Director
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Abigail Ross Hopper became Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in January 2015. She is the second Director in the history of the Bureau. She served formerly as the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and has broad experience in the energy sector, including working with a wide variety of stakeholders as well as legal expertise.
Hopper led the MEA from 2012, first as Acting Director and then as Director in June 2013. She also served concurrently as Energy Advisor to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley since 2010. As MEA Director, Hopper was pivotal in ensuring the passage of the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013.
She was a lead negotiator representing the State’s interests in both the Exelon/Constellation merger and the FirstEnergy/Allegheny Energy merger, securing millions in benefits for Maryland and its citizens. Hopper has also focused significant resources on improving the resiliency of the State’s electric utilities in the face of major storms.
Hopper previously spent over two years as Deputy General Counsel with the Maryland Public Service Commission, during which she advised commissioners on a broad range of legal matters arising from their duties as utility regulators. Before embarking on a career in public service, Hopper spent nine years in private practice where she specialized in complex merger and investment counseling and corporate law.
Hopper graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland School of Law and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Dartmouth College.
