Stakeholders elected a new member of the PJM Board of Managers and vice chair of the Members Committee on Wednesday.

David Mills, owner and principal consultant of Eaglecap Energy Consulting in Seattle, was elected at a special Members Committee meeting to fill the board seat held by former InterGen CEO Neil Smith. Mills, whose term extends until 2024, was nominated for the position in June. (See Energy Consultant Nominated for Open PJM Board Seat.)

Charles Robinson, current board member and a member of the Nominating Committee, said Mills’ nomination was the result of a “very lively and engaged committee” that has been active for several months in looking for candidates for two other open board positions. The Nominating Committee’s sector representatives included: Susan Bruce (End Use Customers); Lisa McAlister (Electric Distributors); Alex Stern (Transmission Owners); Betty Watson (Other Suppliers); and Jeff Whitehead (Generation Owners).

In April, the committee nominated Paula Conboy, former chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, and Jeanine Johnson, vice president of product security at Netgear, to replace board Chair Ake Almgren and board member John Foster. Stakeholders elected the new members at the Meeting of Members in May. (See PJM Stakeholders Elect New Board Members.)

Mills is a former senior vice president of policy and energy supply with Puget Sound Energy, where he worked for more than 18 years and served as chief strategy officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Portland State University.

“David is an energy consultant with a demonstrated track record of strategic leadership in the power and natural gas industry,” Robinson said.

MC Vice Chair

Stakeholders also unanimously elected Becky Robinson, director of PJM market policy at Vistra, to serve the remaining term of vice chair of the Members Committee. The position came open after Katie Guerry, head of regulatory affairs for Enel North America, took a leave of absence as MC chair at the beginning of the year and officially resigned from the position in June. Former Vice Chair Erik Heinle of the D.C. Office of the People’s Counsel, who had been serving as MC chair in Guerry’s absence, officially became chair of the committee last month.

To maintain the rotation among sectors required by Manual 34, the vice chair candidate was selected from the Generation Owners sector.

Robinson will serve as vice chair through 2022 and then become the chair of the MC in 2023.

Heinle thanked Robinson for volunteering for an “extended tour of duty” as vice chair.

“I know you’ll do a fantastic job as a member leader serving our stakeholder community,” Heinle said.