Christine Cooley, Public Utility Board Vice-Chair for Tacoma Public Utilities, was renamed to a one-year term as an at-large member on the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Policy Makers Council (PMC) by its Board of Directors.
The PMC is made up of locally elected and appointed officials from public power communities across the country. Its mission is to assist APPA in moving legislation forward that is important to the public power electric utilities nationwide.
APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. APPA represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million customers that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. The Association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Its members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power.
The Policy Makers Council assists the APPA in promoting federal legislation that is important to public power utilities like Tacoma Public Utilities and opposing harmful legislation. It also provides advice on other issues of importance to the Association. The PMC is made up of members who serve on either utility boards or are elected officials in public power communities. Members of the Council meet a minimum of twice a year, and participate in meetings with elected representatives and congressional staff for the purposes of supporting the APPA’s national legislative agenda.
Christine Cooley is the Water Resource Program Manager for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Christine is the past chair of the Sustainable Tacoma Commission, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a volunteer with Forterra, the International Living Future Institute, and Tacoma Roots. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University and a Bachelor’s of Science from The Ohio State University in Environmental Policy and Management. She has served on TPU’s board since 2018.