DR and DER programs. Simultaneously, EnergyHub works with the leading device manufacturers and home services companies to bring their customers into utility programs.

Seth is a frequent speaker on demand response and connected home issues and is a board member of the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid. Prior to founding EnergyHub, Seth served in several managerial and technical roles at Honeybee Robotics. During his tenure at Honeybee Robotics, he worked on robotics projects for NASA and developed bomb-disposal robots for the military. He was the principal investigator for a DARPA research effort to build a miniature laser vision system for search and rescue robots.
Seth has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado, where his research focused on Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) for Ultracold Atom Optics.

Ron Binz is a Principal at Public Policy Consulting, specializing in energy and telecommunications economics and policy issues. On June 27, 2013, President Obama nominated Ron to become Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but following a confirmation hearing in a U.S. Senate committee, he asked the president to withdraw his name from further consideration. He was appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in January 2007 and served until April 2011. As Chairman, Ron led the Colorado PUC in implementing the many policy changes championed by the Governor and the Legislature to bring forward Colorado’s “New Energy Economy.”

Ron was an active member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, serving as Chair of NARUC’s Task Force on Climate Policy and as a member of both the Energy Resources and Environment Committee and the International Affairs Committee. From 1984 to 1995, Ron directed the Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel, the state’s utility consumer advocate. His office represented residential, small business and agricultural utility consumers before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, federal regulatory agencies and the courts. While Consumer Counsel, Ron served as President of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA).

Ron received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Colorado.

Lisa Frantzis is a Senior VP at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a national business association whose mission is to transform policy to ensure a more secure, clean and affordable energy system throughout the U.S. At AEE, she leads an initiative to accelerate the transition to a 21st Century Electricity System. The two primary activities of the initiative are:

1. CEO Forums/Public Utility Commission (PUC) Forums that convene utility executives, PUC Commissioners and advanced energy companies to develop a vision for reform that is responsive to the needs of each state and drives towards concrete action.
2. Participation in key regulatory proceedings where AEE develops joint positions with its members, provides analysis for justification of these positions and assists in implementation plans.

Lisa served as a Managing Director in Navigant Consulting’s Energy Practice since 2002, responsible for leading the renewable and distributed energy business. Prior to Navigant, she consulted at Arthur D. Little for 23 years in energy efficiency and clean energy. Over her 35 years of consulting experience, she has identified energy program options for international government agencies, determined renewable energy integration options for utility companies, developed business strategies for clean energy manufacturers and conducted due diligence for financial firms considering clean energy investments.

Lisa is currently on the Board of Directors of the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC) and previously on the boards of three other organizations: the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA).

John Di Stasio joined the Large Public Power Council (LPPC) in August 2014. The LPPC represents the 26th largest consumer-owned utilities in the United States. Di Stasio serves as the Association’s President, based in Washington DC, representing the interests of the member organizations.

Di Stasio was formerly the General Manager and CEO of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) from June of 2008 through April of 2014. Di Stasio is the past president of both the Northwest Public Power Association and the California Municipal Utility Association and the vice chair of the Large Public Power Council. He was also a board member of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the American Public Power Association. He was a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Members Representative Committee.

Di Stasio was also a gubernatorial appointee to the California Workforce Investment Board. He was the Electric Light and Power Large Utility CEO of the Year in 2013. Di Stasio was also active in international energy issues in other countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, Botswana, India and Jordan. He was named Volunteer of the Year in 2013 by the United States Energy Association. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.

Di Stasio is a native Californian and fourth generation farmer. He is the owner of Di Stasio Vineyards, a commercial vineyard in Amador County, California. Di Stasio enjoys foreign travel, golf, fishing and Amador Zinfandels.

Kelly Speakes-Backman is Senior Vice President of Policy and Research at the Alliance to Save Energy. She is a former Commissioner of the Maryland Public Service Commission, who has spent more than 20 years working on energy and environmental issues in the public and private sectors. She earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Boston University.

Joining Walmart in 2015 as Vice President of Energy, Mark Vanderhelm leads the team supporting Walmart U.S., including Retail Energy, Energy Regulation and Management, Energy Services and Energy Development. He oversees the company’s global commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability and renewable energy.

Mark joins the company from Exelon Generation, LLC in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he managed Generation and Renewables Development. In this role, Mark led the team responsible for developing new generation projects (gas, solar, biomass, storage and hydro) and investing in new electricity-based technologies throughout the U.S. and Canada. In previous roles, he led business development for the retail team, as well as the wholesale origination team focused on the Southern U.S. Throughout these roles, Mark directed due diligence and negotiation for key growth projects for the organization. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Texas. He went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in nuclear engineering from MIT, where he co-directed the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives.

Joe Slater is the President & CEO of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, one of the largest in the nation, with $500 million in revenue, $1-billion in assets and 160,000 member-customers. He was appointed to that position in 2002. SMECO has 525 employees and a 15-member Board. He previously held the position of CFO with SMECO for 15 years.

Slater holds a MBA in finance from George Washington University, a bachelor’s degree from Shepherd University in accounting, and an associate’s degree from the College of Southern Maryland (CSM). He has extensive leadership experience in the electric cooperative industry and was formerly Vice President with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He was also CEO of Tideland Electric Membership Corporation in North Carolina. He has held the position of Chairman of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board and Chairman of the board of Trustees of the College of Southern Maryland (CSM).

He currently serves as a director for: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (Baltimore Branch), Community Bank of the Chesapeake, CSM Foundation, University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center and is active in many civic and community organizations. Additionally, Slater serves on several industry-specific boards, including Chairman of ACES Power Marketing and the founding Secretary of the National Renewables Cooperative Organization.

Steven (Steve) E. Malnight was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Duquesne Light Holdings and Duquesne Light Company in April 2019. Prior to joining Duquesne Light, Malnight was Senior Vice President, Energy Supply and Policy for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Malnight holds a master’s in Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is active in national energy policy and community engagement, including serving on the Board of the Solar Electric Power Alliance, a nationwide organization that supports utility participation in solar activities.

Frank Prager is Vice President of Policy and Federal Affairs at Xcel Energy Inc., a U.S. investor-owned electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in eight Midwestern and Western states. Frank leads an organization that is responsible for representing the company before Congress and various federal agencies. His organization designs and advocates for federal and state policies related to a number of utility issues, including the environment, climate change, renewable energy, state and federal regulation, energy markets, tax, transmission and emerging technologies. Frank is a graduate of the University of Colorado, where he received degrees in chemical engineering and English. He also earned his law degree from Stanford University.

Ben Bixby is the general manager of energy and enterprise partnerships at Nest Labs, where he steers new product and global business development with energy and enterprise partners. Ben came to Nest in early 2013 when Nest acquired MyEnergy, the venture-backed energy data technology company he founded in 2007 and led as its CEO — and which now powers a number of Nest’s energy data capabilities. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University. Together with his wife and son, he resides in Boston and Palo Alto — fiercely supporting the Red Sox from both coasts.

Anne Pramaggiore is President and CEO of ComEd, an electric utility company delivering electricity to 3.8 million customers in Chicago and Northern Illinois. Pramaggiore joined ComEd in 1998 to work on the company’s transition to competitive energy markets under the Illinois Consumer Choice Law of 1997. In her role as ComEd’s lead lawyer and as head of Regulatory Policy, she led major policy work around the restructuring of the Illinois electric industry.

In 2009, Pramaggiore was appointed as ComEd’s COO and became responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations on the electric grid and in customer operations. In that role, she led the company’s effort to set the legislative framework for ComEd’s smart grid build-out, a leading model nationally for modernizing one of the largest utility systems in the country. She is the first female to hold the post of President and CEO at the electric utility. Pramaggiore serves as a board member of Chicago Federal Reserve Board, Motorola Solutions, Inc., and several civic and community organizations. She is a 1989 graduate of DePaul University School of Law and served as editor-in-chief of the school’s Law Review. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications and theater from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Adam Umanoff is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison. He is responsible for the legal affairs of the company. Prior to joining Edison International in January 2015, Umanoff was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, an international law firm, where he co-chaired the firm’s global project finance practice. He focused on the development, financing, operation, disposition and acquisition of infrastructure and energy projects and companies, with a particular focus on the renewable energy industry.

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Umanoff was a partner at several international law firms, an independent renewable energy consultant and he served as President and CEO of Enron Wind Corporation, one of the world’s largest renewable energy developers and wind turbine manufacturers (now part of GE). He has been recognized as one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers and Top 25 Clean Tech Lawyers. Mr. Umanoff is a member of the American Bar Association, Business Law Section and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University in 1980 and his J.D. in 1983 from Columbia Law School where he was editor of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and the recipient of the Wertheimer Prize in Labor Law.