Michael Pesin is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Advanced Grid Engineering Research and Development Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. Mr. Pesin is responsible for providing oversight and direction for programs developing next generation electricity delivery technologies and supporting activities to accelerate their introduction to the marketplace.
Mr. Pesin has over 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry directing development and execution of advanced technology programs. Prior to joining DOE Mr. Pesin spent most of his career leading technology organizations at electric utilities where he led technology strategy development, managed research and development programs, and directed strategic programs and demonstration projects including substation and distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure, communication networks and cybersecurity, energy storage, microgrids, electric vehicles, transactive energy, and other advanced technologies.
Previously Mr. Pesin was also founder and president of a management consulting firm working in US and internationally with electric utilities, technology companies, and investors. He was a board member at a number of technology organizations, is actively involved with many electric power industry groups, and is frequent speaker at industry events.
Willie L. Phillips joined the DC Public Service Commission in 2014. He is an experienced regulatory attorney with an extensive background in the areas of public utility regulation, bulk power system reliability, and corporate governance. Prior to coming to the PSC, Chairman Phillips served as Assistant General Counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a not-for-profit international regulatory authority, in Washington, D.C.; he also worked for a Washington, D.C. law firm, Van Ness Feldman LLP, where he advised clients on regulatory compliance and policy matters and assisted on litigation and administrative proceedings on the Federal and State level.
Chairman Phillips is an active member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) where he serves on the Board of Directors, is the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity, and a member of the Electricity Committee. He is also Second Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (MACRUC), a member of the Advisory Council to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Keystone Policy Center Energy Board, Energy Bar Association, Dentons Smart Cities & Communities Think Tank, and the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Chairman Phillips also serves on the Board of Directors of the Organization of PJM States, Inc. (OPSI) and the Living Classrooms Foundation of the National Capital Region.