COMPETE Coalition Leadership
Federico Peña – Co-Chairman, COMPETE Coalition
Federico Peña is a former Secretary of Energy and former Secretary of Transportation during the Clinton Administration. Peña also served as National Co-Chair of Obama for America and a national member of the Obama-Biden Transition. Prior to serving in the cabinet, he served in the Colorado State House of Representatives, and was the Mayor of the City and County of Denver from 1983 to 1991. Peña is also a Senior Advisor at Vestar Capital Partners, a leading global private equity firm, where he focuses on opportunities in the Diversified Industries sector, with an emphasis on alternative energy.
Senator Don Nickles – Co-Chairman, COMPETE Coalition
Senator Nickles served the state of Oklahoma and the country for 24 years in the United States Senate. Nickles was a key member of the Senate Republican Leadership for more than a decade, serving as Chairman of the Republican Senatorial Committee, Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and as the Assistant Republican Leader. In his tenure as United States Senator, Nickles built a legacy of advancing free enterprise causes. Nickles was Chairman of the influential Senate Budget Committee during his last two years in the Senate, and was a senior member of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Nickles currently serves as Chairman & CEO of the Nickles Group, LLC.
William Massey served as a Commissioner at FERC for more than ten years. Mr. Massey is currently a Partner at Covington& Burling LLP and advises investment firms, utilities, independent power producers, pipelines, project developers, customers, marketers and energy companies on a wide variety of energy matters including mergers and acquisitions, market structure, competition policy, transmission and infrastructure investment, enforcement and investigations, and legislative strategy. Drawing on over 25 years as a Washington insider and counselor, Mr. Massey understands the intersection of policy, legislation and regulation.
Joel Malina has served as the Executive Director of COMPETE since its inception in February, 2005. Mr. Malina is an Executive Vice President, Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates and manages national advocacy campaigns in support of major public policy initiatives. Mr. Malina previously served as a political aide to Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) and was an Associate at Austin-Sheinkopf Communications, a New York City-based media relations firm. A cum laude graduate of Yale University, Malina is a former professional actor and frequent guest lecturer at the American University Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute.