Lorraine Akiba

Lorraine leverages her public policy expertise to enable innovation and business transformation. She brings extensive and diverse experience in regulatory and energy policy and ESG in both the private and public sector. She specializes in helping entities identify their most pressing organizational issues, deal with policy and regulations, and develop corporate environmental, social and governance goals and metrics to address those issues.

Background

As a Hawaii Public Utilities Commissioner, Lorraine provided regulatory leadership to implement the country’s first commitment to 100% clean energy and decarbonization goals by 2045, and helped to formulate strategic guidance for utility business model transformation during a time of dynamic change.

Lorraine is an experienced board director for private companies and non-profit organizations. She serves on the Hawaii Medical Services Association (HMSA) board, the licensed Blue Cross affiliate for Hawaii, as a member of the Audit, Quality Oversight and Community Engagement committees. She serves on boards of various national not-for-profit entities including the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, where she chairs the Governance committee, and was a prior board member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Electric Power Research Institute Board Advisory Council. She also is a member of the Board of Advisors for ChargeNet.

Previously, Lorraine oversaw a large statewide agency during a severe economic recession as the first female Director for the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Addressed the challenging issues of major industry shutdowns, unemployment and workers facing dislocation and obsolescence.

Expertise

  • Regulatory & Policy Risks

  • Decarbonization strategies

  • Environmental Regulation

  • Labor relations

Perspectives

Co-Author, “The Emerging Potential of Microgrids in the Transition to 100% Renewable Energy Systems”, Energies Journal, March 2021

Co-Author, “Regulatory Wayfinding: the Hawaii PUC’s Decade-Long Journey”, Public Utilities Fortnightly, October 2018

Contributing Author and Editor, “Hazardous Waste Liability in Real Estate Transactions,” Hawaii Commercial Real Estate Manual, Hawaii Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Hawaii State Bar Association Real Property and Financial Services Section

Contributing Author and Editor, “Hazardous Waste,” Hawaii Conveyance Manual, Hawaii Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Hawaii State Bar Association Real Property and Financial Services Section

Contributing Author and Editor, “The Green Book: A Practical Guide to Environmental Law”, Chamber of Commerce ofHawaii

Contributing Author, “Our Rights Our Lives,” A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Hawaii, Hawaii Women Lawyers and Hawaii Women Lawyers Foundation

Boards and Professional Organizations

Member, Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) (2019 - Present)

Member, HMSA Executive, Finance, Community Engagement, and Quality Oversight Committee (2000 - Present)

Member, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) (2014 - 2018) 

Member, Advisory Council to the Board of Directors, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) (2013-2018) 

Commissioner, State of Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (2012-2018)

Partner, McCorriston, Miller, Mukai, MacKinnon, Head of the Environmental Practice Group (2000 - 2012)

Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, State of Hawaii Governor’s Cabinet (1995 - 2000)

Partner, Cades Schutt LLP, Head of the Environmental Practice Group (1981 - 1995)

Degrees

Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California, J.D.

University of California, Berkeley, B.A. Political Science