Stevens & Lee Public Affairs announced Wednesday that Brett Kilbourne has joined the firm as of counsel in its Energy and Utility Group, in the Princeton office.
Kilbourne brings 25 years of experience providing strategic regulatory and business counsel to a range of public and private organizations in the energy and utility sectors.
He advises clients on opportunities to leverage existing utility infrastructure, expand into emerging markets and advance project development and implementation plans that comply with a breadth of federal and state agency and utility commission requirements.
“We are pleased to add Brett’s telecom, energy and utilities expertise to our platform,” Bill Thornton, CEO and president of Stevens & Lee, said. “His unique background and professional experience will assist us in continuing to provide the highest value to our clients in existing and emerging energy markets.”
Kilbourne is among a number of recent, high-profile professionals who have joined Stevens & Lee and its affiliated companies in New Jersey. The firm brought on former New Jersey Bureau of Securities Enforcement Chief Richard C. Szuch in October, and Stevens & Lee added former New Jersey Sen. Bob Gordon and Dennis Culnan to its ranks in September.
Prior to joining Stevens & Lee, Kilbourne was senior vice president of policy and general counsel at the Utilities Technology Council, a global trade association dedicated to promoting the telecommunications and information technology interests of electric, gas and water utilities, as well as other critical infrastructure industries. He developed and led several key initiatives. Specifically, he promoted policies to support utilities offering commercial telecommunications and designed rules and standards to promote broadband over powerline technology domestically and globally. He also worked closely with rural electric cooperatives and other utilities to promote broadband access in unserved and underserved areas, including obtaining federal and state funding for last-mile and middle-mile broadband infrastructure deployment. Additionally, he pursued enhancements for utility wireless communications systems and provided pragmatic and effective counsel on a range of regulatory issues.
In the area of public policy, Kilbourne has successfully advocated with Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the U.S. Treasury Department and numerous state-level regulatory agencies and organizations across the country. He has also appealed agency decisions to various federal circuit courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
