Elliot Mainzer
President and CEO, California Independent System Operator
Folsom, California, United States
4K followers
500+ connections
About
Elliot Mainzer is President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (ISO) in Folsom, California. For the last 25 years, he has been a leader in helping to achieve a reliable and affordable clean energy transition by working to support innovation and creativity in renewable energy development, transmission planning, market design and regional collaboration.
Mainzer joined the ISO on September 30, 2020 after an 18-year career at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), including seven years as Administrator and CEO. At BPA, he led efforts to unlock the wind energy potential of the Pacific Northwest, managed the development of BPA’s open-season model for transmission subscription and queue management, and worked to balance the needs of the Federal Columbia River Power System with the welfare of tribal nations and salmon protection.
Under Mainzer’s leadership at the ISO, the organization has strengthened coordinated power and transmission planning with California’s regulatory agencies, integrated record-setting amounts of new power generation and the nation’s largest fleet of lithium-ion batteries, helped preserve overall system reliability during the record-setting Western heat wave of September 2022 and provided strategic leadership and direction for the ISO’s new extended day-ahead market proposal. Mainzer’s strong background and personal commitment to regional collaboration as an essential element of a reliable and affordable clean-energy transition have been a hallmark of his leadership at the ISO, where he has also brought renewed focus on control center modernization, stakeholder engagement and program management in support of the organization’s new 2022-2026 strategic plan.
A native of San Francisco, Mainzer has an undergraduate degree in geography from U.C. Berkeley and master’s degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Management from Yale University. He is a senior fellow of the Oregon Chapter of the American Leadership Forum, has served on the boards of the Electric Power Research Institute and the Energy Systems Integration Group, and currently serves as co-chair of the Western Electric Industry Leaders Group.
He and his wife Margaret have twin boys. Among his non-professional pursuits, Mainzer is an amateur jazz saxophonist and dedicated student of jazz theory and history.
Activity
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The Long Duration Energy Storage Council is pleased to announce the addition of five new members, further demonstrating the diversity of #LDES…
The Long Duration Energy Storage Council is pleased to announce the addition of five new members, further demonstrating the diversity of #LDES…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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It's been a true honor to partner with companies, NGOs, and Philanthropy to help innovate and build water resilience across Arizona and the Verde…
It's been a true honor to partner with companies, NGOs, and Philanthropy to help innovate and build water resilience across Arizona and the Verde…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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WPTF is proud to have played a pivotal role as a Launch Committee member of the West-wide governance pathways. We're excited to share that our…
WPTF is proud to have played a pivotal role as a Launch Committee member of the West-wide governance pathways. We're excited to share that our…
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Experience
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Bonneville Power Administration
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Administrator & CEO
Bonneville Power Administration
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Acting Administrator and CEO
Bonneville Power Administration
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Acting Deputy Administrator
Bonneville Power Administration
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Manager, Transmission Policy and Strategy
Bonneville Power Administration
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Manager, Pricing and Transaction Analysis
Bonneville Power Administration
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Manager, Renewable Power Desk
Enron Corp
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Manager, Power Structuring
Enron Corp.
Education
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Yale University -- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Master of Environmental Studies Energy Policy
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More activity by Elliot
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Enlightening visit of China Southern Power Grid booth at #CIGRE. presentation by CSG Vice President Wu Xiaochen and his team. I was with 2024 GO15…
Enlightening visit of China Southern Power Grid booth at #CIGRE. presentation by CSG Vice President Wu Xiaochen and his team. I was with 2024 GO15…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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BPA is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Administrator’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognize federal employees, contract personnel and…
BPA is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Administrator’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognize federal employees, contract personnel and…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Associate Instructor at University of California, Davis in the College of Agricultural and…
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Associate Instructor at University of California, Davis in the College of Agricultural and…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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In some exciting career news, I'm thrilled to join my friend Dawn Lippert and her wonderful team at Elemental Excelerator, where I will be a Policy…
In some exciting career news, I'm thrilled to join my friend Dawn Lippert and her wonderful team at Elemental Excelerator, where I will be a Policy…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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Another fun and informative monthly meeting this week for the PDX Executive Assembly in downtown Portland. Congratulations to PDX Executive…
Another fun and informative monthly meeting this week for the PDX Executive Assembly in downtown Portland. Congratulations to PDX Executive…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Beaver Power Plant it’s a moment to reflect on its decades of service to our community and the vital role the…
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Beaver Power Plant it’s a moment to reflect on its decades of service to our community and the vital role the…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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Meet Boston Consulting Group’s newest crop of (senior) partners in ANZ, following the strategy firm’s latest round of promotions »…
Meet Boston Consulting Group’s newest crop of (senior) partners in ANZ, following the strategy firm’s latest round of promotions »…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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Thank you to LS Power for their silver sponsorship of the 2024 Stakeholder Symposium’s Recharge lounge that will host energy professionals. Learn…
Thank you to LS Power for their silver sponsorship of the 2024 Stakeholder Symposium’s Recharge lounge that will host energy professionals. Learn…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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Congratulations to the incredible team at ZGF Architects led by Sharron van der Meulen and Gene Sandoval who helped bring the new terminal at PDX…
Congratulations to the incredible team at ZGF Architects led by Sharron van der Meulen and Gene Sandoval who helped bring the new terminal at PDX…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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A proposal to elevate the Western Energy Markets (WEM) Governing Body’s authority over CAISO energy markets was unanimously approved by the Governing…
A proposal to elevate the Western Energy Markets (WEM) Governing Body’s authority over CAISO energy markets was unanimously approved by the Governing…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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I was honored to join a distinguished panel at the EPRI Summer Seminar. Daniel Brooks moderated our conversation with (fellow private LTE innovators)…
I was honored to join a distinguished panel at the EPRI Summer Seminar. Daniel Brooks moderated our conversation with (fellow private LTE innovators)…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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Opening day! ✈️ Portland International Airport celebrated a major milestone with the reveal of its $2B renovation project! 🎉 At the Port of…
Opening day! ✈️ Portland International Airport celebrated a major milestone with the reveal of its $2B renovation project! 🎉 At the Port of…
Liked by Elliot Mainzer
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