Leuwam Tesfai

Leuwam Tesfai was named the Executive Director of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in February 2026. 

She leads the CPUC’s statewide workforce to accomplish California’s pathbreaking goals in the areas of energy, telecommunications, safety, rail, water, and passenger transportation.

She previously served as the CPUC's Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy. Prior to that role, she served as Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma’s Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor, a position she held since 2019 when appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. She has worked at the CPUC since 2011 in several roles including as an Advisor to former Commissioner Liane M. Randolph and in the CPUC’s Legal, Energy and Administrative Law Judge Divisions. Leuwam’s private sector experience includes development of renewable energy markets, siting and permitting generation facilities, and commercialization of clean energy technologies. 

In 2023, Leuwam received national recognition for outstanding leadership and accomplishments in energy from the U.S. Department of Energy with the C3E Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Government Award.

Leuwam serves on the advisory board for the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at University of California Berkeley School of Law, on the executive committee of the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, and on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters San Francisco. 

She is originally from San Diego, and is a graduate of Emory University and the University of San Francisco School of Law.