Navigant's Rob Wilhite appointed to Board of GridWise Alliance
Rob Wilhite, a Managing Director at Chicago-headquartered management consulting firm Navigant, has been appointed to the board of GridWise Alliance – an industry association representing the energy supply chain, from utilities to energy tech startups.
Founded in 2003, GridWise Alliance lobbies federal, state, and local governments on behalf of its broad base of energy industry members and stakeholders – with a key focus on grid modernization and favorable legislative and regulatory changes.
The Alliance’s board of directors, saw 13 member new and returning members start their two-year terms last month. They include high-profile industry experts like Sunil Pancholi, Director, Energy Strategy, Lockheed Martin Corporation; John McDonald, Smart Grid Business Development Leader, GE Power’s Grid Solutions Business; and Mike Bates, Global General Manager, Energy, Intel Corporation.
Navigant’s Robert Wilhite will join GridWise Alliance’s board for the second time, previously serving two terms between January 2011 and December 2014. A Managing Director in the consultancy’s Energy practice, Wilhite has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry. He has deep expertise in utility operations, smart grids, and utility industry regulations and finance, among other areas.
Before joining Navigant in 2015, Wilhite served as Global Director/SVP at Dutch energy consultancy KEMA, driving growth, profitability, and operational performance with in the firm’s Americas energy advisory region.
Before his 12-year stint with KEMA, Wilhite was a Manager in Accenture’s Utilities Strategy and Business Architecture practice for two years. Before Accenture, he spent four years as an Application Manager, Retail Energy Products at the Electric Power Research Institute in Atlanta. Wilhite started his career at Florida Power & Light, where he spent 11 years and rose to the position of Marketing Program Manager.
Wilhite has also previously served on the boards of the Global Smart Grid Federation and The Utility Technology Association. He holds an MBA from Florida International University, as well as a BS in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Commenting on the refreshed membership, Gridwise Alliance CEO Steve Hauser said, “I look forward to supporting the leadership of our new Board of Directors and continuing our thought leadership on critical grid modernization issues with key industry stakeholders. The diversity within our Board of reflects the range of stakeholders within the Alliance who are dedicated to ensuring America’s electricity grid supports our economy’s changing needs.”
Related: Tanya Hughes joins Navigant as a Managing Director
