Margaret Downey

Former Chief Administrative Officer, Cape Light Compact Joint Powers Entity

2012 Policy and Advocacy Award Winner

Margaret Downey was the Chief Administrative Officer for the Cape Light Compact Joint Powers Entity, the first municipal aggregator in Massachusetts, for 29 years. Cape Light Compact provides Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard with energy efficiency programs and competitive renewable electricity supply. She oversaw all of Cape Light Compact’s operations and programs, and managed and directed the Cape Light Compact’s electric power supply aggregation program and energy efficiency programs. She was a founding member of the Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative, a sister organization of the Cape Light Compact, which installed over 30 megawatts of distributed renewable energy solar photovoltaic projects on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. She continues to serve as officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEED, a national energy education project aimed at educating students and teachers about energy efficiency in the classroom and community. Downey has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington at Seattle and a Graduate Certificate in Management from Harvard University Extension School.