Denise Bode

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Denise Bode (born 1954, Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a nationally recognized energy policy expert and a former Corporate Commissioner of that state. In January 2005 she began her second and last six-year term in office, having won reelection by the most votes ever garnered by a Republican candidate for an Oklahoma state-wide office. She is currently the CEO of the American Clean Skies Foundation, a nonprofit energy education foundation.[1] She hosts the show Energy Matters on CleanSkies.tv. [2]

Appointed by Governor Frank Keating, Bode took office on August 20, 1997[3] and was elected on November 3, 1998 with over 60% of the vote, a record for a Republican running statewide for the first time. She was reelected to her second full term in November, 2004.

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[edit] Early life

Bode was born in Tulsa and raised in Bartlesville.[4] She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oklahoma where she chaired the University of Oklahoma Student Congress.[5] Having earned her Juris Doctor from George Mason University and a Master’s of Law in taxation from Georgetown University,[6] Bode worked for nine years on the staff of then–U.S. Senator David Boren as his legal counsel, focusing on the areas of energy and taxation.[7]

Before joining the commission, Bode served for seven years as president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) in Washington, D.C.[8] Mrs. Bode preceded her service at IPAA as a founding partner of a Washington D.C. firm,[9] where she represented businesses ranging from agriculture to life insurance.

Bode was appointed to President George W. Bush’s Energy Transition Advisory Team[10] and has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, as well as lectured at the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. She represented the United States in Oslo, Norway, at the International Union Conservative Women’s Conference. She was elected by state regulators from the eight states that make up the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region to serve as President of SPP’s Regional State Committee. The committee is charged with directing electric transmission expansion in Oklahoma and the other states in the SPP region.

[edit] Corporation Commission

In her 9 years on the Commission, Commissioner Bode has helped restructure the telecommunications, natural gas and electricity industry markets. She chaired the hearings which developed alternative regulation of telecommunications; the result was dramatic expansion of high speed internet access across the state, a reduction in fees for consumers of telecommunications and discounts to encourage competition. [11] Commissioner Bode is a strong consumer advocate, having fought for the rights of consumers by requiring greater notice against slamming,[12] the premature deregulation of electricity[13] and against the imprudent purchase of natural gas in the winter of 2001.

She has also worked to streamline the commission process for those in the oil and gas industry to ensure the proper production of Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas resources.[14]

Commissioner Bode also has a key role in the area of security, having been appointed to both national and state positions involving leadership in the planning for protection of our critical infrastructure and essential services against terrorism.[15]

She volunteers on many charitable boards including the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation, the Board of Directors of Saint Gregory's University, and the Salvation Army.[16]

She currently serves as Chairman of the Foundation of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), is a member of the Committee on Critical Infrastructure, Consumer Affairs and Telecommunications for NARUC, a member of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),[17] and is Chair of the Subcommittee on Critical Infrastructure for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She is the Oklahoma state contact on Critical Infrastructure for the Office of Homeland Security and for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Assurance. She is on the board of the Maguire Energy Institute of the Southern Methodist University School of Business, and also serves on the board of the Mewborne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.[18]

[edit] Honors

Mrs. Bode’s honors include: 2002 Byliner Award for Government-Association for Women in Communication,[19] 2002 Distinguished Service Award-Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, 2001 State Official of the Year -Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies, Inc., 2001 Hearst Newspapers Energy Award for Public Service, 1999 Woman of the Year-Journal Record (Oklahoma City),[20] named as one of Oklahoma's "Women of Influence" by Oklahoma Family Magazine.

In 2002, Denise Bode ran for Attorney General against incumbent Drew Edmondson and was defeated by Edmondson (60%-40%).

Bode was a candidate for the Republican Nomination for the Oklahoma 5th Congressional District; however, she lost the Republican Party nomination in the July 25, 2006 primary.[21]

On April 20, 2007, Bode announced her intention to resign as Corporation Commissioner and form the American Clean Skies Foundation to promote the use of Natural Gas.[22] On May 14, 2007 Brad Henry appointed Jim Roth as her replacement.[23]

[edit] Personal life

Commissioner Bode has been married to her husband, John, for 29 years and they have a 22 year-old son, Sean. They are members of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Oklahoma City. The Bodes have a home in Oklahoma City as well as a ranching operation in western Oklahoma.[24]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ American Clean Skies Foundation, http://cleanskies.org/
  2. ^ CleanSkies.tv, http://www.cleanskies.tv
  3. ^ ”IPAA's Bode” 14:26.
  4. ^ Miller 22.
  5. ^ ”Almanac” 13.
  6. ^ Price 1.
  7. ^ Crow 48.
  8. ^ ”IPAA's Bode” 14:26.
  9. ^ Miller 22.
  10. ^ ”Bode named” 13.
  11. ^ ”For Bode” A18.
  12. ^ Francis-Smith 1.
  13. ^ Francis-Smith 1.
  14. ^ ”Energetic Bode” 1.
  15. ^ Ray E1.
  16. ^ ’’Almanac’’ 13.
  17. ^ ” Okla. Corporation Commission Chairman” 1.
  18. ^ ’’Almanac’’ 14.
  19. ^ ”Okla. Corporate Commissioner” 1.
  20. ^ Page 1.
  21. ^ McNutt 1.
  22. ^ Womack E4.
  23. ^ ”Roth Steps Forward” 1.
  24. ^ ”Almanac” 13.

[edit] Bibliography

  • (2001). “Bode Named to President’s Energy Panel.” ‘’Tulsa World’’. January 4.
  • Crow, Patrick (1994). “Boren’s Exit.” ‘’Oil & Gas Journal’’. May 2.
  • (2007). "Denise Bode." denisebode.com. Retrieved September 12.
  • (2005). “Executive Branch.” ‘’Oklahoma Almanac’’. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
  • (2004). “For Bode.” ‘’Tulsa World’’. October 28.
  • Francis-Smith, Janice (2007). “Denise Bode urges 'balanced regulation' to her successors in Okla.” ‘’Journal Record’’. June 4.
  • Hrbener, Ron (1997). Interest Group Politics in America. New York: ME Sharpe.
  • McNutt, Michael (2006). “Four former rivals line up to endorse Fallin in runoff.” ‘’Knight Ridder Tribune Business News’’. August 1.
  • Miller, William (1992). “The Lady in the Oil Patch.” ‘’Industry Week’’. July 6.
  • Page, David (2006). “Oklahoma City Journal Record Woman of the Year honorees to receive $5000 college scholarship.” ‘’Journal Record’’. August 11.
  • (2003). “Okla. Corporate Commission Chairman Denise Bode to Serve on FCC Committee.” ‘’Journal Record’’. December 23.
  • (2004). “Okla. Corporate Commissioner Denise Bode to Speak at OCU.” ‘’Journal Record’’. March 4.
  • (2007). "Political Notebook." Tulsa World. August 19.
  • Price, Marie (2002). “Meet Denise Bode.” ‘’Journal Record’’. October 24.
  • (2007). “Roth steps forward.” ‘’Knight Ridder Tribune Business News’’. May 16.
  • Russell, Ray (2004). “Utilities to get security rules.” ‘’Tulsa World’’. December 4.
  • Womack, Jason (2007). “D.C.-bound Bode looks back on commission days.” ‘’Tulsa World’’. June 5.

[edit] External links