Advisory Council

Alaric J. Babej is the Principal of Customer Energy Solutions at the Public Service Company of New Mexico, where he oversees utility programs focused on electrification, energy efficiency, and renewable energy to help customers achieve their sustainability goals. At PNM, Mr. Babej designed and launched an online interconnection process that reduced the time required to evaluate customer solar applications by 80%. He also designed and launched PNM’s inaugural Transportation Electrification Program and company initiatives to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and infrastructure deployment in New Mexico.

Mr. Babej earned a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington and an MBA from the Anderson School at the University of New Mexico. When not thinking about the best classic car to convert to an EV, Mr. Babej continuously proves that lack of natural talent is no reason to give up playing hockey.

Alex Keros currently leads GM’s electric vehicle public charging infrastructure and consumer experience through GM Energy. With extensive experience deploying infrastructure solutions, Alex’s team is building an extensive public charging network via collaborations with EVgo, Pilot Company and GM’s dealer network. His team also works to create a seamless charging experience for GM EV customers through the company’s family of vehicle brand apps. Alex collaborates with multiple partners – including charging station operators, utility companies and public-private partnerships – to create mobility solutions.

Alex earned a B.S. in Natural Resource Management and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Alice Jackson is the VP of Grid Modeling at Breakthrough Energy. Her team is tackling the complex challenge of providing reliable, low-emission electricity to all, by focusing on open access tools that offer repeatability, efficiency and progress. Alice has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, including roles at Enron, Oxy, and Xcel Energy. Beyond her professional life, Alice is a mom to four boys and soon-to-be step-mom to two more, making her mission-driven career even more meaningful.

Commissioner Andrew McAllister was first appointed to the Economist seat at the California Energy Commission in 2012, and in 2022 was reappointed to a third term by Governor Gavin Newsom. Commissioner McAllister’s priorities include: decarbonization of buildings and industry; energy efficiency; load flexibility as a tool for grid optimization; improved access to data and analytical tools that enable innovation at the grid edge; ensuring alignment of energy policy; programs with the state’s housing needs; and extending California’s national leadership on critical state-level energy policy matters.

Commissioner McAllister has worked in both the efficiency and renewables spaces for more than three decades. Prior to the CEC his professional trajectory traversed multiple sectors: managing director of the non-profit California Center for Sustainable Energy; efficiency and renewables specialist at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, Ltd.; utility energy efficiency program consultant; and a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has worked across the world to deploy clean, cost-effective energy solutions partnering with counterparts ranging from tiny remote communities to the largest of utilities. Commissioner McAllister holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, and dual B.A.s from Dartmouth College. He is a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

CEO/General Manager

Brian Heithoff is CEO/General Manager at Trico Electric Cooperative. Heithoff has been Trico Electric Cooperative’s CEO/General Manager since April 2021 where he guides operations for over 53,000 members in the communities surrounding Tucson. Heithoff has worked for electric cooperatives for more than three decades, including 26 years as a CEO. Before Trico, he served for 10 years as the CEO and General Manager of High West Energy, Inc. Heithoff has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Briar Cliff University.

Executive Committee

Bryan Hannegan is President and CEO of Holy Cross Energy, a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative utility providing electricity and energy products and services to more than 42,000 customers in Western Colorado. Prior to joining Holy Cross in July 2017, Bryan was an Associate Laboratory Director at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where he co-founded the US Department of Energy’s Grid Modernization Initiative and started up the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), a unique “distribution grid in a box” enabling utilities, entrepreneurs and consumers to work together on cleaner, more affordable and more reliable energy systems. Earlier in his career, Bryan held senior leadership roles at the Electric Power Research Institute, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Carlos Restrepo is the Chief Technology Officer at Kora, where he leads the development of next-generation home energy systems that integrate energy storage, intelligent power management, and grid-interactive technologies. Kora is pioneering a new approach to residential energy by combining hardware, software, and energy trading capabilities into a unified platform designed to improve energy resilience, lower costs, and accelerate the transition to a more distributed and intelligent grid.

Carlos is a technology executive and innovator with more than 20 years of experience developing and commercializing advanced energy technologies. Throughout his career, he has led multidisciplinary engineering, product development, and technology organizations across renewable energy, energy storage, power electronics, and grid modernization. He has held executive leadership roles at several industry-leading energy companies and has contributed to the development of numerous patented technologies and market-leading energy solutions.

For more than a decade, Carlos has been at the forefront of advancing clean energy and energy storage technologies, helping organizations deliver solutions that enable a more resilient, sustainable, and customer-centric energy future. His expertise spans technology strategy, product innovation, systems engineering, and scaling organizations from concept through commercialization.

Caroline Choi is the executive vice president of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy at Edison International and Southern California Edison. Choi oversees Corporate Communications, Corporate Philanthropy, Government Relations, and Public Affairs at the national, state, and local levels.

Previously, Choi served as senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs at SCE and was responsible for the company’s regulatory engagement, policy, and strategy.

Choi also served as SCE vice president of Energy and Environmental Policy and oversaw the analysis and development of energy and environmental policies and strategies, as well as engagement at energy and environmental regulatory agencies.

Before joining SCE in 2012, Choi was executive director of Environmental Services & Strategy at Progress Energy (now Duke Energy), where she led environmental permitting, compliance and policy.

Choi is active in national policy and community engagement. She serves on the board of Smart Electric Power Alliance, a nationwide organization that supports the implementation and deployment of clean energy and distributed resources. She also chairs the board of Veloz, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the shift to electric transportation through public-private collaboration and public engagement. In addition, she is a member of the Electric Transportation Community Development Corporation, National Forest Foundation and Public Policy Institute of California’s Statewide Leadership Council.

Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College.

Chris leads strategy and execution of Amazon’s commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2025 and net zero carbon throughout the company’s real estate portfolio by 2040. This commitment is part of The Climate Pledge, a commitment by Amazon to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. Prior to Amazon, Chris led energy, water, and sustainable building initiatives within Boeing’s real estate operations, and has 15 years’ experience driving initiatives in corporate energy and sustainability. Chris has a Master’s degree in Engineering from Cambridge University, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and is also on the board of the Smart Building Center in Seattle.

Courtney Galatioto is the Vice President of Membership at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), a prominent educational nonprofit with 1,000 members nationwide. With over a decade of experience in the energy sector, Courtney plays a pivotal role in steering SEPA’s strategic initiatives, shaping the membership program to drive engagement, retention, and growth aligned with SEPA’s mission. She collaborates closely with members, ensuring tailored solutions and delivering value through research and programs.

Courtney previously held key roles in business development and member relations at the Alliance to Save Energy and served as a policy fellow in North Carolina. She holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in energy and climate change and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Phone: 202.857.0898     Email: [email protected]

David is a Senior Consultant with Utilicast who works across the Generation, Transmission and Distribution, Central markets, and Regional Reliability and Enterprise solution areas.  He leads the Grid Architecture and ITSM solution offerings. He has more than 25 years of experience in the industry and began his career at Austin Energy, where he ultimately served in the CIO role.

David has been a Gridwise Architecture Council member since 2013 and has served as the Chair from 2015 to 2021. He is a frequent conference presenter on the Council’s behalf.

David and his co-authors were 2021 Cleanie Gold Award winners for their publications on Energy Central.

Before joining Utilicast, David held multiple positions at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, including Senior Director of IT and Director of Enterprise Architecture and IT Transformation and Infrastructure Program Manager on the Texas Nodal implementation.

David has served as a member and Chair of SGIP, was a member of the SEPA Board of Directors, and Chair of SEPA’s Technical Advisory Council.

He has a BBA from the University of Texas and an MBA from St. Edward’s University, both in Austin.

Executive Director

David Springe is the Executive Director of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA). NASUCA’s 61 member offices represent the interests of utility consumers in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Before assuming his duties at NASUCA in 2015, Springe served for thirteen years as Consumer Counsel for the Kansas Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board (CURB), the statutory advocate for residential and small commercial utility customers in proceedings before the Kansas Corporation Commission, Kansas courts, and the Kansas legislature. Springe spent nine years as an economist and expert witness for both CURB and the Kansas Corporation Commission before taking over as Consumer Counsel at CURB. While at CURB Springe was active in NASUCA, serving as President from 2007-2009, and he continues to represent consumer interests on numerous advisory boards, task forces and working groups. Springe received his M.A. in Economics and Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas.

Marion Gold is a Senior Advisor with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and also serves as a Senior Advisor with the Ad Hoc Group, an advisory firm which helps climate tech start-ups navigate and shape policy. She is the President of the Board of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP).

A former regulatory commissioner, Marion was appointed to the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission by Governor Gina Raimondo in 2016. She served a five-year term with a focus on clean energy and power sector transformation.

Previously, Marion was the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources. She also served on the Executive Board of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and was a managing director of the New England State Committee on Electricity (NESCOE).

Prior to serving as State Energy Commissioner, Marion was the Director of the Mallon Center at the University of Rhode Island, where she established the URI Partnership for Energy, initiated efficiency programs for public sector buildings, and launched the Energy Fellows Program, which has placed over 100 students in energy-related employment with the private and public sector.

Marion holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Rhode Island. She received her BS and MS from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, respectively.

Elaina Ball leads strategic planning for CPS Energy. In this role, she is responsible for the oversight and execution of CPS Energy’s Vision 2027. Elaina has over 17 years of experience working with both investor-owned and public power utility companies. She has provided effective leadership in power generation, transmission & distribution, market operations, technology, and business development functions.

She has previously served as CEO for Fayetteville PWC in Fayetteville, NC, as Chief Operating Officer for El Paso Electric and Austin Energy, as Senior Vice President of Power Delivery at Entergy, and is a CPS Energy alumnus serving as Vice President of Technical Services & Energy Solutions in 2012. She also has extensive leadership experience with the South Texas Project (STP), having served on their Board of Directors, Owners’ Committee, and Benefits Committee.

Elaina has been actively engaged with multiple utility organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Electrical League and the Association of Women in Energy, in addition to community non-profits such as the Austin Science Education Foundation, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, and Fayetteville Tech Community College.

Elaina holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a graduate of the University of Idaho Utility Energy Executive program and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Frank J. Greco, Jr. (Frankie Greco) is Director of the Grid Integration Engineering (GRIT) team at Nexamp. The GRIT team is a multi-level national team comprised of interconnection engineers and program managers responsible for designing and managing a portfolio of utility interconnection applications from initial submission through project closeout across multiple states and markets. Frankie has worked in the industry for over 22 years in the areas of distribution construction, operations, project management and interconnection.

Frankie made significant contributions to the industry as both a SME and Leader including Interconnection processes, rules/requirements and systems and has been focused on Customer/Client relationships along with ensuring safety and reliability for the systems installed such as NWS, Microgreids, Solar+BESS Power Plants, and distribution feeders/circuits.

Frankie received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and is also a Registered Professional Electrical Engineer within the State of Arizona.

Gary Rackliffe, MBA, PE, Senior Vice President, leads the Quanta Technology division, including Grid Architecture, Advanced Technology Integration, and Digital Transformation. He is an industry leader in the energy transition addressing decarbonization of power generation and end-use energy consumption, grid modernization, and the digital transformation of the electric power grid. He has extensive experience leading flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS); utility operations software business development, sales, and product development; strategy and marketing communications for power grids products and systems; regional sales for T&D equipment; and innovation and strategic initiatives.

Hannah Bascom is the General Manager at Uplight, where she spearheads efforts to catalyze innovation in the energy industry and further Uplight’s thought leadership, focusing on enabling decarbonization at scale. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Hannah has a proven track record of success in market development, partnerships, product marketing, and public relations.

Prior to joining Uplight, she held leadership positions at SPAN, where she focused on residential electrification, and at Google Nest, where she built the utility and energy services channels and later led energy partnerships for Nest Renew. Hannah’s career also includes significant contributions at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where she implemented multi-million dollar customer service strategies, and at EY, where she worked on innovation and product optimization within the utilities sector. Her ability to collaborate with large, established entities and leverage new technologies has been key to her success in driving the clean energy transition.

Hannah holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA with honors in Urban Studies from Brown University. She lives in Colorado with her partner and two small children, where they enjoy all things outdoors.

Hilal Katmale is a Senior Manager in the Power, Utilities and Renewables practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP, focused on transforming the client’s core business operations. He brings more than 20 years of experience working with power and utility companies across the value chain, from transmission & distribution systems to utility services behind the meter. Hilal has overseen the delivery of business and operational technology transformation programs for clients with a focus on next-generation grid modernization technologies, distributed energy resource management, microgrids, fire risk mitigation, and customer-focused products and services enablement.

Hilal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from VJTI, University of Mumbai and Master’s degree in Engineering Management from University of Minnesota. A family man to the wife, kids and parents; a cricket enthusiast, who is always happy to chat over a cup of tea.

Janisse Quiñones, LUMA’s Chief Executive Officer, brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in utility operations, engineering, and large-scale energy systems. Most recently, she served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest publicly owned utility in the United States, where she led nearly 12,000 employees delivering water and power to over four million residents. Her experience overseeing complex grid operations, power generation, and infrastructure modernization, combined with her direct involvement in system restoration efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María positions her to lead LUMA’s ongoing work to strengthen and transform the island’s electric system.

Quiñones first served as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering and then as Senior Vice President of Electric Operations. In her most recent role, she oversaw electrical system operations and the power generation fleet, as well as the management of electrical assets that support the California Independent System Operator. Prior to PG&E, Quiñones served as the Vice President of Gas Systems Engineering for National Grid, where she managed the engineering and design of natural gas distribution, transmission and infrastructure projects for National Grid’s U.S. territory, and oversaw various meter compliance, design and construction projects.

Quiñones’ experience also includes serving in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), both full-time and in the reserves, from 2004-2025. She is a retired USCG Commander and previously served as Deputy, Planning and Incident Management. She also held several leadership roles at San Diego Gas & Electric, including Director of Design, Planning, Construction and Vegetation Management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UPR in Mayagüez, as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Advanced Studies in International Relations and is a licensed engineer in 5 U. S. states.

Jason Handley, P.E. is the General Manager of the Distributed Energy Group at Duke Energy. He is a respected utility industry professional based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jason has over 27 years of utility experience specializing in the smart grid, distributed intelligence, and operations management. Jason excels at understanding the increasingly complex utility environment, managing the new digital utility workforce, and delivering on the execution and financials of technology and renewable projects.

In his current role, Jason leads a team that engineers, deploys, operates, and maintains regulated distribution, distributed energy resources and microgrids. In his previous role, as Director of the Emerging Technology Office, he managed a team that identified and developed new technologies impacting the electrical grid and oversaw all the ongoing operational aspects on new technology pilot projects.

Jason is a past Chairman of EPRI’s IntelligGrid Program Advisory Committee P161, served on the Board of Directors for the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, and served on the National Institute of Standards Technology’s Smart Grid Advisory Committee. Currently, Jason serves on the IEEE Industry Support Leadership Council, the DistribuTECH Advisory Committee, and the Smart Electric Power Alliance Research Advisory Council, and is Co-Chair of the SEPA Microgrids Working Group. He holds five patents and has won Duke Energy’s highest award, the James B. Duke Award. Jason received his electrical engineering degree from Auburn University and his MBA at Wake Forest University. He has been a registered professional engineer since 2002 and received his electrical contractor’s unlimited license in 2009.

Jay Lasseter is the Vice President of Customer Delivery for Landis+Gyr Americas. With a robust background in technology, software, and smart grid solutions, he brings a unique ability to understand the evolving needs of the utility market. Jay collaborates closely with utility and industry partners across North and South America, delivering innovative strategies to tackle the market’s dynamic challenges. With over 25 years of experience in the utility industry, Mr. Lasseter has demonstrated success across various leadership and management roles in Business Development, Direct and Strategic Sales, and Marketing. He holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Jeff Guldner is the retired Chairman and CEO of Arizona Public Service Company and
Pinnacle West, an electric utility serving over one million customers across Arizona and
operator of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.  During his tenure, he oversaw
major investments in grid reliability, resource planning, customer service, and the
transition toward a more diversified energy portfolio. He currently serves on the boards
of Duke Energy and NextPower, bringing deep expertise in utility operations, regulatory
strategy, and large-scale energy infrastructure development. He also serves on the
boards of the Smart Electric Power Association and the McCain Institute.

Jeff Loiter is a Technical Director in the Center for Partnerships & Innovation at NARUC where he oversees CPI’s energy distribution research portfolio, including smart grid and grid modernization, distributed energy resources integration and interconnection, virtual power plants, and related issues in ratemaking and utility business models.

Prior to joining NARUC Jeff held positions as a Principal Researcher at the National Regulatory Research Institute and as a Partner at Optimal Energy, Inc. (now NV5), providing utility and public sector customers with DSM program design and implementation guidance. In total, he has 25 years of experience in energy, environmental, and economic consulting for both private and public sector clients. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell and a Master’s of Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.