Pat Wood

Pat Wood III is the past Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The son of a small businessman, Mr. Wood has been a forceful advocate throughout his career for customer-centered, technology-unleashing competition and for robust infrastructure.

Today, as CEO of the Hunt Energy Network, Wood and his team are deploying a portfolio of distributed power assets across Texas. In his new role leading Hunt Power, he is engaged in all aspects of Hunt Energy’s global electric power business.

Mr. Wood has served as a director of a number of public energy companies: independent power producer Dynegy (Board chairman); solar pioneer SunPower (lead independent director), modular nuclear generation (NuScale) sponsor Spring Valley Acquisition Corp., natural gas producer Memorial Resource Development, and specialty construction firm Quanta Services. Mr. Wood chairs the board of Luma Energy, overseeing the Quanta-ATCO joint venture to rebuild and operate the Puerto Rico utility system.

In 1995, Governor George W. Bush named Mr. Wood to head the PUCT with a mandate to inject competition into the state’s regulated utilities. The resulting restructured Texas electric market has improved customer service, yielded innovative technology and service offerings, and attracted high infrastructure investment.

During his four years at the helm of the FERC, under President George W. Bush, Mr. Wood led the responses to the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, the bankruptcy of Enron, and the 2003 North American power blackout. By the end of his term, over two-thirds of the nation was served by the reliable, organized wholesale power markets FERC championed.

Mr. Wood holds a B.S. degree (civil engineering) from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He serves on the Executive Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star. He, and his wife, Kathleen, are raising four sons, and there is never a dull moment.