Berkeley Lab's Lisa Schwartz Wins Utility Regulator Honor

Lisa Schwartz, Deputy Leader and Energy Efficiency Team Leader in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group, received the 2018 Mary Kilmarx Award from the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).

The award is given to "individuals who have gone above and beyond in the name of good government, clean energy, and the environment." The award was presented on February 11, 2019 during NARUC's 2019 Winter Policy Summit in Washington, DC.

"Lisa Schwartz has been a dedicated and tireless champion, supporter, expert, and trail blazer for positive regulatory innovation across the states," the Committee said in announcing the award. They cited her leadership on energy efficiency policy and the technical assistance she provides to states. They also lauded her Future Electric Utility Regulation report series and the training and education she manages for states on distribution system planning.

Before joining Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab), Lisa was the Director of the Oregon Department of Energy, a senior associate at the Regulatory Assistance Project, and a senior analyst at the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

First awarded in 2002, the honor is named for Mary Kilmarx, a former commissioner and staff member at the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and three-term representative in the Rhode Island Legislature. She was one of the founders of the NARUC Energy Resources and the Environment Committee and provided its members with inspiration for many years. Previous winners of the Mary Kilmarx Award include:

2002 - Bob Anderson, Montana commissioner, NARUC president
2003 - Richard Cowart, Vermont commissioner and Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) director
2004 - Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division
2005 - Cheryl Harrington, Maine commissioner and RAP director
2006 - Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Howard Geller, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
2007 - Michael Dworkin, Vermont commissioner, Professor of Law and Director, Institute for Energy and the Environment, Vermont Law School
2008 - Rich Sedano, RAP director and commissioner, Vermont Department of Public Service
2009 - Dian Grueneich, California commissioner and Stanford University professor
2010 - Rick Morgan, District of Columbia commissioner
2011 - Jeanne Fox, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities commissioner
2012 - Ron Binz, chair, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
2013 - Steve Nadel, executive director of American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
2014 - Sue Tierney, Massachusetts regulator and USDOE Assistant Secretary
2015 - James Gardner, Kentucky commissioner
2016 - Miles Keogh, Executive Director of the National Association for Clean Air Agencies and NARUC Grants and Research Director
2017 - Nancy Lange, chair of the Minnesota Public Utility Commission, and Carla Peterman, California Public Utilities commissioner

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