Patricia Hoffman was named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the United States Department of Energy in November 2007.  The focus of her responsibility is to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally.  This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for reliable electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.  

Prior to her current position, she served in a dual capacity as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Research and Development (R&D) and Chief Operating Officer within Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.  During her tenure as the DAS for R&D, she developed the long-term research strategy and improved the management portfolio of research programs for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid.  This included developing and implementing sensors and operational tools for wide-area monitoring, energy storage research and demonstration and the development of advanced conductors to increase the capacity and flexibility of the grid.  She also initiated a new research effort focused on integrating and distributing renewable energy through the electric grid, such as promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and implementing smart grid technologies to maintain system reliability.  As Chief Operating Officer, she managed the business operations for the Organization, including human resources, budget development, financial execution, and performance management.   

Prior to joining the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, she was the Program Manager for the Federal Energy Management Program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the United States Department of Energy.  This program guides the Federal government to “lead by example” promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart energy management.  Complementing her building energy efficiency experience, she also was the Program Manager for the Distributed Energy Program which conducted research on advanced natural gas power generation and combined heat and power systems.  Her accomplishments included the successful completion of the Advanced Turbine System program resulting in a high-efficiency industrial gas turbine power generation product.

Patricia Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Penn State University.