Janet Gail Besser is Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs for the New England Clean Energy Council, where she leads the Council’s policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate New England’s clean energy economy to global leadership by building an active community of stakeholders and a world-class cluster of clean energy companies. Previously, she was Vice President, Regulatory Strategy and Policy at National Grid, and Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Janet has been an executive and expert consultant at two leading consulting firms, Analysis Group and Lexecon, and held senior roles at the Massachusetts Energy Office and New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.She also served as policy director for a DC-based national independent power association, and began her career as a small hydro developer and low-income consumer advocate. Janet is a nationally recognized expert on a wide range of energy policy issues with deep relationships across the industry.She earned a Master in Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Williams College.