Christopher Bender Email & Phone Number

San Diego, California, United States

Risk Management – Works with leaders and stakeholders to drive governance of risk management. Develops and implements risk management strategies. Leads risk involvement on key company initiatives such as its Safety Management System (SMS). Registry Management – Leads the development of the Operating Unit Risk Registry (OURR), including methods to integrate it into regular business planning and investment decisions. Key contributor to the Enterprise Risk Registry (ERR) refresh.Regulatory Liaison – Helps author and reviews contribution to key filings such as the Risk Asset Mitigation Phase (RAMP) and General Rate Case (GRC). Helps business units identify, quantify and track the implementation of mitigations to reduce risks.

San Diego, California, United States

Change Leadership – Analyzed company/customer impacts due to COVID, to created new systems and processes that supported a large-scale business transformation initiative, involving customer, company and regulatory impacts.Project Management – Created workplan, identified new requirements, led system and process changes, wrote users guide, led daily meetings with key business owners and weekly progress reports with senior management.

Opportunity Development – Identified innovative ideas to improve the customer experience of PSPS events. Analyzed over 300 ideas based on company/customer impacts to create a prioritized group of practical and implementable initiatives.Project Management – Created tools/process to ensure the success of each high-priority initiative. Developed RACI, estimated costs and benefits, performed risk analysis, identified resource needs, established an implementation plan, set success metrics. Business Accountability – Educated executives on each initiative to gain approval and establish commitment to drive implementation. Established relationships with responsible business owners to inspire dedication to champion the initiatives.

San Diego, California, United States

Executive Project Management – At the request of the CEO, helped develop a Workforce Plan for 12 electric, gas and safety departments. Analyzed, forecasted and planned workforce supply and demand. Assessed gaps in talent vs operational needs.

San Diego, California, United States

Risk Management – Developed risk approach for CCPA compliance, performed assessments, classified risks, analyzed impacts, created risk register and reporting tool, developed mitigation strategies, tracked implementation across a matrix organization.Project Management – Set up and led the project PMO. Established and maintained a project plan and RAID log. Lead weekly project status leadership meetings, created executive reports, and evaluated impacts of regulatory and legislative issues.Business Optimization – Analyzed opportunities to improve business operations in supply management, contracting, vendor management, employee engagement and training, policy development and business unit planning.

Expert Witness – Provided oral and written evidence in legal proceedings, including cross-examination, testimony, rebuttals, data requests and compliance reports. Served as a panel expert. Engaged with other utilities and intervening organizations.Regulatory Strategy – Led business decisions and coordinated impacts to stakeholders. Wrote and reviewed regulatory filings to optimize company and ratepayer benefits. Developed a system to make regulatory requirements identifiable and actionable.Compliance Management – Ensured company actions complied with laws, regulations and policies. Identified legal implications, evaluated business impacts, advanced options, forged consensus, and prepared formal responses, guidance or policy changes.

Greater San Diego Area

Operations Management – Led residential rate rollouts. Developed system requirements. Identified and implemented process improvements. Interpreted customer behaviors based on data and evaluation reports. Communicated status to stakeholders.Project Management – Created and maintained a master plan to ensure the coordination between several departments. Identified and mitigated risks to successful rate deployments. Wrote contracts. Interviewed, hired and managed contractors.Communications – Planned, reviewed and managed the deployment customer rate communications. Regularly communicated rate deployment status and customer impacts to external regulators and working groups and internal executives.

Greater San Diego Area

Business Optimization – Analyzed business work streams using lean six sigma approaches. Identified, quantified and implemented improvements in process/task efficiency, workload/performance management and organizational structure. Change Management – Implemented techniques such as interviews and focus groups, flowcharting, stakeholder analysis, change/culture readiness assessments, risk assessments and conflict management. Continuous Improvement – Helped build the organizational capability and a culture of continuous improvement. Supported the organization at all levels including executives, senior-level decision makers and staff/line workers.

Greater San Diego Area

Strategic Analysis – Drove department vision and strategy versus changing industry and regulatory environments. Developed business plans and goals/metrics to monitor success. Coordinated other departments to gain support and alignment.Capability Modeling – Developed models for six departments, and performed heat mapping and gap analysis. Created a system to evaluate investments and opportunities based on strategy, operations, risk, regulatory, capabilities and customer impact.Vendor Analysis – Evaluated vendor products, services and proposals for business alignment. Developed strategies around suppliers, partners, competitors, stakeholders and investment targets.

Greater San Diego Area

Program Management – Developed and implemented a corporate sustainability program covering 300 properties. Implemented over 100 energy projects to reduce electric use by 23%, and over 40 water conservation project to reduce water use by 35%. Project/Construction Management – Identified needs, developed requirements, wrote SOWs, RFPs and contracts, selected vendors, managed construction process, resolved issues, managed change, tested performance and conducted user acceptance.Business Planning – Developed plans and budgets, secured funding approval, identified Federal/state tax incentives and rebates, calculated disposal and retirement costs and financial risk impacts. Reinvested project savings to fund future projects

Greater San Diego Area

Process Automation – Interviewed internal clients to reduce or improve manual and inefficient processes. Optimized business functions primarily by designing and implementing automated systems.Business Case Development – Wrote business cases that included project descriptions, identified quantitative and qualitative costs and benefits, calculated ROI and identified risks. Presented to executives and gained project approval and funding.Business Systems Analysis – Identified and wrote business requirements for system development. Wrote specifications, use cases and test plans. Led business input during design review and testing. Prioritized bug fixes and enhancements

Greater San Diego Area

New Business Development – Identified and analyzed new business opportunities, and presented recommendations to senior management. Led an effort to evaluate the expansion of the energy performance contracting business into Mexico. Sales Support – Helped create a tool to generate customized energy commodity bids based on real time spot prices. Initiated a document management system to generate performance contracts. Tracked and analyzed sales pipelines.Market Research – Performed market research and prioritized segmentation to fill sales pipelines in energy commodity and performance contracting. Developed web-based customer screening tools and maintained prospect databases.

Greater San Diego Area

Business Planning – Created a business plan for a demand management system in a new region (San Diego and Orange County). Performed SWOT Analysis, analyzed customers, competitors and stakeholders and estimated sales, costs and risks. Marketing – Forged strategic alliances with utilities, industry organizations, and vendors. Developed sales materials and interactive product simulations for web and computer-based presentations.Sales – Pre-screened and qualified potential customers, performed audits and presentations, analyzed utility programs for strategic partnerships, tracked and responded to related legislation, wrote proposals and contracts and closed deals.

Greater San Diego Area

Product and Service Development – Created and managed a profitable line of business for a start-up, performing energy analyses on multifamily housing. Identified building upgrades to qualify for bond allocations, tax credits and state financing.Market Research – Performed primary and secondary research on energy market trends, and published findings to a subscription-based website. Determined the profitability for energy service providers wanting to enter new markets.Software Product Development – Integrated customer needs with technical feasibility. Wrote functional requirements, design documents and SOWs. Developed sales strategies, marketing materials and demo applications.

Greater San Diego Area

Software Product Manager – Developed sales materials and marketing strategies for an energy load shape generating tool. Enhanced product based on customers need. Established reseller and vendor alliancesUtility Consulting – Prepared Northern States Power's 1998-2012 Electric Resource Plan, and identified ways to meet a PUC demand to double customer's energy savings, while reducing the utility's operational expenses.Market Research – Collected, analyzed and reported on CA residential construction practices. Identified trends and correlations relative to utility energy efficiency programs.

Fairfax, Va

Brand Development – Worked on a brand recognition effort, to make ENERGY STAR one of the most recognized symbols for energy efficiency. Defined efficiency thresholds for brand, expanded awareness and visibility and optimized engagement.Account Management – Provided construction design and planning support to over 150 organizations including Fortune 500. Conducted meetings with executives, operations and financial staff to develop energy plans for commercial building portfolios.Program Development – Helped develop ENERGY STAR Homes as a national program that transformed the energy-efficient home construction market by prescribing regionally-based design requirements and post-construction performance standards

Mclean, Va

Technical Writing & Consulting – Authored and published (via a government website) over 50 technical reports and articles on technical energy-efficiency topics, and fielded over 1,000 inquiries on behalf of the DOE.Program Development – Developed and tracked customer service performance metrics. Provided solutions to increase customer value, service and participation.Product & Services Analysis – Analyzed vendor products/services and governmental/utility programs, rebates and incentives. Determined which offerings would be communicated to the public to use in energy conservation efforts.

Erie, Pennsylvania Area

Energy Auditing – Performed over 70 energy audits, identifying nearly $1 million in annual energy savings for residential, light commercial, and manufacturing facilities.Marketing Education & Outreach – Conducted presentations at community events to educate adults and children about the importance of energy conservation and sustainability efforts. Provided consulting and resources to implement local efforts.Business Development – Formed alliances with utility companies, enabling the utilities to expand their service offerings while increasing the longevity and effectiveness of the Center. Extended Center’s operation for an additional year.

Master Of Science (Ms), Urban Systems Engineering

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Electrical And Electronics Engineering