District 5 candidate Rachelle
Sutherland is a Senior Product Manager at a technology company that
serves the energy industry. She has more than a decade of experience in
the energy industry, leading teams in innovation through technology and
responsible land stewardship. In addition to her energy experience,
Sutherland holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from The University
of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from
University of Houston with certificates in Energy Finance, Energy
Investment Analysis, and Economics of the Energy Value Chain.
Dedicated to strengthening her local
energy community, she co-founded the Austin chapter of the National
Association of Lease and Title Analysts in 2019. Sutherland was elected
to the Board of Directors and served as first Vice President in 2019
and 2020 and President in 2021. If elected to the PEC Board of
Directors, Sutherland plans to embrace clean energy sources, innovative
technology and forward thinking, data driven energy policies. She
values the opportunity to put her skills to work to help the PEC
navigate the challenges and opportunities currently facing utilities.
As a native Texan and mother of two,
Sutherland is dedicated to creating a sustainable energy future for the
next generations. Raised in a family grounded in a deep appreciation
for nature, Sutherland and her family love to spend time outdoors
camping, biking, sailing, swimming, gardening, and hiking. It’s
important to her to preserve the natural treasures that she loves so
that others can enjoy them in the future.
Sutherland hopes to bring fresh
thinking with a renewed commitment to transparency and member
engagement to the PEC District 5 board position. She wants to work
collaboratively with PEC directors and fellow members to craft policies
and programs that reflect the values of the community and transform PEC
into a utility that is prepared for the future. Sutherland is committed
to being open, inclusive, and responsive to members and their concerns
and believes that PEC members should be at the heart of decision
making. She understands that one of the richest benefits of collective
participation is that PEC policies can be strong, able to withstand the
evolving times, if we are collaborating and sharing ideas in the
process of creating energy policies.
