Emily Pataki

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Incumbent District 2 Director
Chair, Audit Committee
Website: www.EmilyforPEC.com

Emily Pataki is the current district 2 Director and audit committee chair for Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). She was elected to the Board in 2014 and has held several officer positions during her tenure, including serving as Board President for two terms (2016-2018; 2020-2022).

During her nine years as Director, Emily has focused on achieving the goals she laid out for co-op members during her initial candidacy and asks for your vote to continue working on your behalf.

Emily Pataki’s Continuing Pledge to Members:

“I recognize that every dollar at PEC comes from our member-owners. These funds should be safeguarded, conserved, and ultimately returned. Board members should abide by our fiduciary duties and deliver low-cost, safe, and reliable electricity to co-op members.”

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COST CONTROL

Since Pataki joined the Board in 2014, the PEC Board has:

• PROTECTED members’ electric rates. When Emily ran for the Board in 2014, PEC electric rates were too high. Emily worked with her fellow board members to lower rates well below the state average and keep them there. Today PEC members pay some of the lowest rates in Texas.
• RETURNED over $80 million in Capital Credits to members.
• SAVED millions in annual operating costs through operational efficiencies; streamlined purchasing practices; and the elimination of outdated or duplicative processes.
• EARNED higher revenues for members from electric transmission assets after returning to regularly updated filings at the Public Utility Commission.
• LIMITED Board expenses by capping travel and associated reimbursements, reigning in the costs that had ballooned under prior Boards. Emily led this effort to institute a more fiscally responsible governance model.

COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITIES

During Pataki’s years on the PEC Board, she has supported important decisions that will positively impact District 2 members for generations:

• PARTNERED with local municipal and county officials to improve communication and planning for current and future needs
• SECURED land in Leander for a nearly completed transmission control center that will bolster electric reliability for District 2 members
• IMPROVED the function of our Cedar Park and Liberty Hill offices through reasonable, cost-effective renovations
• SUPPORTED local organizations through an Opt-In “Power of Change” program that enables members to voluntarily contribute to area charitable causes
• SPONSORED high school students through a generous scholarship program funded by abandoned escheat dollars

Emily Pataki brings Beneficial Personal, Professional Experience to PEC Board

Emily has extensive experience serving on boards and commissions. She was recently selected to serve on the Advisory Board of the Electric Grid Cybersecurity Alliance (EGCA). EGCA is a global consortium of senior leaders from electric utilities, government agencies, and technology providers dedicated to the common goal of protecting the world’s vital electric grids from cyber-attacks.

In 2017, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed Pataki to the Sunset Commission, which is the entity that closely examines and evaluates state agencies to ensure they are meeting their missions effectively. Pataki and her commission peers recommended agency changes that resulted in the Texas Legislature eliminating over 20 unnecessary occupational licensing barriers and 68 unneeded registrations, permits, and licenses, thereby dramatically improving the business climate for Texans.

Emily serves on the board of Atec, Inc., an aerospace engineering and manufacturing corporation that specializes in engine testing and support for commercial, military and space aviation. She chairs both Atec’s Executive and Strategic Planning committees and sits on the audit committee as well. In 2021 Pataki joined the board of Ecoark Holdings, Inc., a diversified holding company with past interests in such industries as energy exploration, fresh food technologies, and hosting capabilities for Bitcoin mining. Pataki has been on the Board of the Association of Women in Energy (AWE) since 2015 and is a former board member and past president of the Williamson County Republican Women.

Emily Pataki was born in Houston and has lived in District 2 since 2008. She graduated from Yale University, where she lettered in Division I Varsity softball; wrote for the Yale Daily News; was Vice President of her sorority; and co-hosted a talk radio show. She is an independent corporate consultant with specializations in risk management, strategic planning, and corporate governance.

Emily is married to college sweetheart and USMC Iraq war veteran Ted Pataki, who works for the Knights of Columbus in Central Texas. Together they have five children: Stephen, Marianne, George, and twins – Jane and Thomas. Emily coaches her daughter’s softball team at Cedar Park Youth League and volunteers at her children’s charter school in Leander. The Pataki family attends St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Cedar Park and is active in the Catholic community of the Austin Diocese.