The NASEO Electric Distribution Working Group brings together State Energy Offices, along with representatives from investor- and consumer-owned utilities as well as other outside experts, to delve into the role that integrated distribution planning plays in enabling states to advance their respective energy goals. This working group convenes quarterly on virtual calls to share best practices, explore holistic approaches to integrated distribution system planning, and strategize policy, programmatic, and regulatory solutions to distribution system challenges.

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.

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.