Commissioner John Espindola was appointed by Governor Mike Dunleavy to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in June 2023. He began his public service for the people of Alaska in 2018. He served the Governor for over three years as his personal assistant. In early 2022, Commissioner Espindola began working on Governor Dunleavy’s policy team as the liaison for multiple departments and also focused on energy related matters. John helped establish the Office of Energy Innovation through Administrative Order 340 and the Alaska Energy Security Task Force through Administrative Order 345, both housed in the Office of the Governor. Commissioner Espindola was responsible for organizing the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in 2022 and 2023.
Before serving in the Dunleavy Administration, Commissioner Espindola spent over a decade in the construction industry in leadership roles. During that time in his career, John continued to support his tribe by serving a five-year board term for the Pueblo’s Housing Authority, an eight-year term for the Pueblo’s Utility Authority and less than a year as a board member on the Laguna Community Foundation. In 2008, Commissioner Espindola was appointed by the Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Albuquerque Energy Council where he helped guide the city with energy policy until 2013. Commissioner Espindola currently serves on the executive committee of the National Council on Electricity Policy and is actively involved with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Commissioner Espindola is a tribal member from the Pueblo of Laguna. He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Political Science and has received several professional accreditations such as New Mexico MM98 Master Mechanical and New Mexico GF09 Utility Contractor licenses. John has been married to his wife Dana for 18 years and they have two children Arianna and Matthias. The Espindola family has been living in Eagle River since 2015.