Commissioner Watch

President Alice Reynolds stepped down from the CPUC after Gov. Newsom designated a new president, joining the CAISO Board of Governors.

Gov. Newsom elevated Commissioner John Reynolds to CPUC President, citing affordability and wildfire spending oversight as top priorities.

Gov. Newsom appointed Christine Harada as CPUC Commissioner; she previously served as Undersecretary of the California Government Operations Agency and as a senior advisor in the Biden OMB.

Gov. Josh Stein appointed John Gajda, a 30-year utility industry veteran with experience at Duke Energy, NCUC staff, and electric cooperatives.

Gov. Josh Green appointed longtime consumer advocate Jon Itomura as PUC Chair, succeeding Leo Asuncion who stepped down in November 2025.

Gov. Laura Kelly reappointed Dwight D. Keen to a third term on the Kansas Corporation Commission, confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 2026; term expires March 2030.

Gov. Wes Moore designated Kumar P. Barve as Chair of the Maryland PSC; Barve previously served 32 years in the Maryland House of Delegates, including as majority leader.

Nominated by Gov. Murphy and unanimously confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, Rebhorn brings clean energy policy and climate strategy expertise to the BPU.

Nominated by Gov. Murphy and unanimously confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, Coviello previously served as Deputy Executive Director of the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority.

Former Chairman Art Graham's term expired and he departed the Florida PSC after years of service, including a tenure as chair.

Former Chairman Andrew Fay's term expired and he departed the Florida PSC; Fay had previously served as chair of the commission.

Gov. DeSantis appointed Ana Ortega, previously chief policy adviser to PSC Chair Mike La Rosa, to the Florida PSC for a term beginning January 2, 2026.

Gov. DeSantis appointed Bobby Payne, a former Seminole Electric Cooperative executive and eight-year Republican Florida House member, to the PSC.

Incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols lost his re-election bid to Democrat Alicia Johnson in the November 2025 special election and departed the PSC on January 1, 2026.

Incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson lost his re-election bid to Democrat Peter Hubbard in the November 2025 special election and departed the PSC on January 1, 2026.

Dr. Alicia Johnson won the District 2 special election in November 2025, becoming the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Georgia and the first Democrat on the PSC in nearly 20 years.

Peter Hubbard won the District 3 special election in November 2025, joining Alicia Johnson to flip both Republican-held seats and return Democrats to the Georgia PSC for the first time since 2007.

PUC Chair Leo Asuncion abruptly stepped down on November 17, 2025 amid rising public outcry over high utility rates in Hawaii.

Commissioner Marian Abdou resigned from the NJBPU effective August 1, 2025, departing at a critical moment as New Jersey ratepayers faced rising summer energy bills.

Commissioner William Brawley was elected by his fellow commissioners to serve as Chair of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, effective July 31, 2025.

Gov. Whitmer appointed Shaquila Myers, former senior advisor to the Governor and chief of staff to the Michigan House Speaker, to replace departing Commissioner Alessandra Carreon.

Commissioner Alessandra Carreon, widely seen as a clean energy advocate, departed the MPSC after Gov. Whitmer declined to reappoint her; she subsequently became Michigan's Chief Climate Officer at EGLE.

Gov. Wes Moore appointed Ryan C. 'Chuck' McLean to the Maryland PSC; McLean previously served as the Commission's Chief Public Utility Law Judge for nearly seven years.

The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Stephen DeFrank to a second term as Commissioner and PUC Chair on June 4, 2025; his new term extends through April 1, 2030.

Gov. Kotek appointed Commissioner Letha Tawney as Chair of the Oregon Public Utility Commission, bringing new leadership as utilities navigated rising rate pressures.

Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Sarah Martz as Chair of the Iowa Utilities Commission; she had been serving as a commissioner since May 2023.

Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed ex-Microsoft sustainability executive Brian Rybarik as UTC Chair, replacing David Danner who retired in December 2024; Rybarik brings 20 years of energy regulatory experience.

The Illinois Senate confirmed Doug Scott to a new five-year term as ICC Chairman on February 26, 2025, following his reappointment by Gov. Pritzker in January 2024.

Gov. Tim Walz appointed Audrey Partridge to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on January 30, 2025, citing her experience in the state's clean energy transition.

Gov. Tina Kotek appointed state Rep. Karin Power — previously Kotek's Natural Resources and Climate Advisor — as a commissioner of the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

Gov. Jared Polis reappointed Eric Blank for a second four-year term as PUC Chairman, effective January 12, 2025; the Colorado Senate confirmed the appointment on April 9, 2025.

The newly seated Arizona Corporation Commission unanimously elected Commissioner Kevin Thompson as Chair on January 7, 2025.

Rachel Walden was sworn in to the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 6, 2025, beginning her first term after winning election in November 2024.

Rene Lopez was sworn in to the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 6, 2025, beginning his first term after winning election in November 2024.

Gary F. Clark began his second term as a Florida PSC Commissioner on January 2, 2025, reappointed through the state's nominating council process.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed former state Senator Greg Nibert, a lawyer and economist, to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission for a six-year term beginning January 1, 2025.