The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) has announced the results of of its 2017 board elections, welcoming two newcomers and two incumbents to its Board of Directors. Both newcomers will add to the board's roster of diverse industry leaders driving business and technical innovation at their respective companies.

The two incoming board members are:

• Mary E. Kipp, President and CEO of El Paso Electric Company, who oversees the company's overall operations and serves on its Board of Directors.
• Peter Muhoro, Vice President of Strategic Industry Research and Analysis for the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC), who advances the health of electric cooperatives through technical knowledge, strategy expertise and analysis of emerging industry trends.

The two returning board members are:

• Paul Lau, Chief Grid Strategy and Operations Officer at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), who is the executive responsible for the operations of SMUD's power markets, transmission and distribution grids, the development of a holistic smart grid strategy and SMUD's research and development programs.
• Ron Binz, Principal at Public Policy Consulting, who was formerly chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and now specializes in energy and telecommunications economics and policy issues.

The SEPA Board of Directors is comprised of 22 members, representing a cross-section of energy industry representatives, including executives from utilities, solar firms and other distributed energy technology developers, as well as former policy makers. Each board member serves a three-year term.

"An organization's commitment to diversity begins at the top, which is why SEPA's Board of Directors this year focused on broadening our outreach to potential candidates who would bring both strong leadership and underrepresented perspectives and voices to our work," said Board Chair Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Southern California Edison. "Our new and returning members reflect the clear intent of SEPA and its members to provide strong examples of the critical role diversity must play in our industry's transition."

"Over our 25-year history, the role of SEPA's Board of Directors has been not only to help guide the organization, but to challenge us to grow at a pace that reflects and responds to the ongoing evolution of our industry," added Julia Hamm, SEPA President and CEO. "As we welcome our new and re-elected Board members, we know that more change and challenges lie ahead, and that the best solutions for a smart energy future will always be rooted in collaborative models that encompass our industry's diversity, at all levels."

Full bios for all SEPA Board members are available here.

Smart Electric Power Alliance | www.sepapower.org