Ken Chawkins is currently the Government Affairs Manager for Air Products Inc., a world leading Industrial Gases company providing industrial gases and related equipment to dozens of industries around the world.  Their current focus is to expand the use of Hydrogen into the global mobility and industrial use markets as a way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintainin a safe and productive economy.  Ken has spent 25 years working in the Energy field.  Having worked on both operational and staff assignments Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company, Chawkins is well-versed on the issues that frame the broad Energy policy debate. He has spent the bulk of his professional career advocating on behalf of reasonable and responsible Energy policies that can bring safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy to California residents.  Ken has worked in many different external-facing posts, interacting with business, labor, non-profit and government organizations on behalf of both Electric and Natural Gas companies.  He specializes in designing and deploying strategic communications efforts and has helped align internal and external team efforts with broad policy priorities. 

In addition to his professional work, Chawkins has maintained a very active civic life.  His two most prominent areas of interest are Youth/Public Education and Civic Engagement.  He currently serves as Chair of The Children’s Partnership, California’s premier child-advocacy agency and has served for many years on Coro Southern California’s Board of Directors.  Previous posts include board membership on the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, Los Angeles Business Federation, Sustain Southern California, Environmental Policy Institute, Pasadena Media Corporation and a host of other local efforts.  Chawkins has served on the City of Pasadena’s Charter Reform Task Force that brought a citywide elected Mayor to Pasadena, and has Chaired the Pasadena Unified School District’s Districting Task Force which moved the School District from an at-large governance model to one with elected sub-districts. 

Chawkins holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA, an MA in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate School and was a Coro Fellow in New York City.  He currently lives in Pasadena with his wife, Dr. Lan Nguyen Chawkins, and has 2 college-aged daughters.