Peter C. Nelson was named president and CEO of California Water Service Co. Nelson also will be a director. He comes from Pacific Gas & Electric Co., where he was v.p.-division operations. He replaces the retiring Donald L. Houck.
Jack Lucido of ANR Pipeline Co. was elected to the American Gas Association's pipeline research committee, succeeding Gary Walker of Pacific Transmission Co.
The Electric Power Research Institute hired Karl G. Van Orsdol as senior manager, international relations. Van Orsdol comes from his own consulting firm, Environmental Strategies, International, which works for EPRI and clients worldwide.
Mary Jane McCartney, senior v.p. for gas operations at Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, is the new chairman of the Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB). She succeeds GISB's first chairman, Steve Chesebro' of Tenneco Energy. Chesebro' will remain on the board. Vice chairman will be Randy Couch of Amoco Energy Trading Corp.
The United States Telephone Association (USTA) has hired two staffers and made a staffing change. Jocelyn Shrewder Miceli joins USTA as media relations director. James Lowell becomes the small company affairs director. And Anne Barcal moves from legal and regulatory affairs director to financial management director.