Paul A. DeCotis

Senior Director, Energy & Utilities Practice
West Monroe Partners

Paul is an accomplished and respected executive and thought leader with deep expertise in trends and issues facing today's energy and utility leaders. Among other responsibilities, he works with utilities, independent power and distributed energy generators, and state agencies to help plan their response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) preliminary rules requiring states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent or more by 2030.

Paul joined West Monroe Partners in 2014 from Long Island Power Authority, where he served as managing director for contract oversight and previously as vice president of power markets. His responsibilities included oversight of the PSEG Long Island (Public Service Electric & Gas) utility services contract for transmission and distribution operations, customer service, business services, and emergency planning and storm restoration. He was a member of the utility's Risk Management Committee. As vice president of power markets, Paul oversaw power generation, project development, integrated resource planning, and FERC and RTO market policy.

He served as deputy secretary and chair of the state energy planning board for two New York Governors. As the senior energy advisor to the governors, he oversaw strategy, policy, legislation, and implementation activities for the state's energy agencies. He also founded the Governor's Clean Energy Collaborative and led establishment of the state's "45 by 15" clean energy portfolio standard among other initiatives.

Paul's previous roles included director of energy analysis for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, as well as chief of policy analysis and senior policy/financial analyst for the New York State Energy Office. He also served as president of Innovative Management Solutions, a consulting organization, and as adjunct faculty member for the Rochester Institute of Public Policy Department, the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and The Sage Colleges MBA Program.

Paul holds numerous memberships and board/leadership positions with energy and utility industry organizations. He is chairman of the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program (SEP) and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) expert review panels and the national evaluation peer review panel for the Weatherization Assistance Program. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) board on Energy and Environmental Systems and has served on many committees and chaired a panel for the board.

He has published more than four dozen articles and papers on topics ranging from renewable energy to energy efficiency, performance management and evaluation, energy independence, and policy.

Paul earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business Management from State University of New York College at Brockport, a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University at Albany, and an MBA degree in Finance and Management Studies from The Sage Colleges Graduate School.