Recognizes Six Years of Growth and Accomplishment Under the Leadership of Retiring Executive Director Rich Philip, plus New Strategic Opportunities for PLMA.
Washington, DC – January 8, 2026 – PLMA, A Flexible Load Management Community, today announced the appointment of Cynthia Hunt Jaehne as its next Executive Director, effective February 9, 2026.
“Cynthia’s deep expertise in the energy industry, coupled with her people-first leadership style, make her the perfect fit for PLMA’s important next chapter,” stated Robin Maslowski, Chair of the PLMA Board and Founder of Trillium Energy Consulting. “As PLMA continues to advance load flexibility as a key solution to grid stability in this era of rising energy demands and costs, Cynthia’s long experience working with member-driven organizations ensures that our commitment to collaborative, transformative change will remain at the forefront of all PLMA initiatives.”
Amid ongoing energy challenges, driven by affordability demands, data centers, electric vehicles, climate impacts, and more, PLMA’s role as the leading authority on flexible load management has never been so important. In preparation for this future, the organization, now in its 26th year of operations, has been proactively enhancing its capabilities with a rebranding from peak load to flexible load management, the introduction of a new governance model that empowers its member-leaders, the launch of educational resources designed to benefit all industry stakeholders, and innovative new programming in areas that include load flexibility valuation and emerging distributed energy resource integration models.
“I am delighted to welcome Cynthia as my successor,” said retiring Executive Director Rich Philip who has skillfully led the organization since 2020, stewarding its growth and building its industry profile through COVID and into the current era of increasing applications for load flexibility. “I join Cynthia in viewing PLMA as uniquely positioned to drive meaningful impact in the coming years with PLMA’s members and stakeholders continuing their critical work building a flexible, clean, and equitable energy future for everyone.”
Rich Philip will continue to support PLMA in his new role of Executive Advisor until his official retirement on June 15, 2026, thereby ensuring a seamless transition for Cynthia and the whole PLMA organization.
With 25 years of professional experience in the energy industry, Cynthia joins PLMA after serving as the Senior Director of Programs and Events at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). “I am passionate about harnessing the collective strength of people to transform our energy future,” said Cynthia. “My leadership philosophy centers on collaboration, breaking down barriers, and delivering member-driven solutions that create tangible value. I am truly excited to join PLMA at such a pivotal moment in our industry.”
Join the PLMA community in welcoming Cynthia Hunt Jaehne and wishing Rich Philip a fulfilling and well-earned retirement at the Spring 2026 PLMA Conference (May 11 to 13, 2026) in Indianapolis, IN.
About PLMA: A Flexible Load Management Community
PLMA serves the energy industry as the leading association for flexible load management experts, practitioners, and vendors to share best practices, hands-on experiences, technology advances and training, plus leadership and mentorship opportunities, all with a focus on DR, DERs, and managed charging. PLMA encourages all organizations with an interest in flexible load management to join us.
For more information or to join PLMA, please visit flexload.org.
Media Contact:
Judy Knight, PLMA
(404) 771-1122
jknight@flexload.org
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