BOSTON, June 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Board of Directors today presented
retiring EEI Executive Vice President David
K. Owens with the Thomas A. Edison
Legacy Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions
to the electric power industry throughout his distinguished
career.
![New EEI logo (PRNewsFoto/Edison Electric Institute) New EEI logo (PRNewsFoto/Edison Electric Institute)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/319949/New_EEI_Logo.jpg)
"David Owens has been an
invaluable leader for EEI for nearly four decades," said EEI
Chairman Tom Fanning, chairman,
president and CEO of Southern Company. "Throughout his career,
David has helped to shape critical public policies and has worked
to achieve results that benefit EEI's member companies and our
customers. David also played a pivotal role in the industry's
response to Superstorm Sandy, serving as the embedded liaison to
the Federal Emergency Management Agency and helping to facilitate
greater cooperation between the federal government and our
industry. On behalf of EEI's Board of Directors, I commend David on
his tremendous career and dedication to our industry, and wish him
all the best in his retirement."
Owens began his career at EEI as director of rates and
regulation in 1980, and he is widely recognized as one of the
foremost authorities on electric power industry issues. As he
gained responsibility throughout his career, Owens played a pivotal
role in forging EEI strategy in every single major public policy
debate, including wholesale and retail market restructuring,
federal and state regulation, environmental regulation, grid
modernization, and much more.
Throughout his career, Owens has led efforts to achieve
favorable public policy results on a range of issues in
Washington and in the states. He
has frequently appeared before U.S. congressional committees and
has testified in more than 50 proceedings on energy issues before
state bodies. He also has lectured at universities across the
nation and has made hundreds of presentations in business
forums.
"In so many ways, David Owens has
been the heart and soul of this organization, and his legacy to EEI
will be profound and enduring," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "David is a consensus builder and a
terrific leader. He knows how to bring people together to tackle
problems and coalesce around solutions. As Thomas Edison once said, 'What you are will show
in what you do.' David embodies the spirit of those words and is
truly deserving of this award. I am proud to have worked with him
and to call him a friend."
As the first African-American to hold an officer title at EEI,
Owens always has been unfailingly generous with his time and
knowledge, mentoring generations of young men and women in their
own energy careers. He also was a driving force behind the founding
of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and he almost
singlehandedly helped resurrect a failing charter school in
the District of Columbia. "No one
I know more strongly personifies the importance of giving back to
the community than David Owens,"
Kuhn said.
Before joining EEI, Owens served as chief engineer of the
Division of Corporate Regulation at the Securities and Exchange
Commission, and later as an engineer in the Division of Rates and
Corporate Regulation at the former Federal Power Commission, which
preceded the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Owens began his
career as a design and test engineer for General Electric and
Philadelphia Electric Companies.
Owens received both his Bachelors and Masters of Engineering
degrees from Howard University. He also
has a Masters in Engineering Administration from George Washington University, and attended
executive courses at Howard University,
the University of Pennsylvania, and
Michigan State University.
In January, Owens announced his plans to retire from EEI on
June 30.
EEI is the association that represents all U.S.
investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity
for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia. As a whole,
the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in
communities across the United
States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than
60 international electric companies as International Members, and
hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as
Associate Members.
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SOURCE Edison Electric Institute