SEPA Announces New Board Members, Championing Commitment to Diversity

Representatives from leading technology firms headline new members

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) welcomes four new members to its Board of Directors.

Pictured from left to right:

• Shelley McKinley, Vice President, Technology and Corporate Responsibility at Microsoft
• Chris Roe, Head of Energy and Sustainable Operations at Amazon
• Hannah Bascom, Head of Energy Partnerships at Google Nest
• Carlos Restrepo, CTO and Managing Director at sonnen

Paul Lau, the recently named CEO and General Manager at SMUD will remain on the board for another term.

With the new additions, the Board composition is 60% utility and 40% corporate. The utility representatives are composed of investor-owned, public power and cooperatives.

“At SEPA, we believe that diversity, equity, inclusion and access for all are required for a fair and just carbon-free energy future,” said SEPA President and CEO Julia Hamm. “It’s no accident that these new board members expand the breadth of perspectives around the SEPA boardroom table. To achieve our carbon-free vision, we need deep collaboration between a diverse group of individuals from utilities, customers, technology companies, policy makers and other stakeholders.”

“Enabling energy organizations of all sizes to make the transition to clean energy is a mission I’m passionate about, both personally and professionally,” said Microsoft’s Shelley McKinley. “I’m honored to join the board of SEPA and bring my experience in technology, law, CSR and policy to help businesses build a path toward renewables and a greener future for all.”

“Collaboration is the most important way to drive the systemic change needed to decarbonize and achieve a clean energy future,” said Amazon’s Chris Roe. “I look forward to joining SEPA’s board to accelerate action toward a carbon-free energy system and tackle the climate crisis.”

“I am humbled to join the SEPA board at this pivotal moment in the transition of the energy industry, and I’m looking forward to supporting SEPA’s vision for an inclusive path to a carbon-free 2050,” said Google Nest’s Hannah Bascom. “Now more than ever, we need strong coalitions between utilities, policy makers and technology companies to catalyze development of new solutions in the fight against climate change. My experience developing partnerships for consumer-facing energy products has shown me the value of bringing diverse stakeholders together, including all consumers, along this journey.”

“Sonnen is a long-time SEPA member, and I am honored to join this distinguished and diverse Board of Directors to share my engineering knowledge, virtual power plant experience and vision for architecting a clean energy future,” said sonnen’s Carlos Restrepo.

SEPA’s Board of Directors helps guide the nonprofit’s strategy and priorities on its mission to facilitate the electric power sector’s smart transition to a clean and modern energy future.

Full bios for all SEPA Board members are available here.

For media requests, please contact Jordan Nachbar, [email protected] or 202-559-2034.