press releases
Contact: Eva Maciejewski, 202-898-8083, emaciejewski@naruc.org
Commissioner Eubanks of Michigan Lays Out Priorities for Improving Industry Diversity and Inclusion and Integrating the Military Task Force Effort
WASHINGTON—Commissioner Rachael A. Eubanks, of the Michigan Public Service Commission, has laid out a vision for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity with an eye toward ensuring more inclusiveness for veterans and underrepresented groups.
Eubanks, who succeeds Sherina Maye Edwards (formerly of the Illinois Commerce Commission), was appointed in February, along with Commissioner Sadzi Oliva, of the Illinois Commerce Commission, who was named vice chair.
Eubanks is a member of NARUC’s Board of Directors on Committee Chairs, Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment and Subcommittee on Education and Research. She represents Michigan on the board of the Organization of PJM States, where she serves as its Secretary.
“I am honored to chair the Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity, and I thank President Betkoski for this opportunity,” said Eubanks. “The subcommittee will continue its focus on exploring programs and best practices that promote diversity and inclusion among suppliers and in the workforce, which now includes veteran development efforts. I look forward to engaging with federal agencies, stakeholder groups and utilities on these important topics, as workforce needs continue to evolve amid fundamental changes in the energy industry.”
NARUC’s Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity was established in 2009 as the Subcommittee on Utility Marketplace Access Partnership. The subcommittee’s name changed in 2017 to better describe its mission to promote the inclusion of women, minority and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in utility supply markets. The subcommittee absorbed the efforts of the NARUC Task Force on Military Workforce Development once the new Report of the NARUC Task Force on Military Workforce Development was finalized and the Task Force was dissolved.
“Commissioner Eubanks provided a seamless transition to lead the Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity,” said NARUC President John Betkoski III. “She and Vice-Chair Commissioner Sadzi Oliva bring high-level skillsets and exceptional service to NARUC and we look forward to excellent contributions from this subcommittee.”
Before joining the Michigan PSC in 2016, Eubanks worked in public finance for 13 years, most recently as a director at Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. In this role, she completed more than $22 billion in bond financings for public purposes. She served as financial advisor on a $185 million issuance for the Public Lighting Authority of Detroit that financed a complete overhaul of the city’s street lighting system amidst its bankruptcy proceedings.
Eubanks holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan.
NARUC subcommittee chairs are appointed by the NARUC President for a one-year term and may be reappointed for a maximum of three consecutive terms.
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About NARUC
NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.