Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy
Leuwam Tesfai, Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy
Leuwam Tesfai was named the California Public Utilities Commission’s Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy in 2022, leading the CPUC’s Energy Division.
Originally from San Diego, Leuwam previously served as Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma’s Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor, a position she held since 2019 when appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. She has worked at the CPUC since 2011 in several roles including as an Advisor to former Commissioner Liane M. Randolph and in the CPUC’s Legal, Energy and Administrative Law Judge Divisions. Leuwam’s private sector experience includes development of renewable energy markets, siting and permitting ge neration facilities, and commercialization of clean energy technologies.
In 2023, Leuwam received national recognition for outstanding leadership and accomplishments in energy from the United States Department of Energy with the C3E Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Government Award. Leuwam serves on the advisory board for the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at University of California Berkeley School of Law, on the executive committee of the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, and on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters San Francisco. She is a graduate of Emory University and the University of San Francisco School of Law..
The Energy Division provides technical support to the Commissioners and their offices, and the Administrative Law Judges. The Energy Division drafts resolutions for formal consideration by the Commission. Resolutions generally result from informal utility requests called Advice Letters, which are submitted by utilities to request rate and tariff adjustments.
The Energy Division through its Federal Policy and Ratemaking Section represents the Commission in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and court proceedings.
The Energy Division assists the Commission in its regulation of four types of Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs): Electric, Natural Gas, Steam and Petroleum Pipeline Companies. Commission-approved tariffs (official rates and terms of service) for these four types of IOUs are maintained by the Energy Division.