Mel Christopher

Mel Christopher is the Executive Director of the Gold Shovel Association and oversees the Gold Shovel Standard Program. Gold Shovel Association is a nonprofit organization committed to improving safety for workers and the public through protecting the integrity of underground infrastructure. Mr. Christopher has a record of improving utility operational performance, developing strong teams, reducing public safety incidents associated with natural gas operations, and improving safety performance of large and diverse workforces. Most recently, Mr. Christopher served as Senior Vice President, Gas Operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest utilities in the United States serving more than 16 million people in Northern and Central California. Prior to that, Mr. Christopher served as Vice President, Transmission and Distribution Operations at PG&E overseeing all field operations for the gas organization. During his tenure at PG&E he envisioned and built a world class Gas Control Center putting public and employee safety at the forefront of operations. Prior to joining PG&E, Mr. Christopher was the President of Vista Energy Solutions, an energy consulting and advisory firm that specializes in solving complex problems in the electric and gas utility industry with expertise in business strategy and analysis, management and operations consulting, regulatory strategy and litigation support. Mr. Christopher served as Vice President with Public Service Company of New Mexico with responsibility for electric and gas field operations, energy marketing and procurement, and state and federal regulatory affairs. Mr. Christopher has been active with the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), with Common Ground Alliance (CGA), and with the American Gas Association (AGA), serving as Chair of the Field Operations Committee in 2018. In 2019, he was appointed to the Boards of Directors for AGA and INGAA where he served until leaving PG&E in November 2019. Mr. Christopher has been active with United Way organizations including serving for many years on the Board of Directors for United Way of Central New Mexico. In this capacity, Mr. Christopher has assisted numerous nonprofits in providing important services to those in need. He has also served on the Boards of other nonprofit organizations.

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