Mark Martinez has been a major contributor to the advancement of flexible load management, DR, and DERs for over 30 years, and one of PLMA's most respected thought leaders and colleagues. 

Over his 30 years as an employee of Southern California Edison, Mark's collaboration with other utilities and independent industry researchers has resulted in deep insights and innovative approaches to load management opportunities and programs across the energy industry. As a founding member of the "Demand Response Emerging Technologies (DRET) Collaborative," together with his colleagues from California's three public utilities, Mark was also recognized as a 2022 PLMA Award winner.  

In addition to serving as a PLMA Thought Leadership Group Co-Chair with Jenny Roehm of Schneider Electric, Mark was also instrumental in launching PLMA's very successful Demand Response Training Series. For over a decade, Mark has consistently challenged PLMA and other many industry organizations and utilities to grow and develop their leadership, capabilities, and opportunities. Some career highlights include: 

• In 2020, Mark presented DR as an enabler of California's future energy needs, referencing multiple grid services, price signals, storage, and a necessary migration to DERs. 
• Mark was one of the first industry leaders to recognize the connection between water and energy in CA.
• Mark's importance in the industry is demonstrated by the numerous organizations in which he has played a leadership role, including board positions with OpenADR and PLMA.
• Mark has served as an effective spokesperson at numerous industry conferences and across the media on leading industry innovations, including "The California IOUs Demand Response Emerging Technologies Program Webinar in April 2023 and E Source's 2021 webinar, “The Past, Present and Future of DR: A Chat with SCE’s Mark Martinez.” 
• As both a thought leader and a doer, Mark piloted the "Orb" around 2007, a device that identified periods of high energy use so as to encourage reducing usage during those times. 
• Mark is universally respected and appreciated across PLMA and many other industry irganizations as a leader, a doer, a thinker, and a welcoming and much loved colleague.