Joseph Desmond

Joseph Desmond was reappointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to a full five-year term on January 26, 2006. He was initially appointed Chairman of the California Energy Commission in May 2005 to fulfill the unexpired term of former Chairman William Keese. In May 2006, Mr. Desmond was appointed Under Secretary for Energy Affairs in the California Resources Agency.

The five members of the Energy Commission are appointed by the Governor to staggered five-year terms and requires Senate confirmation. By law, the five members of the Energy Commission have professional training in specific areas - engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics and law. One commissioner is appointed from the public-at-large. Chairman Desmond filled the public-at-large position.

As Chairman, Mr. Desmond represented the Governor on the Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB). Mr. Desmond, of Pleasanton, served as Deputy Secretary for Energy at the Resources Agency in 2004. Prior to that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Infotility, Inc., an energy consulting and software development firm for four years. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Desmond was President and Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Lighting, Inc., a manufacturer of controllable lighting systems, and from 1991 to 1997 he was with Parke Industries, where he served as vice president. Mr. Desmond was marketing and demand planning administrator for Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, a publicly owned utility, from 1987 to 1991. He also served as co-chair of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group's Energy Committee from 2001 to 2004 and as a board member of the National Association of Energy Service Companies.