Congressman Jerry McNerney was sworn into office on January 4, 2007. He is proud to represent California’s 9th District, which includes a large portion of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley as well as parts of Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties.
McNerney was inspired to run for Congress by his son Michael, who in response to the attacks of September 11, sought and received a commission in the Air Force. Michael suggested that his Dad serve his country by running for Congress. With a deep sense of duty and his family’s support, McNerney began his journey to Congress.
Congressman McNerney is honored to serve on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. The committee is vested with broad jurisdiction on a number of issues including telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce. The Congressman is also proud to be a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
McNerney, who has his Ph.D. in mathematics, served several years as an engineering contractor to Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. In 1990 McNerney moved with his family to California, accepting a senior engineering position with U.S. Windpower, Kenetech. McNerney later began working as an energy consultant for PG&E, FloWind, the Electric Power Research Institute, and other utility companies. Prior to his election to Congress, he formed a start-up company to manufacture wind turbines. During his career in wind energy, McNerney’s work contributed to saving the equivalent of approximately 30 million barrels of oil, or 8.3 million tons of carbon dioxide.
McNerney and Mary, his wife of 40 years, have three grown children. Their oldest son, Michael, is a reserve officer in the U.S. Air Force and a graduate of American University with a degree in law. Daughter Windy received a Ph.D. from Notre Dame in neuroscience and is now working on the biochemistry of neurodegenerative disorders as a fellow at the VA Palo Alto, and also teaches at Stanford University. Their youngest son, Greg, received his Ph.D. in biophysics and is working as an engineer at Intel Corporation.
