DISTRIBUTECH International 2020

Kelly Speakes-Backman
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Storage Association


Kelly Speakes-Backman is the first Chief Executive Officer of The U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA), the national trade organization for the energy storage industry. As CEO, she leads the association’s efforts to represent the interests of energy storage in the United States, including policy, external relations and industry leadership. Kelly has spent more than 20 years working in energy and energy efficiency, sustainability, renewables, and environmental business strategies. Her direct technology experience includes power generation from solar, wind, biogas and biomass, distributed generation, natural gas, smart grid and fuel cells. She joined the public service sector in 2010 as the Clean Energy Director at the Maryland Energy Administration, where she led a team of policy experts and grant administrators to implement programs to meet the Administration’s goal of increasing Maryland’s renewable energy portfolio to 20 percent by 2022. Kelly has testified in Congressional Committees on energy issues, presented regularly at energy industry events and has authored several articles published in energy trade magazines. She also has served on several energy-related steering committees, including the GridWise Alliance (GWA) Grid Modernization Index (GMI) Steering Committee and the SEPA 51st State Initiative. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Boston University.

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