Melissa Stark

Melissa Stark is an adjunct professor at Rice Business, teaching electricity and energy transition topics.

Melissa has spent over 30 years working in the utilities and energy industry.

Melissa had a 30-year career with Accenture. She was Accenture’s global lead for renewables and energy transition services, leading teams to deliver more than 200 renewable and energy transition projects across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.

From September 2023 to November 2024, she served as a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, where she received a certificate of appreciation in recognition for her outstanding contribution in developing the FECM Regional Reports and advancing AI initiatives.

Melissa has authored more than 50 papers and articles on clean energy and energy transition. She was a fellow of the World Economic Forum from 2020-2023, working on system value, industrial clusters, clean electrification, cities, hydrogen and emerging economies. She served as a member of the U.S. National Petroleum Council from 2022-2023. She is a fellow of the U.K. Energy Institute and a member of the U.K. ESO’s Technology Advisory Council. Stark received a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Northwestern University.