Marissa Gillett joins as Vice President of External Relations; Jason Burwen promoted to Vice President of Policy

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Energy Storage Association (ESA), the leading voice for member companies advancing energy storage, today announced Marissa Paslick Gillett is joining as vice president of external relations and Jason Burwen has taken on the role of vice president of policy. Gillett has extensive leadership experience in the energy sector, including her most recent position as the senior advisor to the chairman at the Maryland Public Service Commission. Burwen is being promoted from his previous position as director of policy. In their new roles, Gillett and Burwen will aid the organization in developing its strategic direction.

"We are delighted to welcome Marissa to the team and congratulate Jason in his expanded role. I am confident they will both deliver immediate value to our members and staff and support our strategic initiatives for 2018 and beyond," stated Kelly Speakes-Backman CEO of ESA. "Marissa's proven track record in public policy and communications, and Jason's expertise in storage policy will be instrumental in ensuring the growth of our organization as the energy storage industry expands."

Prior to joining ESA, Gillett held multiple leadership roles at the Maryland Public Service Commission. In her most recent role, she managed the commission's efforts to investigate the regulatory deployment barriers to electric vehicles and served as a liaison with other state agencies, utilities and trade organizations. Additionally, she led the commission's efforts relating to non-wires alternatives designed to further state public policies, focusing on the implementation of both customer-facing and grid-facing initiatives. Gillett holds a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

"I am honored to be appointed to the ESA executive team. I look forward to working alongside this dynamic, passionate group of people that share a similar mindset and mission - the promotion of a resilient, efficient, sustainable and affordable electricity grid," said Gillett. "This organization is uniquely positioned to propel the energy storage industry forward, which I plan to support through continued engagement and robust dialogue with the diverse landscape of stakeholders working to modernize the grid."

Burwen has been with ESA since 2015 and is responsible for its policy advocacy at the federal, state and RTO levels. He has worked closely with regulators and policy makers to move energy storage forward as a national priority. He has been instrumental in developing public policy frameworks and legislation including FERC's pending rule on energy storage market participation, the introduction of federal legislation (S. 1851, S. 1876, S. 1868, S. 2041) promoting storage deployment, Washington and New Mexico state policies requiring storage in planning, and Massachusetts' decision to proceed with an energy storage deployment target. Burwen holds a Bachelor of the Arts from Columbia University and a Master's degree from the University of California Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy and Energy & Resources Group.

"There's no more exciting place to work on energy policy today than in energy storage, and ESA is at its center," said Burwen. "I'm eager to elevate our advocacy efforts even further, working with policymakers and stakeholders to develop new regulatory frameworks and public policies that enable greater energy storage deployment."

About The Energy Storage Association
The Energy Storage Association (ESA) is the national trade association dedicated to energy storage, working toward a more resilient, efficient, sustainable and affordable electricity grid - as is uniquely enabled by energy storage. With more than 150 members, ESA represents a diverse group of energy service companies, independent power producers, electric utilities, financiers, insurers, law firms, installers, manufacturers, component suppliers and integrators involved in deploying energy storage systems around the globe. More information is available at: www.energystorage.org.