PLMA 2026 board of directors Elections

Load Flexibility Valuation and DERs as a Grid Resource are two initiatives I would like to champion if elected as a Board Member. I believe progress on these two unlocks the rest of PLMA’s strategic agenda. Until accreditation places flexibility on the same playing field as generation, everything else is downstream. Load Flexbility Valuation allows utilities to connect their planning stake with the execution stack.

To answer this, I’ll draw on personal experience at my first PLMA conference in Phoenix in November 2022. I had been working in energy efficiency at Eversource for eight years, but was new in my demand response role. The concept of adding a time dimension to energy savings, i.e. recognizing that when the savings happen matters, was a shift from energy efficiency and honestly, exciting. However, I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn to develop a deeper understanding of the programs I was managing and all the different factors at play. The Fundamentals of Load Flexibility course on the first day of the PLMA conference helped make complex topics like energy markets feel approachable and within my realm of understanding. Combined with the easy, wonky conversations I had throughout the conference (and genuinely enjoyed), it made me feel like I had found my niche. That experience has stayed with me, and I’d like to think about how we can create more opportunities to extend that approachable knowledge-sharing and sense of community beyond conferences to individual members newer to the space who may not be able to travel.

In the last year, PLMA launched an initiative focused on data center flexibility and I would like to support that initiative.  I want to continue to serve on the fiscal committee.  Also, as I mentioned, I would like to continue to include co-ops and smaller utilities in the load flexibility conversation.

For the three (3) year-term, if elected to the Board, I would like to champion the following single new initiative, with a two (2) phase approach:

Phase 1 for Year 1: Employing Organizational Change Management (OCM) for our industry

Phase 2 for Years 2-3: OCM 2.0: Leverage OCM to bring in other critical utility stakeholders such as power traders and distribution planners

1. What is this initiative? This initiative proposes building a voluntary community of practice within PLMA, focused on OCM. This community of practice would build knowledge from existing materials and experts across organizations (such as learning from Seattle City Light’s OCM team) and, most importantly, bring that knowledge and experience back to each member organization to further build the OCM skill set.   To provide structure, we can leverage the Prosci ADKAR model, which has five (5) phases: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability & Reinforcement.
2. Why am I proposing these initiatives and how does it tie back to the PLMA mission?   The creation of the load flexibility industry is forcing a complex transformation of how energy services are provided to customers, especially one that utilities have not been historically prepared to engage in, let alone thrive in. This must involve diverse partners and stakeholders, given the deeper involvement with customers and the utility than with other behind-the-meter (BTM) portfolios, such as energy efficiency (EE). Unlike EE, load flex requires a continual connection between the utility and the customer; therefore, it involves more parties.   Here is an example of how OCM is critical in a DR world, unlike EE: Payments Processing A utility may have a BTM battery program which processes monthly pay-for-performance payments. From a payments lens, unlike a single EE payment for a customer replacing lighting equipment, a DR program needs more touchpoints and parties to support monthly payments, such as cost accounting managers, customer billing technicians, and customer support teams. Without OCM as an underlying practice to engage and prepare all these parties, the utility will not succeed in establishing and scaling the program.   Increased complexity requires us to support the people driving and supporting the change, not just the technology and grid changes that emerge from it.
3. How would we execute this initiative?  Before we propose executing this initiative, we need to ensure awareness and, therefore, desire for the change. Echoing the aforementioned ADKAR model, without awareness and desire from our members, this will not succeed and will not be a fruitful use of their time.
   1. Part 1: Initial exploratory presentation + interest gauge To gauge awareness and desire from our members, there are multiple pathways:
      1. Presentation: In-person/Virtual
      2. Poll: In-person/Virtual
      3. All-member meeting: Virtual
      4. Or all of the above!
   2. Part 2: Education and Reinforcement  We would then use this model to build Phase 2: further education, practice, and reinforcement. This would include webinars with OCM practitioners, practice sessions across members (virtual and in-person), and ongoing touchpoints where members can share challenges and lessons learned.
   3. As with any skillset, OCM is not meant to be a one-and-done thing. We need to continually practice, and PLMA is a great venue for this.

As a board member, I would do my best to support and help to advance all of PLMA’s strategic initiatives EV Grid Impacts (and opportunities!), Load Flexibility Valuation (in particular, distribution system benefits), and DERS as grid resources (how to ensure they deliver benefits for customers and the grid). Specifically, I am most passionate about ensuring DERS are enabled as grid resources through open industry standards for communication and performance. We must also prioritize dual benefits: customer value (affordability and resiliency) and electric service provider value (economic, reliability, and resiliency).

The key areas I would like to support are – Utilizing flexibility in support of flexible interconnection for load growth, affordability and reliability. I am also very interested in initiatives focused on building trust with the control room to better utilize flexibility.

As mentioned above, I would like to help foster the unique culture that makes PLMA such a valuable organization, with a focus on supporting emerging load management professionals. Having been in their shoes not long ago, I understand the challenges of learning this industry, building relationships, and navigating the dynamic demand response landscape. I would like to champion efforts that make it easier for new professionals to connect with experts, expand their knowledge, and become active contributors to the PLMA community. I will also continue supporting this mission from the utility perspective through my involvement with ULME and service on the ULME Steering Committee.

I would particularly like to champion the practical implementation and valuation of load flexibility as a grid resource. As utilities move from individual demand response programs toward portfolios of DERs and VPPs, there is tremendous value in sharing practical approaches to capacity value, locational value, performance measurement, DERMS and VPP operations, customer experience, and integration into utility planning and operations.  I would also like to strengthen utility-to-utility engagement within PLMA. Through ULME, I have seen the value of creating a trusted environment where utilities can bring real challenges to their peers, from DERMS and VPP operating models to large loads, managed charging, customer participation, and new forms of flexibility. I would like to build stronger bridges between those conversations and PLMA’s broader programming so that emerging utility needs help shape future conferences, education, strategic initiatives, and member collaboration.

My background allows me to contribute in many areas and I’m open to what is needed. The primary areas of interest are commercial/industrial solutions and DERs as Grid Resources. I have been exploring equitable, affordable access and think that there’s more to do there as well.

Moving from enrollment to performance. I’d like more content on how to dispatch flexible load, measure it and improve it over time: forecasting, operational data and performance verification. That is what it takes for utilities and grid operators to treat load flexibility like any other resource. I’ve already started this work, helping develop a technically focused dispatch panel with NEEA and industry peers for the Fall 2026 conference. Practical resources on program operations and contracting. Members would benefit from shared frameworks for the less glamorous parts of scaling a program. That includes vendor transitions, multi-party implementation models (utility + implementer + technology provider), contract structures, data handoffs and customer experience. Bringing new and smaller utilities in. That could mean mentoring, “first program” tracks, or lower-barrier virtual offerings so newer members can get to value quickly. Clear, well-run elections and governance. I’d build on what I learned as Election Officer: clearer candidate materials, ballot instructions and timelines for the Leadership Council.

I’d focus on advancing rigorous, defensible valuation methodologies for load flexibility, drawing on my M&V and measurement-integrity background; and expanding PLMA’s reach into public power and co-op utilities, which often have fewer internal resources to develop DR/DF programs on their own.

1. Use my position within the public power sector as a platform to increase awareness and adoption of flexible load management, while expanding PLMA’s reach as a trusted source of expertise, resources, and practical support.
2. Create opportunities for newer and long-term PLMA members to connect through mentorship, small-group gatherings, peer exchanges, or informal networking. This helps membership growth feel like an expansion of the community rather than just an increase in numbers.

I would continue championing the Strategic Load Flexibility Initiative on Valuation, with a focus on completing the framework and compendium now in development and turning them into practical tools and examples that members can use in planning, regulatory, program design, and implementation discussions. Valuation is one of the places where PLMA can provide something the market needs: guidance built by practitioners who understand how flexibility is planned, measured, approved, implemented, and validated. The initiative has brought together utilities, vendors, consultants, researchers, and government stakeholders to identify valuation gaps, share case studies, and develop a common framework, beginning with the locational value of load flexibility. To sustain that momentum, I would work to broaden participation in the Valuation Initiative. Completing and applying the framework and compendium will require more volunteers and support, so I would focus on recruiting new contributors, including emerging professionals, and creating opportunities for members to contribute in ways that fit their time and expertise. This would strengthen the initiative while giving the next generation of load flexibility professionals a direct path into PLMA’s thought leadership work. I would also like to help PLMA define its role alongside other organizations working on load flexibility. There is value in partnering where it makes sense and avoiding duplication, while staying true to PLMA’s volunteer-driven, practitioner-led model. Through the Thought Leadership Group, I would continue helping PLMA identify emerging topics and reflect the breadth of its membership. I also want PLMA to keep creating spaces where members can test ideas against real implementation experience.

I am focused on thought leadership in this term – PLMA must return to generating and sharing content that brings higher visibility and impact to load flexibility options.

I would like to be involved in helping our member organizations derive deeper value from their investment in PLMA. This means deepening the reach of PLMA across the different departments of our member companies. I’ve been an active participant in the Membership Committee as well as a Thought Leadership co-chair which are both avenues for achieving this endeavor.  I am also keen to see load flexibility utilized as a reliable resource for the grid as we face unprecedented load growth. The current efforts of the Data Center Task Force is one area I’d like to continue to be involved in.

In line with the response to the goals for PLMA –

1. Take on additional Board leadership as needed. I would be open to serving in an Officer role (i.e. Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, or Secretary) if there is an opening and a good fit with PLMA’s needs.
2. Reinvigorate the Spark DERs as a Grid Resource initiative for it’s next phase. Identify and support a new co-chair for the Task Force, refresh its charter and objectives, and increase member engagement to ensure the initiative continues to generate meaningful value for PLMA and its members.
3. Expand PLMA’s thought leadership and reach. Support the development of timely, substantive thought leadership on load flexibility, DERs, and grid services, while helping identify and leverage the most effective channels to distribute that content and reach utility and industry audiences.