Meeting and Call Organization
As a former Commissioner of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for over 12 years, Ms. Reha served on many boards and committees. Most significantly she was a member for a two-year term of the Electric Advisory Committee (EAC) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) where she helped author a whitepaper entitled Consumer Acceptance of Smart Grid, which focused on recommendations to the DOE on smart grid outreach and educational efforts. As Co-Chair of the DOE/EPA Customer Information and Behavior Work Group for the State Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action), for a period of over five years she helped to facilitate and moderate webinars and panels to discuss issues related to Customer Information and Behavior. She also was Co-Chair with FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff, and later FERC Commissioner John Norris, of the NARUC-FERC Collaborative on Smart Response. She was a frequent moderator and facilitator of discussions among Commissioner members to develop action steps to address issues related to state and federal smart grid and demand response policies. She is a member of NARUC and served as Chair of the Energy Resources and Environment Committee (ERE) and served on the NARUC Board of Directors.
Why are meetings and calls important?
Proper advocacy requires access
With access, you get influence
Activism is predicated on the notion that one individual can make a difference
What types of meetings and calls can I expect?
Key stakeholders
Robust relationships that took years to cultivate
"warm courtesy meetings" as opposed to cold calls
The Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency with jurisdiction over a State’s natural gas, electric, and telecommunications utilities. The members of the Commission are usually appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to staggered six-year terms. In some states, members are elected. The Commission has legislative and policy-making functions as well as quasi-judicial functions. Consistent with State statutory authority it may investigate, hold hearings, make determinations and issue rules and orders. As a Commissioner, Ms. Reha helped to keep focus on the need for principled decision-making based on the evidentiary record. Areas of expertise include energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, smart grid, and transmission siting and routing.