Joy Ditto is the President and CEO of Joy Ditto Consulting, where she advises clients on how to navigate and support the electric utility sector and on how to incorporate the important intersections with other critical infrastructure sectors. . Joy brings more than 25 years of experience representing electric utilities in Washington, D.C., including as the CEO of two national trade associations.
Since founding her firm in 2023, Joy has expanded her team and supported clients across the electric sector to sharpen their understanding of policy dynamics and market positioning. She helps clients design and implement strategic plans, monitor policy developments, and build direct relationships with federal and industry stakeholders.
Joy continues to be a sought-after speaker on leadership as well as energy and cybersecurity policy.
Joy was a member of a Blue-Ribbon Panel convened by the Tennessee Valley Authority to evaluate its response to Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022 and to identify actionable improvements.
Career Leadership & Impact
From 2020 to 2023, Joy served as President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA), where she led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and inflationary headwinds. Under her leadership, APPA's revenue grew from $22 million to $36 million, its net worth nearly tripled, and the organization delivered significant policy wins—including securing public power eligibility for clean energy tax credits worth billions—without increasing member dues.
Joy also raised APPA’s national profile in mainstream and industry media, appearing on NPR, Bloomberg Radio, SiriusXM, RFD-TV, and the White House Chronicles, and she consistently spotlighted public power’s role in resilience, disaster response, and supply chain issues, among others. She also played a leadership role in shaping cybersecurity strategy as a member of the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee and as a long-serving Executive Committee member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC).
Prior to her APPA tenure, Joy served as President and CEO of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), where she doubled utility membership, increased revenue, and testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on electric grid resilience and its relationship to reliable telecommunications.
Earlier, Joy spent 15 years in senior roles at APPA, and seven years on Capitol Hill, including as a legislative assistant to two Pennsylvania representatives and a Nebraska senator, and as a staff assistant to Senator John McCain—her first role after college.
Key Strengths & Milestones
Organizational Transformation: At APPA, Joy led a strategic overhaul that increased revenue by 63% and tripled net worth in just three years. At UTC, she designed and executed a new strategic plan that reversed membership declines and restored financial growth.
Public Engagement & Thought Leadership: Joy launched The Essentials, a LinkedIn newsletter with over 3,000 subscribers and 8,000+ followers, offering insights into the interconnectivity of critical infrastructure. In November 2024, The Essentials hosted a dialogue about artificial intelligence and critical infrastructure sectors, including former Representative Brandon Williams (R-NY) and nominee to be Undersecretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, and other experts on cybersecurity, workforce, telecommunications, and critical manufacturing. She has been a featured speaker at national forums including NRECA’s “Women in Power,” and testified before the U.S. Senate Energy Committee and FERC on grid resilience and radio spectrum access.
Policy & Security Expertise: With deep experience in government relations, Joy helped reconstitute the ESCC in 2012, advised TVA on lessons learned from Winter Storm Elliott, and has held high-level federal security clearances, including TS/SCI.
Boards & Affiliations
Joy is a past chair of the National Energy Resources Organization and a former board member of the Electrical Safety Foundation International and the Center for Energy Workforce Development. She was a long-serving member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) and a member of the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee.