For the past 17 years, Mary O’Driscoll has served as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s director of media relations, advising nine chairs and countless commissioners and staff. She will retire from federal service on Dec. 31.
O’Driscoll is a stalwart at the tricky juncture of complex regulation and the government’s duty to inform the public. The giants of America’s energy industry see their fortunes rise and fall on the issuance of FERC permits or policy changes. The agency is famously closed-lipped, chillingly so for reporters digging for scoops.
Still, O’Driscoll broadened FERC’s approach to public outreach. Over the years, she detangled press release language to make the arcane far more accessible. When fresh-faced commissioners arrived at 888 First St. in Washington, she advised them on their public role.
“For FERC commissioners, she’s just a vital, vital part of the organization. She’s one of the first people that I met when I came to the commission, and I really worked with her quite actively from coming in the door,” recalled former FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee, appointed by former President Donald Trump.
