卡拉J.彼得曼被任命为加州公共事业委员会（CPUC）州长埃德蒙·G.·布朗在2012年12月。Commissioner Peterman is the CPUC’s assigned Commissioner for a number of proceedings including energy efficiency, the Renewables Portfolio Standard, alternative transportation, and energy storage. She was previously appointed by Governor Brown, in 2011, to the California Energy Commission where she was lead Commissioner for renewables, transportation, and natural gas. Commissioner Peterman has conducted research at the University of California Energy Institute and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and was an investment banker focused on energy financing at Lehman Brothers. Commissioner Peterman holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Energy and Resources from The University of California Berkeley. She also earned a Master of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Commissioner Peterman holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Howard University.