NARUC
Erin Hammel is NARUC Senior Director, Professional Development. She leads NARUC’s Professional Development which implements online trainings, NARUC’s Rate School, and NARUC’s three annual meetings. From 1999 to March 2025, Hammel served as Senior Director of NARUC’s International Programs, which engaged energy regulators from more than 60 emerging economies and the 13 regional regulatory associations around the world. Under her leadership, NARUC’s International Programs department received more than $108 million in U.S. Government funding, which is leveraged by the in-kind volunteer contributions from NARUC’s members and other technical experts.
Paul Kjellander is PUF Senior Advisor, former NARUC and Idaho Commission President.
NARUC’s Committee on International Relations has provided help and best practices for almost thirty years as energy market development needs grew overseas. The Committee manages NARUC’s outreach activities across the globe, including partnerships with numerous countries.
The history of the Committee is relatively short compared to that of NARUC, which has been operating since 1889. The Committee was shaped in great part by Erin Hammel, the first person hired in 1999 for work on NARUC’s International Programs.
PUF’s Paul Kjellander talked with Hammel about the founding of NARUC’s Committee on International Relations, how the work was shaped, and its efforts today around the world. There is more from Committee on International Relations Chair and Nevada Commissioner Tammy Cordova along with NARUC Executive Director Tony Clark, who both have played a big role in ensuring America’s trusted regulatory methods translate into best practices around the world.
PUF’s Paul Kjellander: You provide staff liaison support at NARUC to the Committee on International Relations. What was NARUC trying to accomplish through its early international engagement and how has that evolved?