Philip Jones
Philip Jones is currently President of Phil Jones Consulting LLC based in Seattle, Washington, which provides expert advice and consulting services for organizations in energy and utility regulation, communications regulation, and cybersecurity compliance and regulation. He is continuing to work in market development and potential independent system operators (ISO’s) in the Western States and EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure and distributed energy resources. He provides advice at the C-Suite level to utilities and organizations in assessing the future viability of utility regulation given the changing dynamics in the regulated electricity and natural gas industries.
Mr. Jones currently serves as Executive Director of the Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE), a recently established industry-funded non-profit association that seeks to promote the acceleration of transportation electrification deployments, a robust utility role, and interoperability and open standards. He also serves as a Board Advisor to Energy Impact Partners (EIP), based in New York City, a private equity infrastructure fund comprised of major utility investors seeking to invest in innovative young technology companies focused on the energy sector. He also serves on the non-profit Boards of Directors of Climate Solutions.
He currently services on the Advisory Council of EPRI, which is the lead R&D organization’s public-interest voice for the international electric power industry consisting of current NARUC Commissioners, academics, vendors, and industry experts. Commissioner Jones served on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) from March 2005 to March 2017 for a total of twelve years or two six-year terms. Originally appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire and confirmed unanimously by the state Senate for his original term, he was re-appointed by the same Governor in January 2011 for an additional term.
Mr. Jones served in many advisory roles in the energy and communications sectors during his tenure. He was active nationally with the FERC, U.S. Department of Energy, DHS, and the FCC. In the communications field, Mr. Jones served on the North American Numbering Council (NANC) and the Task Force on Optimal PSAP Architecture (TFOPA) of the FCC regarding NG 911 system deployment. Mr. Jones served as President of NARUC (National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners) in the 2012-13 year. He made cybersecurity and gas pipeline safety his themes for the 50 state Commissions. He served on the Board of Directors of NARUC from 2011 to 2017 and chaired the Washington Action Committee.
He served on the Telecommunications Committee of NARUC and was active in issues such as numbering, universal service, intercarrier compensation reforms, and public safety and Next-Generation 911 issues. Mr. Jones served on the Board of the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) for several years, serving as Chair of the Board from 2009 to 2012.Mr. Jones served as Managing Director of Cutter & Buck (Europe) BV, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 1997 to 2012. He managed an apparel and sportswear operation across the U.K. and continental Europe.
He also founded and operated an independent consulting business based in Seattle from 1991 to 1997, where he specialized in offering advice and consulting services in energy policy and international trade issues. From 1983 to1989, Mr. Jones served as a senior legislative assistant to former Senator Daniel J. Evans (Washington-Rep.) in the U.S. Senate, in which he staffed him on multiple energy and natural resource issues, including the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), electricity transmission, nuclear waste legislation, oversight of U.S. DOE policies and budgets, as well as international trade policy agreements such as the WTO and NAFTA, among others.
Mr. Jones is a native of Spokane, Washington, and graduated from Harvard College with a B.A., with Honors, in East Asian Studies in 1977.