Prior to his appointment as General Manager and CEO of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in 2008 to the top post of the customer-owned utility, he served in a series of management positions, most recently as the Assistant General Manager of Energy Delivery and Customer Services. Mr. DiStasio first joined SMUD in 1981. He is the current President of the Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA), a board member of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the American Public Power Association's CEO of the Climate Change Task Force and a member of the Large Public Power Council. Mr. DiStasio is also the Vice Chair of the California Municipal Utility Association (CMUA). He is active in international energy issues, serving as a delegate with the United States Energy Association, assisting in electrification, operations and energy market development in other countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, Botswana and India. Mr. DiStasio is a member of the American Leadership Foundation, and he is also the owner of DiStasio Vineyards, a commercial vineyard in Amador County, California. Mr. DiStasio received his bachelor's degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco.