California wildfires, a federal case against Cobra head intersected with the work history of LUMA’s new CEO.

By THE STAR STAFF

The professional experience of LUMA Energy’s new CEO, Janisse Quiñones, has not been untouched by controversy.

Quiñones, born and raised in Caguas and a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, has worked for several energy and water companies that have been in the public eye for various reasons.

The recent controversies revolve around her role as executive director and lead engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest water and energy utility in the United States. Among the accusations against Quiñones, who received a $750,000 annual compensation, it was alleged that she knew months before the 2025 wildfires about problems with the city’s water system, including the Santa Ynez Reservoir being empty and several fire hydrants being damaged.

Prior to her role with the Los Angeles public corporation, Quiñones joined Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in 2021. The company faced criticism for its alleged connection to several wildfires in California: the 2017 Wine Country Fires, the 2018 Camp Fire, the 2019 Kincade Fire and the 2020 Zogg Fire. She served as senior vice president of gas engineering and later as senior vice president of electric operations at PG&E. In the latter position, she oversaw the operations of the electrical system and the power generation fleet.

According to her résumé, Quiñones was vice president of operations at Cobra Energy, responsible for restoration and reconstruction projects for Puerto Rico’s electrical transmission and distribution systems after Hurricane Maria. Cobra’s then-president, Donald Keith Ellison, was indicted in 2019 along with the former administrator of FEMA Region II, Ahsha Nateef Tribble, for conspiring to commit fraud involving electrical system recovery funds.

The retired U.S. Coast Guard commander was vice president of gas systems engineering for National Grid, a London-based multinational electrical utility company with major headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts that manages gas and electricity networks across the U.K. and the northeastern U.S., as well as director of design, planning, construction, and vegetation management at San Diego Gas & Electric.

Quiñones holds a master of business administration and a master of advanced studies in international relations, and is a licensed professional engineer in five states.