TMCnet News

Smart Grid Leadership Awards to be Presented to Texas and California Commissioners at National Town Meeting
[June 27, 2013]

Smart Grid Leadership Awards to be Presented to Texas and California Commissioners at National Town Meeting


WASHINGTON, June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) announced today this year's recipients of its Demand Response and Smart Grid Leadership Awards. The recipients are Donna Nelson, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and Catherine Sandoval, Commissioner on the California Public Utilities Commission.



The awards will be presented at ADS's 2013 National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid, held on July 9 - 11 in Washington, DC. www.smartgridtownmeeting.com.

"The front lines for modernizing the nation's electricity system, and introducing new technologies and practices like demand response, are at the state level," said Dan Delurey, Executive Director of ADS. "That is where investments must be made and policies changed to allow smart grid and DR to flourish. Our two recipients, as State Commissioners, understand that, and have been leaders in trying to bring together utilities, technology companies, consumers and stakeholders to forge new paths that will lead to a more optimized electricity system in the future. It is with great pleasure that ADS recognizes the efforts of these two individuals with our annual award." Donna L. Nelson was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Public Utility Commission on August 15, 2008 and named chairman on July 26, 2011. Prior to her appointment, Nelson served as a special assistant and advisor to Governor Perry on energy and telecommunication issues. She also assisted the Governor's Competitiveness Council with the preparation of the Texas 2008 State Energy Plan. She previously served as director of the PUC's telecommunications section and as legal advisor to the PUC chairman. Chairman Nelson sits on the Board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and is a member of the Southwest Power Pool Regional State Committee. Nelson is a former assistant attorney general of Texas, where she specialized in antitrust law. Nelson received a bachelor's degree from Black Hills State College and a law degree from Texas Tech University.


Catherine J.K. Sandoval was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission on January 25, 2011, by Governor Jerry Brown. She has worked as an associate professor at Santa Clara University School of Law since 2004. She previously served as undersecretary and senior policy advisor for housing with the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency from 2001 to 2004. She was vice president and general counsel with Z-Spanish Media Corporation from 1999 to 2001 and was the director of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities for the Federal Communications Commission from 1994 to 1999. Commissioner Sandoval was an associate with Munger, Tolles & Olson from 1991 to 1994. She earned a J.D. from Stanford Law School, a Master of Letters in political science from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.A. from Yale.

About the National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid The 2013 National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid will be held on July 9-11, in Washington, DC, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More information on the 2013 National Town Meeting can be found at www.demandresponsetownmeeting.com.

About the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) is nonprofit organization consisting of professionals, companies and organizations involved in demand response and smart grid. It provides services to educate and help policymakers and practitioners its members in the conduct of their work and in the attainment of their goals. ADS seeks to establish and grow a demand response "community" of policymakers, utilities, system operators, technology companies, consumers, and other stakeholders.

Group Members of ADS are Ameren, American Public Power Association (APPA), Arizona Public Service (APS), California ISO, Comverge, Con Edison, Conservation Services Group (CSG), Constellation, Corporate Systems Engineering, Dimplex, Duke Energy, Emerson Climate Technologies, ENBALA, Energate, EnerNOC, Freeman, Sullivan & Co, GE, ISO New England, Itron, Joule Assets, Landis & Gyr, MISO, National Grid, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), Navigant Energy Practice, Negawatt, NYSERDA, On-Ramp Wireless, Opower, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), PECO, PJM Interconnection, Reliant, Rodan Energy Solutions, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Siemens, Silver Spring, Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

More information on ADS can be found at: www.demandresponsesmartgrid.org SOURCE Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) http://rt.prnewswire.com/rt.gif?NewsItemId=DC39874&Transmission_Id=201306271350PR_NEWS_USPR_____DC39874&DateId=20130627

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]