Gene Rodrigues Sworn In As Assistant Secretary for Electricity

WASHINGTON DC – Gene Rodrigues was sworn in today by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm as the Assistant Secretary for Electricity for the Office of Electricity (OE). 

OE leads the Department’s efforts to develop next-generation technologies, tools, and techniques for the electricity delivery system to ensure an efficient, reliable, and resilient electric grid in the United States. OE engages stakeholders throughout the sector to provide solutions to technical, market, institutional, and operational challenges that go beyond any one utility’s ability to solve. To accomplish this, OE brings together DOE’s National Laboratories, the country's top universities and colleges, and the energy community to coordinate the intentional evolution of the future-ready grid. 

In his written testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Rodrigues stated “I fully recognize that the calling to serve our country is not just a civic duty, it is a high honor and a profound privilege." 

Mr. Rodrigues continued that “[for] us to be truly effective in navigating the transformational opportunities and unprecedented challenges of developing a 21st century grid, it will take much more than just the expertise of any one person, or any one agency for that matter. As our energy network becomes increasingly complex and dynamic, we must ensure reliability, resiliency, and security across the entire energy system. And while there are tremendous opportunities for technological advancement, we must address the accompanying uncertainty and vulnerabilities with equal consideration and urgency.” 

Mr. Rodrigues is a nationally recognized expert in clean energy policy and programs with over 30 years of professional experience in the field. Prior to joining OE, Mr. Rodrigues was Vice President in the Energy, Environment, and Infrastructure practice at ICF, a global advisory and digital services provider.  

He also garnered 23 years of industry experience at Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. During his tenure at SCE, he represented the company in regulatory proceedings and held leadership positions over the company’s portfolio of demand-side management programs and policies, which helped to ensure the provision of affordable, reliable, and resilient electric service for over 15 million people in Southern California.    

Over his professional career, Mr. Rodrigues held leadership positions in industry nonprofit organizations, including most recently as a member of the board of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, as the chair of the board for the California Efficiency & Demand Management Council, and as chair of the outreach committee for the bipartisan Alliance to Save Energy’s Active Efficiency initiative. Previously, he served as the chair of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and on the boards of the China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance and California’s Low Income Oversight Board.  

In recognition of his industry leadership, in 2012 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Mr. Rodrigues with its Climate Leadership Award for individual leadership.  

Mr. Rodrigues is a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and Northern Arizona University.