David Martin Connelly Elected President of the Energy Bar Association at Sold Out Annual Meeting
New Board Members and Special Awards Also Announced at 2023 Annual Meeting & Conference, with a Keynote from FERC Commissioner Alison Clements
Washington, DC. – The members of the Energy Bar Association (EBA) elected David Martin Connelly of Balch & Bingham LLP as the new President of the Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 bar year, as well as a full slate of officers and directors. The election took place at EBA’s 2023 Annual Meeting, held at the Washington DC Marriott Marquis on May 11-12, 2023. This event had over 470+ energy law and policy professionals in attendance, with 13 educational sessions featuring industry experts. Thursday’s luncheon featured a keynote address by Commissioner Alison Clements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
“I would like to thank the EBA membership for the opportunity to serve as President,” said Connelly. “Joining the EBA was one of the best decisions that I made as a new attorney, and during my term as President, I plan to focus on continuing our recent membership growth and returning to some of the ‘nuts and bolts’ educational programs that are so valuable to the membership.”
In addition to electing Connelly as EBA President, the membership elected the following individuals as Board officers: Conor B. Ward of WEC Energy Group, Inc. as President-Elect; Floyd R. Self of Berger Singerman LLP as Vice President; Traci Bone of California Public Utilities Commission as Secretary; Monique Watson of Steptoe & Johnson LLP as Assistant Secretary; Nicholas Pascale of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association as Treasurer; and Daniel E. Frank of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP as Assistant Treasurer.
Newly elected Board of Directors members include John E. McCaffrey of American Public Power Association, Tara S. Kaushik of Southern California Edison, Stephen M. Spina of Morgan Lewis, and Daniel Archuleta of Troutman Pepper.
In addition to electing new board leadership, the EBA membership pauses to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the association and to the energy law and policy community.
This year, the EBA recognized Kelli Cole with the 2023 Jason F. Leif Chapter Service Award, which honors exemplary long-term service, or one or more particularly significant examples of service, by an EBA member to one or more of the EBA Chapters. While presenting this award, outgoing EBA President Delia Patterson stated, “Throughout her 20 plus-year membership, volunteerism and professionalism have distinguished Kelli as a resourceful, dedicated chapter member. Kelli is recognized by her Southern Chapter colleagues for her tactical and strategic planning work and leadership activity, [bringing] energy, passion, and enthusiasm to everything she does.”
The EBA also selected Senator Lisa Murkowski (R- Alaska) as the recipient of the Energy Bar Association’s prestigious President’s Award. This award is given on occasion to individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the profession or to the development of energy law over a long career and to those who have advanced significant change to the energy law landscape. Since beginning her Senate career in 2002, Senator Murkowski has been a leader on energy issues and continues to pursue policies to advance renewable energy, increase energy efficiency, and make America’s energy cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable.
Senator Murkowski was traveling and unable to attend the Annual Meeting, but she delivered her acceptance remarks in a prerecorded video. “Energy lawyers are indispensable to the policy making process. Whenever Congress or an agency (like FERC) sets out with a new idea or priority, [energy lawyers] help shape it to give it the best chance of working in the real world. [They] also enable one of the most important activities in our society – the production delivery of energy to families and businesses on terms that are just and reasonable.”
To learn more about these awards, visit EBA Awards.
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The Energy Bar Association is an international, non-profit association of attorneys, non-attorney professionals, and students active in all areas of energy law. The EBA promotes the professional excellence and ethical integrity of its members in the practice, administration, and development of energy laws, regulations and policies. The EBA provides superior educational programming, networking opportunities, and information resources.
