Partner, Reed Smith LLP
The Honorable Colette D. Honorable is a highly regarded leader in energy policy and regulation at the state, federal and international levels. Colette is a Partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Energy and Natural Resources Group where she leads the energy regulatory practice and sits on the firm’s Executive Committee. Colette is an Independent Director for Southern Company and sits on its Finance and Business Security and Resiliency Committees.
Prior to joining Reed Smith, Colette served our nation as a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2015 to 2017. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2014 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At FERC, Honorable focused on reliability oversight of the bulk power system, cyber and physical security, oversight of wholesale markets, transmission planning and cost allocation in regional transmission organizations, gas-electric coordination, renewables integration, energy storage integration and valuation, ratemaking, infrastructure development, and enforcement matters. Colette joined FERC from the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC), where she served as Commissioner, Interim Chairman and Chairman from 2007 to 2015. Colette is also past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. She has testified before Congress on multiple occasions, and provides technical support on energy transition and climate-related topics to nations worldwide in support of institutions including the US Department of State and the National Academies of Sciences.
Honorable is a senior fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center, serves on the global advisory board for the Energy Futures Initiative, and is a strategic board member for the Energy Regulators Regional Association. She is also an Ambassador with DOE’s Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Honorable graduated from the historic Little Rock Central High School and is still a member of St. Mark Baptist Church.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University), and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.