Energy Policy Research Conference

Carol Battershell served ten years (2008-2018) in the U.S. Department of Energy. She led multi-billion dollar technical programs in both the Bush and Obama Administrations; ran the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy field operations office, which at its peak was responsible for approximately $7 billion of grants, research and construction; was a key contributor on two multi-Agency energy policy reviews; and served as Acting Director of the Policy Office during the Trump Administration transition.

Carol also worked for 25 years (1983-2008) in the energy industry for BP and Standard Oil holding roles in operations management, strategy development, finance, and policy development, and spent ten years living and working in Europe.

Michael (Mike) K. Simpson is serving his eleventh term in the House of Representatives for Idaho’s Second Congressional District.

Mike serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. He also serves on the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. These committees have jurisdiction over funding for a number of programs critical to Idaho, including the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, our National Parks, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Smithsonian Institute.

Simpson is one of the House’s leading advocates for a new energy policy and a renewed commitment to research and development of improved nuclear energy technologies. Mike has also gained national attention for his bill to split the massive, overburdened 9th Circuit Court of Appeals as well as his Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act which addresses the concerns of economic growth and stability for rural Idaho and resolves long time wilderness debate over the Boulder-White Clouds. Simpson has long championed a fix to fire borrowing, having authored the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. Simpson’s leadership led to the passage of the FY18 Omnibus Spending Bill that provided historic forest management reforms, most notably treating wildfires like other natural disasters.

His political career began in 1980, when he was elected to the Blackfoot City Council. In 1984, he was elected to the Idaho Legislature where he served until 1998, the last six years serving as Speaker.  Simpson was born in Burley, Idaho and raised in Blackfoot. He graduated from Utah State University and earned his DMD from Washington University School of Dental Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduation, he joined his father and uncle at the Simpson Family Dental Practice in Blackfoot.

Mark Chiles is Vice President – Regulatory Affairs and Customer Service for Montana-Dakota Utilities Group, which includes Intermountain Gas Company (IGC) and Cascade Natural Gas Corporation (CNGC). Prior to his current position he was Vice President and Controller for IGC and CNGC. Mark oversees the regulatory functions for IGC and CNGC in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and is also responsible for the customer relations functions of the utility group. He began his career in the energy industry with IGC in 1992 and has worked for companies in the utility, gas marketing, and exploration & production businesses. Prior to joining IGC, Mark worked in public accounting with Balukoff, Lindstrom & Company.

Mark graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration in accounting from Boise State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Idaho and is a member of the AICPA and ISCPA. Mark has participated in the Western Energy Institute Business Acumen for Emerging Leaders program and also graduated from the University of Idaho Utility Executive Program.

Mark currently serves as a member of the BSU Accounting Advisory Council and as a board member of the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho and the Boys and Girls Club of Ada County. Mark is also active in the Western Energy Institute and currently serves as a member of the Corporate Services Board Committee. He has also served as an executive mentor in the Business Acumen for Emerging Leaders program.

Mitch leads an organization responsible for the energy future of the 1.2 million people that Idaho Power serves. Mitch also oversees work on hydrologic forecasting, water policy, river engineering, cloudseeding, streamflow gaging and developing the billion-dollar joint-venture Boardman to Hemingway transmission line project.

Mitch has an in-depth understanding of the energy industry after working in the industry for 12 years. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, with an emphasis on power systems. He earned his Master of Engineering from the University of Idaho, and his Master of Business Administration from Boise State University.

Mitch serves on the United Way Education Vision Council and the Advisory Board for the University of Idaho Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

Mitch is an Idaho native who loves alpine skiing, fly fishing, mountain biking, golfing and traveling.

Jeff is the Director of Resource Policy & Planning at Georgia Power Company where he leads the team responsible for long term generation planning including the development of the Company’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).  Georgia’s IRP is filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission every three years with the latest just having been completed in July 2019.  Jeff served as the lead public witness in those proceedings.

Jeff was previously a Project Manager in the same group prior to his current role.  Jeff also served as a Project Manager in Resource Planning at Southern Company Services (SCS), a role he held from June 2011 until March 2016.  In that role he managed the development and coordination of the system-wide integrated resource plan for the retail operating companies of Southern Company, as well as economic evaluations for special projects.  He also provided regulatory support to the operating companies and was involved in many planning coordination activities across the system.  Other previous roles held were various planning roles including the Manager of Fuel Planning for SCS, SCS Forecasting Team Leader and Project Manager in Resource Planning at Georgia Power. Prior to his planning roles, Jeff participated in a Southern Company development program from 2001 to 2003. Jeff began his career as a cooperative education student in Marketing in 1992 and served in various roles within Marketing until 2001.

Jeff has a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Masters of Business Administration from Auburn University.

Barbara Lockwood is vice president of regulation for Arizona Public Service (APS). Based in Phoenix, APS is Arizona’s largest electric company and serves nearly 1.2 million customers around the state.

Lockwood manages federal and state regulatory activities for APS. Prior to moving into regulatory, she served as general manager of energy innovation, where she managed technology and renewable energy programs, including the operation and maintenance of the utility’s solar generation fleet.

Lockwood began her career at DuPont in chemical engineering and management roles. She then spent a number of years in environmental consulting providing property development and business acquisition services to national and global companies in a variety of industries. Lockwood joined APS in 1999.

Her policy and regulatory experience includes testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, as well as a field hearing with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on the Federal Investment Tax Credit and its effect on solar development in the Southwest.

Lockwood served on the Western Governors’ Association Solar Task Force and the Arizona State Renewable Energy Task Force. She has also served on the Solar Technical Advisory Board for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Research Advisory Committee for the Electric Power Research Institute and the Board of Directors for the GridWise Alliance.

She is active in the community as a board member for the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute and the Arizona Science Center, where she is immediate past board chair. She is a past president of Keep Phoenix Beautiful. Lockwood also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Critical Consumer Issues Forum, a national energy policy group.

Lockwood holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Clemson University and a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a registered professional chemical engineer in Arizona.