Nora Mead Brownell
Founding Partner
Nora M. Brownell is the co-founder of ESPY Energy Solutions, LLC, a women-owned business providing innovative and highly-skilled consulting services.
Prior to this, Nora Mead Brownell was nominated by President George W. Bush to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) where she served from the time of her confirmation in May 2001 until June 2006 when her term expired.
Ms. Brownell’s tenure at the FERC reflects her longstanding and unwavering commitment to fostering competitive markets to serve the public interest. She championed the development of independent transmission organizations for wholesale power. As a leading advocate of responsive and effective independent board governance at RTOs and corporations, Ms. Brownell is a strong proponent of FERC policies that promote investment in national energy infrastructure development.
Prior to FERC, Ms. Brownell served as a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) from 1997 to 2001 and took an active role in the rollout of electric choice in Pennsylvania. In addition to her work establishing the framework for one of the nation’s most successful retail electric markets, she supported Pennsylvania’s pursuit of competition in local markets for telecommunications, deployment of advanced services, enhancement of services to rural areas, protection of consumers, and advancement of special services.
Ms. Brownell served as the Chair of the Board of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). She has also served on the boards of National Grid PLC, Hennessy Capital LLC, Tangent, Spectra Energy Partners, Direct Energy, ONCOR, Comverge, New World Capital, Starwood Energy Fund, Times Publishing Company, Leaf Clean Energy Company, Gridwise Architecture Council, Millennium Bank, Foundation of Architecture, Philadelphia Free Library, and the Philadelphia Regional Performing Arts Center. At present, Ms. Brownell is serving on the Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Advisory Board, Mead Family Investments LLC, Sunnova Energy International Inc., LineVision Inc. Advisory Board, Clean Energy Venture Group, Fidelis New Energy LLC Advisory Board, Copper Labs, and Technosylva. In addition, Ms. Brownell has lectured at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania). Vermont Law School’s Center for Energy and the Environment, the Michigan State University Institute of Public Utilities, the University of Idaho, the H. John Heinz III College School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Wharton Energy Club, among others.
Ms. Brownell is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania and attended Syracuse University