John Di Stasio was formerly the general manager and CEO of SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District). While with SMUD, his accomplishments included offering some of the lowest electricity rates in California and improving reliability. He was also instrumental in securing a $127.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy to pursue a smart grid infrastructure project.

Di Stasio is the past president of the Northwest Public Power Association and of the California Municipal Utility Association; he has also served as vice chair of the Large Public Power Council. He was a board member of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the American Public Power Association and a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s Members Representative Committee. Di Stasio was also a gubernatorial appointee to the California Workforce Investment Board and was named Electric Light & Power magazine’s 2013 large utility CEO of the Year. He’s also active in international energy issues, serving as a delegate with the United States Energy Association (USEA), where he assisted in electrification, operations, and energy market development in countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Botswana, India, and Jordan. He was named 2013 Volunteer of the Year by the USEA.