Ted Thomas, the former legislator who will step down Friday as chair of the state Public Service Commission, will be succeded by Katie Anderson, currently a state administrative law judge, Governor Hutchinson announced.
The release:
Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced his appointment of Katie Anderson of Scott as Chairman of the Public Service Commission. Anderson currently serves as an Administrative Law Judge for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. She is also a Vice President of I.F. Anderson Farms, Inc. in Lonoke, a 4th generation family-owned bait fish farm in operation since 1949.
She previously served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Erin L. Wiedemann, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Arkansas; the Honorable Audrey R. Evans, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; and the Honorable Karen R. Baker, Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals.
From 2012 – 2015 she was Senior Manager of the State and Local Policy Team for Walmart Stores, Inc. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law.
“Katie has proven to be a fair arbiter of important issues throughout her career,” Governor Hutchinson said. “I’m confident she will bring a fair and balanced approach to matters before the Public Service Commission. She has served the state well as an Administrative Law Judge and her judicial temperament and sense of fairness make her a good fit in the Public Service Commission.”
“I want to thank Governor Hutchinson for his confidence and trust in me to serve as Chairman of the Public Service Commission,” Anderson said. “I am truly honored to accept this appointment, and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. In this new capacity, I will continue to serve the people of Arkansas with the utmost level of integrity and professionalism.”
Anderson will replace Chairman Ted Thomas, and her start date is October 2, 2022. She will serve the remainder of Thomas’s term which expires January 14, 2027.
Judicial temperament noted. Thomas riled the electric utility industry with critical comments about their resistance to greater reliance on alternative sources of power, particular solar projects. He was to preside at a hearing today for Entergy and some expected something of a valedictory from Thomas today on the end of his time in the office.