Andrew McAllister was first appointed to the California Energy Commission in 2012, and in 2022 was reappointed by Governor Newsom to a third term. Commissioner McAllister’s priorities include: decarbonization of buildings and industry; energy efficiency of buildings and appliances; load flexibility as a tool for grid optimization; improving access to data and analytical tools that can drive innovation at the grid edge; alignment of energy and housing policy & programs; and amplifying California’s innovation-centered approach through collaboration with diverse partners beyond our borders. 

Commissioner McAllister has worked in the efficiency and renewables spaces for more than three decades. Before CEC he served as managing director of a California-based clean energy non-profit; energy efficiency and renewable energy specialist at an international NGO; utility energy efficiency program consultant; and researcher at a DOE national laboratory. He has worked in numerous countries to deploy clean, cost-effective energy solutions partnering with counterparts ranging from tiny remote communities to the largest of utilities.  

Commissioner McAllister chairs the Western Interstate Energy Board, and serves on the boards of the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and Camp Kesem at UC Davis. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, and dual B.A.s from Dartmouth College. He is a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, and the proud dad of two wonderful young adults.