Shannon O'Rourke

Shannon O’Rourke was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 29, 2023, as the deputy director of the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety at the California Natural Resources Agency. She leads the organization’s electrical infrastructure directorate, which includes the divisions of electric safety policy, compliance assurance and data analytics.

Deputy Director O’Rourke served in a number of positions over the course of a decade at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). She was chief of staff to President Marybel Batjer, leading a team that advised the president on a range of energy regulatory issues, including wildfire mitigation. She also served as an administrative law judge, supervisor of customer generation programs, energy and safety advisor to Commissioner Carla J. Peterman, and as a public utilities regulatory analyst. Prior to government service, Deputy Director O’Rourke worked in the energy sector. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree in Energy and Environment from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego.