Karen J. Plessinger

Karen is a California based independent board director and utility consultant with more than thirty years of finance, investment and private equity experience. In addition to serving as the Chairman for SouthWest Water’s Board of Directors, Karen also currently serves as a Board member for Sonnedix, an independent power producer focusing on photovoltaic electricity.

As one of the founding members of ArcLight Capital Partners in 2001, Karen helped establish the firm’s strategy in private equity investment in power and energy assets, from start­up to $5.0 billion in committed funds. She worked extensively with portfolio company management teams and boards in the midstream and regulated areas before becoming a consultant for the firm from 2009-2010. Prior to joining ArcLight, Karen was the Managing Director of Shoreline Utility Advisors for two years and Utilities Research Director at Angelo Gordon, where she was co-portfolio manager/analyst of hedged utility funds and advised the risk-arbitrage desk and distressed desk on utility positions. Before this, Karen spent two years as the utility analyst at Merrill Lynch Asset Management’s (now BlackRock) Global Utility Fund, and two years as the utility analyst at Franklin Resources (now Franklin Templeton).

Karen has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is the past president and member of the College of Business Finance Advisory Board.