From an early age, Joy Ditto understood what it meant to live a life in service to her country.

She is the daughter of a Marine pilot who gave his life as a result of a plane crash, the step-daughter of a seven-year prisoner of war, and the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and FBI agent. 

After Joy graduated from Vanderbilt University, she headed straight to our nation’s capital to begin her own career — and life — of service. Her focus: national security through the lens of public policy. 

Joy would soon land in the U.S. Senate for the Honorable John McCain, a role that became the launchpad for the first seven years of her career on Capitol Hill as advisors to several members of the House and Senate. There, Joy homed in on her interest and expertise in effectively influencing outcomes related to our nation’s energy, electric, and critical infrastructure policies and the politics influencing those policies – realizing that these sectors serve as the foundation of our national security.

She would go on to serve in various leadership roles including as President and CEO of the Utilities Technology Council — a global trade association representing electric, gas, and water utilities on their mission-critical information and communications technologies— and President and CEO of the American Public Power Association.

Throughout her career, Joy has earned distinctions such as:

  • Chair of the National Energy Resources Organization 

  • Member of the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee 

  • Board Member of:

    • The Electrical Safety Foundation International

    • The Center for Energy Workforce Development

    • The Executive Committee of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council

  • Expert witness on critical electricity, telecommunications, and cybersecurity issues at the:

    • U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

    • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

    • D.C. Public Service Commission

  • Furthermore, her leadership drove year-over-year increases in:

    • Revenue growth 

    • Increased association membership

    • Overall (organizational) net worth

    • Significant legislative wins resulting in billions in benefits for public power utilities

As a government and media relations expert, Joy also helped raise the profile of public power and the electric sector in the media on topics ranging from electric utility response to the pandemic, hurricane response, supply chain concerns, the telecommunications needs of utilities, and climate change. She has appeared regularly on broad channels like Bloomberg Radio, XM Satellite Radio, the White House Chronicles, NPR, RFD TV, to name several. 

Today, Joy serves as the CEO and founder of Joy Ditto Consulting, bringing her extensive leadership experience to help clients in critical infrastructure industries better position themselves in the marketplace and in Washington, D.C.  In addition to her successful executive management experience, Joy draws on her expertise in resilience and reliability, cyber-and-physical security, broadband and telecom for critical infrastructure, electricity markets, and clean energy deployment to support her clients’ goals. Joy Ditto Consulting will also help clients to shape their strategic engagement with the federal government, from Congress to the agencies to the inside-the-beltway media. 

Joy was a member of the Blue-Ribbon Commission formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority to help evaluate its response to the December 2022 Winter Storm Elliott and to recommend any areas of improvement. TVA issued its report on the storm in May 2023, with extensive input and review from Joy and her fellow Blue-Ribbon Commissioners, former Senator Bob Corker and former Electric Power Research Institute CEO Mike Howard.

When she is not supporting her clients, you can find Joy competing as an equestrian in the sport of eventing or spending time with her husband and two daughters.