Energy Future Holdings (EFH) has committed to creating an independent advisory board comprised of individuals who represent the following interests: the environment, customers, Texas economic development and reliability/technology. The formation and ongoing active participation of the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) fulfills that commitment. Click here for more information about the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board.
William K. Reilly
Senior Advisor
TPG
Chair, Sustainable Energy Advisory Board
Chairman Reilly is a senior advisor to TPG and a founding partner of Aqua International Partners, an investment group that invests in companies that serve the water and renewable energy sectors. He previously served as the seventh administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is a director of DuPont, Eden Springs, Ltd. of Israel, ConocoPhillips and Royal Caribbean International. Before serving as EPA administrator, he was president of World Wildlife Fund and of The Conservation Foundation. He has also served as executive director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth, a senior staff member of the President's Council on Environmental Quality and associate director of the Urban Policy Center and the National Urban Coalition. Reilly has written and lectured extensively on environmental issues and is co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy. An alumnus of Yale University, Reilly holds a law degree from Harvard University and an M.A. degree in urban planning from Columbia University.
Shaunna F. Black
Vice President & Manager of Worldwide Facilities
Texas Instruments
Industrial Customers
Shaunna F. Black is the vice president and manager of worldwide facilities at Texas Instruments (TI). In this position, Black is responsible for the design, construction and operation of TI facilities, environmental, safety and health programs and real estate management. After a five-year teaching career, Black joined TI in 1985 as a mechanical engineer. She supported manufacturing facilities construction, operations and maintenance for the company until 1994. In 1994 she became manager of worldwide environmental, safety and health and in 1998 manager of worldwide facilities. From 2000 to 2005 Black was FAB Manager for semiconductor manufacturing in one of TI's premier wafer fabrication facilities. Black is a board member of the Metroplex Technology Business Council, the Dallas Women's Foundation, the TI Foundation and the Executive Advisory Board for the UT-Austin Engineering College. She is an executive mentor for the Richardson ISD Executive Coaching Partnership, executive mentor for Menttium 100, an alumna of Leadership Texas and Leadership Richardson, and a frequent speaker at universities and international conferences. Black was inducted into the Women in Science and Technology Hall of Fame by Women in Technology International for her contribution to the science and technology fields, and was inducted into the Circle of Honor by the Dallas Women's Foundation and recognized as "A Woman of Achievement" by the Richardson YWCA. She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University and in education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ralph Cavanagh
Senior Attorney & Co-Director of Energy Program
National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Environment
Ralph Cavanagh is a senior attorney and co-director of NRDC's energy program, which he joined in 1979. Cavanagh has been a Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford and UC Berkeley, and a Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School. In addition, he has also been a faculty member for the University of Idaho's Public Utility Executives Course for more than a decade. From 1993-2003 Cavanagh served on the U.S. Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board. He is a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the California Clean Energy Fund, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, the Northwest Energy Coalition, and the Renewable Northwest Project. He is also a member of the National Commission on Energy Policy, which the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation established in 2002. Cavanagh has received the Heinz Award for Public Policy, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' Mary Kilmarx Award, the Yale Law School's Preiskel-Silverman Fellowship, the Lifetime Achievement in Energy Efficiency Award from California's Flex Your Power Campaign, the Northwest Energy Coalition's Headwaters Award, and the Bonneville Power Administration's Award for Exceptional Public Service. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School.
Reginald Gates
President & Chief Operating Officer
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce
Economic Development
Reginald Gates is President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the oldest and largest African American chamber of commerce in the nation, founded in 1926. Gates has spent nearly thirty years working with the Dallas/Fort Worth community and has established himself within the DFW African-American business and general community. He has also made significant inroads into the larger business community. Gates' career began immediately following graduation in 1980 from Bishop College, when he became the college's youngest administrator. Gates served as Director of Campus Housing for three-years before being chosen to join the president's cabinet as Director of Alumni Affairs. It was during his tenure as Alumni Affairs Director that he began his relationship with the United Negro College Fund, where he eventually worked as a Project Manager and Assistant Area Director. After his exciting career and demonstrated ability, Gates was chosen to head the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce. During this nearly four-year tenure Gates put in place an array of small business assistance programs with a special focus on African-American business needs, including: the Bonding Assistance Program, the Small Contractors Development Program, the Business Assistance Center Outreach Program and the William Mann Community Development Corporation. In his current role as President/COO of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, he works to create business opportunities for local African Americans and assist with urban revitalization through business and economic development. Gates holds a Bachelor's Degree from Bishop College and a Master's Degree from Prairie View A & M University.
Karen R. Johnson
President
United Ways of Texas
Residential Customers
Karen R. Johnson brings special talents to the job of President of United Ways of Texas. With more than 35 years of executive and management experience, Johnson is leading United Ways of Texas to the bright future she thinks Texas deserves. She brings a wealth of experience in law, government and private industry that define her leadership. An attorney and the holder of the distinguished law graduate award of St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association, she has been recognized for her management and leadership skills in several important fields; including her position as executive director of the State Bar of Texas where she was the first woman in this job. In her role as a special assistant in the Texas Governor's office and as assistant comptroller for legal services in the State Comptroller's office - she gained unique insight into Texas public policy. As president of Entergy Texas, Johnson had the opportunity to know first-hand how entrepreneurial activities impact business and industry as well our state and our communities. As a private attorney, Johnson has represented clients before state agencies, the legislature and the executive branch on a wide range of issues including business, health and taxation issues. She is also a former Texas assistant attorney general and has worked in the Texas Legislature. Her achievements have been many and her awards for outstanding performance are recognized in Austin and throughout Texas. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary's University School of Law.
Sam R. Jones
Retired President & CEO
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
Reliability/Technology
Sam R. Jones has been active in inter-utility reliability work for over 27 years. Jones retired from the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on September 15, 2007. Jones joined ERCOT on December 1, 1996, as its first Independent System Operations Director. In March 2000, he was appointed as Executive Vice President and COO of ERCOT. He was named President and Chief Executive Officer in May of 2006. Prior to joining ERCOT, Jones was employed by the City of Austin Electric Utility in Texas for over 35 years. During his career with the City of Austin, he held engineering and management positions in the areas of distribution, transmission, substation, generation and system operations. Jones retired from the City of Austin as the Director of Generation and Energy Control. Most recently, Jones was active in the industry, serving as chair of the ERCOT Operating Subcommittee and as past chair of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Operating Committee. He has also chaired or participated in numerous NERC and ERCOT committees and task forces, including the NERC Reliability Assessment Subcommittee. Jones has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas.
James D. Marston
Senior Attorney, Director of the Texas Regional Office, Director of State Climate Initiatives
Environmental Defense Fund
Environment
Jim Marston is the founding director of the Texas office of Environmental Defense Fund, located in Austin, where he has served since its beginning in 1988. The office includes scientists, attorneys, economists, and policy analysts who address some of the most complex and difficult environmental issues related to climate and air, water, wildlife, oceans, and environmental health. Marston leads Environmental Defense Fund's efforts on environmental policy in Texas, setting program and policy agenda on issues including air pollution, water quality, and energy. Marston also holds the position of state climate initiatives director, working in states from the west coast to New England to Florida that are initiating legislation and regulation to reduce the emission of global warming gases. He has worked closely with policymakers in California on the passage of AB32, the first state legislation with a cap on statewide emissions of greenhouse gases. Marston has served as a board member of Good Neighbor Environmental Board, Central Texas Clean Air Force Executive Committee and the Texas League of Conservation Voters. Marston holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Dr. Steven R. Specker
President & Chief Executive Officer
Electric Power Research Institute
Reliability/Technology
Steven R. Specker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, California, was elected by the EPRI Board of Directors on September 1, 2004. Specker has an exceptionally strong technical and business background and an in-depth and highly respected knowledge of the electricity enterprise. His 37-year career has spanned nearly every dimension of the business. Prior to joining EPRI, Specker served as President of Specker Consulting, LLC, where he provided operational and strategic planning services to technology companies serving the global electric power industry. In January 2003, Specker retired from General Electric (GE) after thirty years of diverse technical and business leadership experience with GE. He held various general management positions in GE businesses providing products and services for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power. From 1992 to 2000 Specker was President of GE's Nuclear Energy business where he was responsible for all GE activities in the global commercial nuclear power industry. In 2000 he was appointed President, GE Digital Energy where he was responsible for the formation and startup of a new business venture serving the growing needs of the digital economy for highly reliable electricity. He was named Vice President of Global Marketing for GE Energy in September of 2001. Earlier in his career, Specker was general manager of GE's electric meter, protective relay, and electrical engineering services businesses. Specker began his career as a Nuclear Engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1970 to 1973. Specker holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering science, a Master of Science in nuclear engineering, and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Iowa State University.
The Honorable Phil Wilson
Secretary of State
State of Texas
Economic Development
Texas Governor Rick Perry named Phil Wilson as Texas' 106th Secretary of State in June 2007. As secretary, Wilson serves as the state's chief elections officer, the governor's liaison on border and Mexican affairs, and Texas' chief protocol officer. The Office of Secretary of State also serves as the formal repository for official and business records, publishes government rules and regulations, and attests to the governor's signature on official documents. Prior to this position, Wilson served as deputy chief of staff for Governor Perry where he managed the governor's initiatives in economic development, job creation, federal funding issues, military base realignment and closure, and policy development. He also served as the governor's designee on the $200 million Emerging Technology Fund and the $185 million Texas Enterprise Fund to recruit business to the state. While serving in this post, the Texas Enterprise Fund leveraged $10 billion in capital investment and 45,000 jobs. Wilson also led public relations and media strategies for the $20 million annual Texas tourism campaigns. Previously, Wilson worked as Governor Perry's Director of Communications from 2002-2003, and as State Director for U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. Wilson graduated from Hardin Simmons University with a degree in political science and history in 1990, and received a master of business administration degree from Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.