Jim Kelly retired from Edison International (EIX) on July 1, 2011, after almost 38 years of service with the company. EIX is the parent company of Southern California Edison, a regulated electric utility, and Edison Mission Group, an independent power company.
Prior to his retirement, Mr. Kelly was the senior vice president of transmission and distribution for Southern California Edison, responsible for the operation and maintenance of an electrical grid comprised of more than 12,000 miles of transmission and 100,000 miles of distribution lines spread across a 50,000-square-mile service area. Mr. Kelly led an organization of 8,400 employees in the utility’s T&D business unit, which also maintains and operates over 900 substations. SCE’s T&D organization serves over 14 million people through about 4.9 million customer accounts. As head of T&D, Kelly was responsible for an annual capital budget of over $2 billion and O&M of over $500 million.
Mr. Kelly was also president of Edison ESI, a subsidiary company that operates one of the largest electrical and mechanical repair facilities in the U.S., with over 400,000 square feet of shop space under one roof. Edison ESI provides overhaul, maintenance, testing, repair, and calibration of equipment for other utilities, cogenerators, independent power producers, major industries and public agencies.
Kelly was previously the vice president of engineering and technical services, responsible for planning, engineering, and designing SCE’s electrical grid, as well as research and development, safety and training. In this role, he formed the company’s Advanced Technology organization, which has gained national prominence for its leadership role in electric vehicle and smart grid technology. Mr. Kelly was one of the early pioneers of the smart grid, developing a roadmap for a smarter, safer, more reliable and more environmentally responsible electrical grid.
He now works with youth and teachers to promote STEM education in the United States.