Denise Bode
Encyclopedia
Denise Bode is a nationally recognized energy policy expert and a former Corporate Commissioner of that state. In January 2005 she began her second and last six-year term in office, having won reelection by the most votes ever garnered by a Republican candidate for an Oklahoma
state-wide office.
Appointed by Governor Frank Keating
, Bode took office on August 20, 1997 and was elected on November 3, 1998 with over 60% of the vote, a record for a Republican running statewide for the first time. She was reelected to her second full term in November, 2004.
Bode is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the American Wind Energy Association
, www.awea.org, the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry.
executive. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oklahoma
, where she chaired the University of Oklahoma Student Congress. She earned her Juris Doctor
from George Mason University and a Master’s of Law in taxation from Georgetown University.
Before joining the Corporation Commission, Bode served for seven years as president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) in Washington, D.C.
She preceded her service at IPAA as a founding partner of a Washington D.C. firm, where she represented businesses ranging from agriculture to life insurance.
Bode was appointed to President George W. Bush
’s Energy Transition Advisory Team and has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, as well as lectured at the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. She represented the United States in Oslo, Norway, at the International Union Conservative Women’s Conference. She was elected by state regulators from the eight states that make up the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region to serve as President of SPP’s Regional State Committee. The committee is charged with directing electric transmission expansion in Oklahoma and the other states in the SPP region.
In 2002, Denise Bode ran for Attorney General against incumbent Drew Edmondson
and was defeated by Edmondson (60%-40%).
Bode was a candidate for the Republican Nomination for the Oklahoma 5th Congressional District; however, she lost the Republican Party nomination in the July 25, 2006 primary.
On April 20, 2007, Bode announced her intention to resign as Corporation Commissioner and form the American Clean Skies Foundation
to promote the use of natural gas
. On May 14, 2007 Brad Henry
appointed Jim Roth
as her replacement. On January 1, 2009, Bode resigned from ACSF to become the new CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.
In 2011, the AWEA under Bode has a staff of 70, including a half-dozen full-time lobbyists, a lobbying budget of $2.5 million (down from $4m in 2009), a total yearly budget of $35 million, and a political action committee, WindPAC. The PAC made campaign contributions in the 2010 election cycle of around $320,000, around 70% going to Democratic candidates and 30% to Republicans, comparing with campaign donations of just under $30,000 in 2000 but also still dwarfed by those of the oil industry.
She also worked to streamline the commission process for those in the oil and gas industry to ensure the proper production of Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas resources.
Commissioner Bode also had a key role in the area of security, having been appointed to both national and state positions involving leadership in the planning for protection of critical infrastructure and essential services against terrorism.
She currently serves as Chairman of the Foundation of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), is a member of the Committee on Critical Infrastructure, Consumer Affairs and Telecommunications for NARUC, a member of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and is Chair of the Subcommittee on Critical Infrastructure for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She is the Oklahoma state contact on Critical Infrastructure for the Office of Homeland Security and for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Assurance. She is on the board of the Maguire Energy Institute of the Southern Methodist University School of Business, and also serves on the board of the Mewborne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
state-wide office.
Appointed by Governor Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
, Bode took office on August 20, 1997 and was elected on November 3, 1998 with over 60% of the vote, a record for a Republican running statewide for the first time. She was reelected to her second full term in November, 2004.
Bode is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the American Wind Energy Association
American Wind Energy Association
Formed in 1974, the American Wind Energy Association is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing wind power project developers, equipment suppliers, service providers, parts manufacturers, utilities, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry.With over 2,500...
, www.awea.org, the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry.
Early life and education
Bode was born in Tulsa and raised in Bartlesville, where her father was a Phillips PetroleumPhillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum Company was founded in 1917 by L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their younger brother Waite Phillips was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch....
executive. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, where she chaired the University of Oklahoma Student Congress. She earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from George Mason University and a Master’s of Law in taxation from Georgetown University.
Career
Bode worked for nine years on the staff of then–U.S. Senator David Boren as his legal counsel, focusing on the areas of energy and taxation and staffing the Senate Finance Committee.Before joining the Corporation Commission, Bode served for seven years as president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
She preceded her service at IPAA as a founding partner of a Washington D.C. firm, where she represented businesses ranging from agriculture to life insurance.
Bode was appointed to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
’s Energy Transition Advisory Team and has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, as well as lectured at the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. She represented the United States in Oslo, Norway, at the International Union Conservative Women’s Conference. She was elected by state regulators from the eight states that make up the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region to serve as President of SPP’s Regional State Committee. The committee is charged with directing electric transmission expansion in Oklahoma and the other states in the SPP region.
In 2002, Denise Bode ran for Attorney General against incumbent Drew Edmondson
Drew Edmondson
William Andrew "Drew" Edmondson , is an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011...
and was defeated by Edmondson (60%-40%).
Bode was a candidate for the Republican Nomination for the Oklahoma 5th Congressional District; however, she lost the Republican Party nomination in the July 25, 2006 primary.
On April 20, 2007, Bode announced her intention to resign as Corporation Commissioner and form the American Clean Skies Foundation
American Clean Skies Foundation
American Clean Skies Foundation is a 501 nonprofit organization devoted to research and debate on clean energy. ACSF's mission is to promote understanding and discussion of issues related to energy--to expand America's energy options....
to promote the use of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. On May 14, 2007 Brad Henry
Brad Henry
Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
appointed Jim Roth
Jim Roth
Jim Roth is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Democrat, Roth was appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin to serve on the Oklahoma State Election Board as the panel's lone Democrat. As of September 2011, the Governor's appointment of Roth was awaiting confirmation by the...
as her replacement. On January 1, 2009, Bode resigned from ACSF to become the new CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.
In 2011, the AWEA under Bode has a staff of 70, including a half-dozen full-time lobbyists, a lobbying budget of $2.5 million (down from $4m in 2009), a total yearly budget of $35 million, and a political action committee, WindPAC. The PAC made campaign contributions in the 2010 election cycle of around $320,000, around 70% going to Democratic candidates and 30% to Republicans, comparing with campaign donations of just under $30,000 in 2000 but also still dwarfed by those of the oil industry.
Corporation Commission
In her 10 years on the Commission, Commissioner Bode helped restructure the telecommunications, natural gas and electricity industry markets. She chaired the hearings which developed alternative regulation of telecommunications; the result was dramatic expansion of high-speed Internet access across the state, a reduction in fees for consumers of telecommunications and discounts to encourage competition. Commissioner Bode is a strong consumer advocate, having fought for the rights of consumers by requiring greater notice against slamming, the premature deregulation of electricity and the imprudent purchase of natural gas in the winter of 2001.She also worked to streamline the commission process for those in the oil and gas industry to ensure the proper production of Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas resources.
Commissioner Bode also had a key role in the area of security, having been appointed to both national and state positions involving leadership in the planning for protection of critical infrastructure and essential services against terrorism.
Honors and other involvements
Bode’s honors include: 2010 CEO Update announced that Denise was selected by her peers as one of the top association CEOs in the country, 2009 “Woman of the Year” for the Women’s Council for Energy and the Environment (WCEE) and she was awarded a mention amongst Washingtonian’s “100 Most Powerful Women of Washington,” 2002 Byliner Award for Government-Association for Women in Communication, 2002 Distinguished Service Award-Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, 2001 State Official of the Year -Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies, Inc., 2001 Hearst Newspapers Energy Award for Public Service, 1999 Woman of the Year-Journal Record (Oklahoma City), named as one of Oklahoma's "Women of Influence" by Oklahoma Family Magazine.She currently serves as Chairman of the Foundation of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), is a member of the Committee on Critical Infrastructure, Consumer Affairs and Telecommunications for NARUC, a member of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and is Chair of the Subcommittee on Critical Infrastructure for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She is the Oklahoma state contact on Critical Infrastructure for the Office of Homeland Security and for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Assurance. She is on the board of the Maguire Energy Institute of the Southern Methodist University School of Business, and also serves on the board of the Mewborne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.