Lisa Schwartz is a Senior Policy Researcher and Strategic Advisor for the Energy Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her work spans utility regulation, electricity system planning, energy efficiency and other distributed energy resources. She leads research, technical assistance and training for states on integrated distribution system planning. She also leads Berkeley Lab's innovative Future Electric Utility Regulation report series, tapping leading thinkers to provide multiple perspectives on complex regulatory issues for the electricity sector to inform ongoing discussion and debate.
Lisa received the 2018 Mary Kilmarx Award from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, in recognition of individuals “who have gone above and beyond in the name of good governance, clean energy, and the environment.”
Before joining Berkeley Lab, Lisa was Director of the Oregon Department of Energy, overseeing state programs to advance energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative transportation fuels, as well as energy facility siting, nuclear safety and energy emergency preparedness. She also provided leadership on state energy policy and guided the agency’s analytical work.
As a senior associate at the Regulatory Assistance Project, Lisa coordinated technical assistance for consumer behavior studies funded by U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate the impact of time-varying rates and smart grid technology on energy use, worked with Berkeley Lab to evaluate energy efficiency and other demand-side resources in Western U.S. transmission planning, and assisted states in areas such as energy efficiency and distributed generation. She also led Western Governors’ Association projects to explore coordinating utility resource procurement with regional transmission needs, identify least-cost ways to integrate wind and solar, and assess energy efficiency and other policies to complement the Western Climate Initiative’s proposed cap and trade program.
At the Oregon Public Utility Commission, Lisa led staff work on resource planning and acquisition, distributed generation, renewable resources, demand response and advanced metering infrastructure. As a senior policy analyst at Oregon Department of Energy, she helped establish stable funding and independent administration for energy efficiency programs for utility customers, led a project to conserve both water and energy, and directed an annual energy efficiency campaign with utilities and retailers. She began her energy career as assistant administrator of the Oregon State University Extension Energy Program.
Lisa has served on committees in the Western U.S. and nationally, including:
- Western Interstate Energy Board
- Western Electricity Coordinating Council's Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee
- Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Board of Directors
- National Association of State Energy Officials’ Government Affairs Committee
- National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Staff Subcommittee on Energy Resources and the Environment
- SEE Action Network working groups
Lisa has authored numerous publications on energy efficiency, demand response, smart grid, distributed generation, renewable resources, transmission, rate design and electricity markets and has presented throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Lisa received an M.S. in Land Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from George Washington University.
