Meet the Youngest Commissioner in the Country

PUF's Steve Mitnick: What were your goals during your first year as a commissioner?

Anastasia Palivos: My main goals during my first year as a commissioner were to be a good listener, be fully accessible to all parties, and to dig into all the different energy issues. There is so much to learn, and the best way is to dive in and learn from Commission staff, industry experts, and stakeholders.

In the ten months I've been a commissioner, I've hosted several policy sessions on all types of issues — electric vehicle deployment, transportation electrification, energy storage, wind energy, smart apps for utility operations, and gas pipeline infrastructure and safety.

This was a perfect opportunity to educate the Commission, stakeholders, and myself on important subject matters that pertain to emerging industry issues. My parents are both Greek immigrants and taught me to work hard and stay humble, and that knowledge is power. I've taken that to heart and am trying to learn as much as possible.

PUF: What qualities do you bring to the Commission and utility regulation nationally?

From left to right, Ritta Merza, Acting Commissioner Palivos, Emily Brumit

Anastasia Palivos: My ability to work with all groups to determine optimal solutions. In my world, working together and compromising are good. I previously worked at the Commission as a legal and policy advisor, which provided insight and exposure to the important matters and cases that fall under the purview of the Commission.

I also worked as a business development analyst for a big healthcare tech corporation, so I have a diverse background working in both the private and public sectors.

PUF: The pace of technological change in the utility industry is unprecedented.  What's your role and that of regulators in maximizing consumer benefits?

Anastasia Palivos: Because technology is expanding and developing exponentially, commissioners must keep up with these changes, while balancing the interests of consumers and utilities.

Ritta Merza and Emily Brumit

We accomplish this by reading, researching, and understanding the positions of the public and the utility companies that we regulate. It is important to me that we continue to educate each other and be catalysts for change in this industry, which has been considered slow to adapt to innovation and technology.

It's important for regulators to educate themselves on technologies and continue to think about ways to create a more stable and reliable electric grid, and to consider increased technological change as part of that puzzle.

Whether it's energy storage, rooftop solar, or EVs — these innovative technologies are not on the horizon — they are already here. It's important to address these developments head on and perhaps start initiatives that will facilitate open dialogue.

For example, I led a Notice of Inquiry proceeding to solicit information and opinions from stakeholders on EVs as they relate to grid resiliency and energy efficiency. My main goal is to better understand whether and how EVs can improve grid reliability and resiliency in Illinois, and to hear from stakeholders about how they think the State can best proceed to intelligently and efficiently increase EV deployment.

We were pleased to receive comments from twenty-three entities, which demonstrates how important this topic is and that people are eager to share their ideas.

PUF: What are your long-term aspirations for utility regulation as younger people take the reins at utilities and commissions?

Anastasia Palivos: My goal is to be a fair and accessible regulator. It's very important to me that everyone who appears before the Commission — whether it's a senior citizen who lives on Social Security or the CEO of a major corporation — receives equal treatment and respect. I also hope that younger people are given a fair chance in an industry that has traditionally been limited by diversity and generational gaps.

You have to lead by example. Since being in office, I have experienced being overlooked at NARUC events and have even been mistaken as another commissioner's wife.

When it became time to look for advisors, I was told to hire older men to balance out my image. I did the opposite. I chose to hire legal and policy advisors that I could easily relate to — they are both young women who are driven, hard-working, and hungry — and it's the best decision I've made. Going forward, I aspire to continue creating opportunities for young and diverse individuals.

Ritta Merza

When Commissioner Palivos took me on her team in April of this year, I had no experience in utilities and hardly knew what the Illinois Commerce Commission does. I was lucky that Commissioner Palivos took a chance on me.

I was determined to work hard, learn fast, and represent the office to the best of my ability. Working for another millennial, and with a group of only women, has been a breath of fresh air and, at times, untraditional.

We have spent a lot of our time studying docketed matters, meeting with stakeholders, publishing several articles, finding knowledge gaps, putting together policy sessions to fill them, and, most recently, initiating a Notice of Inquiry regarding electric vehicles. Commissioner Palivos emphasized the importance of a work-life balance and getting to know us outside of work.

Many people often shy away from getting to know colleagues on a personal level. Her philosophy allowed me to build a personal and professional relationship with her and my teammate, Emily Brumit. This helped us develop better rapport with each other, led to better communication amongst our team, encouraged me to always work hard, and motivated me to continue being productive and look for the next big project.

Emily Brumit

Working with Commissioner Palivos and my teammate, Ritta Merza, has been the opportunity of a lifetime. When I began working for the Commission, I was also new to Chicago. This team has become like family to me.

While only being a year older than me, Commissioner Palivos has been my greatest inspiration this year. Our office has learned so much in such a short period of time. I can genuinely say that the topics we've focused on, such as transportation electrification, energy storage, wind energy, and tech, have all become passions for me.

We have worked on docketed matters before the Commission, policy sessions, publications, and a Notice of Inquiry on electric vehicles, and Commissioner Palivos has always given credit where credit is due.

She is not only a strong female leader, she is a strong leader, period. While our team is certainly unconventional in that we are all young women, it has taught me what to strive for as I build my own teams throughout my career. I hope to create hard working, energetic, fair and loyal work environments throughout my life, the way that Commissioner Palivos has done with ours.