NASEO facilitates state collaboration and sharing of best practices on all matters pertaining to the electricity sector. NASEO members collaborate to identify pressing electricity issues and explore innovative program and policy design for transmission and distribution planning, the use and integration of clean generation resources on the distribution and bulk power-level,  interdependencies with other sectors (oil and natural gas, water, transportation, buildings etc.), as well as building a resilient electricity system. NASEO’s electricity program aims to support states and their partners in addressing the changing electricity landscape, support the key strategic role that state energy offices play in the electricity sector, and improve states’ understanding of the electricity sector.​​

State Energy Offices play a myriad of roles in the electricity sector. In most states, State Energy Offices have been designated the state lead-agency for grid resilience activities with utilities. State Energy Offices engage in transmission and distribution planning utilizing U.S. State Energy Program funding. State Energy Offices also conduct studies, convene stakeholder processes, and implement programs that inform and contribute to the electricity sector. Many State Energy Offices also engage formally or informally in proceedings before their respective public utility commissions. 

Staff Contacts

Kirsten Verclas Kirsten Verclas Senior Managing Director

Kirsten Verclas

Senior Managing Director

Kirsten Verclas leads NASEO's electricity program, which informs and educates the states on issues related to generation, transmission, and distribution. She also leads NASEO's work on grid resilience. She serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity’s Electricity Advisory Committee, where she is the Vice Chair of the Smart Grid Subcommittee. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Verclas was an ORISE Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she worked on clean energy, state and local energy policy, cybersecurity issues and emergency response. She also served as a Program Manager in the International Department of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) working on regulatory partnerships in Africa, as well as a Senior Program Manager at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Verclas has written extensively on energy and climate as well as security policy in the transatlantic context. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Franklin and Marshall College, a Master of Arts in International Relations from The George Washington University, and a Master of Science in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University.

Catherine Reed Catherine Reed Senior Program Director

Catherine Reed

Senior Program Director

Catherine Reed supports NASEO's Electricity program, which informs and educates the states and territories on issues related to generation, transmission, and distribution. Prior to joining NASEO, she served as Deputy Director of the State Energy Office in the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.  This was her second tenure with the South Carolina Energy Office, having first worked there between 2007 and 2012, implementing a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs through various federal grants, including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. She also had experience working in the private sector on the design and implementation of commercial and industrial demand side management programs for an investor-owned utility. She has more than 20 years of combined experience in energy programs, resource conservation and management, public policy and planning, and stakeholder engagement.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Kelsey Jones Kelsey Jones Program Director

Kelsey Jones

Program Director

Kelsey Jones supports NASEO's electricity program by conducting research and analysis on a variety of state electricity policy and program issues including energy storage, microgrids, carbon management, and hydrogen. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Jones worked at the Nuclear Energy Institute assisting the political affairs and advocacy programs and as a graduate research assistant studying renewable energy development in Arctic cities. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Master of Environmental Resource Policy from the George Washington University.

  • Co-Chair, Hawaii
    Christopher Yunker, Hawaii State Energy Office
  • Co-Chair, New Mexico
    Jacqueline Waite, New Mexico Energy Conservation and Management Division
  • Co-Chair, Synapse Energy Economics
    Asa Hopkins, PhD, Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.
  • Connecticut
    Eric Annes, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • Maryland
    Eric Coffman, Maryland Energy Administration
  • Oregon
    Edith Bayer, Oregon Department of Energy
  • Colorado
    James Lester, Colorado Energy Office
  • Minnesota
    Peter Teigland, Minnesota Department of Commerce