Leuwam Tesfai has been appointed as the new executive director of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), according to an April 1 announcement. Tesfai, who began her career at the CPUC as an intern 15 years ago, now leads a workforce of 1,600 employees whose decisions impact Californians daily and influence one of the world’s largest economies.
Tesfai’s appointment is significant due to her extensive experience in both private and public sectors, particularly in renewable energy markets and clean energy technologies. Her background includes roles such as law clerk, judicial clerk, attorney, Public Utilities Regulatory Analyst, advisor and chief of staff to two CPUC commissioners, and most recently deputy executive director for energy and climate policy.
Reflecting on her early days at the commission, Tesfai said: “Whenever I left my desk, I brought a notebook and pen, ready to take on any assignment. I was exposed to many things, gained mentors, and got to work on interesting projects. I just jumped in.”
Kerry Fleisher—a director in the Energy and Climate Policy Division—said: “Leuwam is one of the most talented people I’ve worked with. She can pivot from one topic to another across many diverse areas while understanding them all in depth. And she is empathetic as a leader, warm and responsive no matter how busy she is.”
During her tenure working for Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma amid the pandemic’s challenges for low-income students’ access to education technology services through programs like California LifeLine were expanded under CPUC initiatives. Tesfai said: “The impact on low-income people during the pandemic was very acute and we tried to be as creative as possible to support them through broadband access for remote learning and tele-health… It became very clear to me then that the work we do at the CPUC impacts lives and affects every single person in California.”
As executive director, Tesfai plans to focus on building programs that improve consumers’ daily lives by ensuring reliable utilities service across electricity, water supply safety measures or transportation options—and reaching out effectively given that about 40 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home.
CPUC President John Reynolds said: “Leuwam brings immense capability curiosity and devotion to public service… I’m excited that she has hit the ground running as Executive Director.”
In previous roles Tesfai reduced division vacancy rates significantly by launching marketing strategies aimed at recruitment; she also prioritized employee engagement through regular meetings promoting innovation equity within teams.
Tesfai acknowledges balancing leadership responsibilities with personal life can be challenging but credits support from her team including executive assistant Angela Galang for helping manage daily demands.
Her journey from intern to leading one of California’s key regulatory agencies reflects values such as resilience curiosity commitment—qualities she intends will continue shaping both agency operations future outcomes for residents.
