DALLAS — Outgoing Organization of MISO States Executive Director Marcus Hawkins appeared before the RTO’s Advisory Committee for a final time before starting as a member of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
At the March 20 Advisory Committee meeting, Chair and Indiana Utility Regulatory Commissioner Sarah Freeman jokingly introduced Hawkins as OMS’ “short-term” executive director.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) appointed Hawkins to the Wisconsin PSC the previous week. Hawkins’ term begins April 8 and runs until March 1, 2027.
“The OMS executive director has resigned his position effective April 5,” Hawkins said to laughter while delivering a final report before the committee.
Hawkins said he hopes OMS has a “challenging task” ahead of it in selecting a candidate from a qualified pool.
“If you want, reach out to me. I have some unique insights into that position,” he joked.
“You have moved OMS forward, and you have left it in a better place than you found it. … You have taken it to a different level,” Robert Kuzman, MISO’s head of stakeholder relations, told Hawkins, eliciting applause. Kuzman added he’s eager to work with Hawkins in his new role.
“We look forward to continuing our work together,” Freeman seconded.
OMS is accepting applications for a new executive director through March 29.
Hawkins has been with OMS since 2016, joining the organization as its director of member services and advocacy. He was promoted to executive director two years later. Before his time at OMS, Hawkins was a senior engineer at the PSC and a program manager and engineer at the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp.
Hawkins holds a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In a statement at the time of the announcement, Hawkins said he was proud to return to the commission “during such a critical time of rapid change in the utility industry.”
Hawkins’ appointment occurs two months after Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled Senate refused to confirm former Public Service Commissioner Tyler Huebner’s PSC nomination, though he had been performing duties unconfirmed for four years until that point. The Senate’s refusal to confirm Huebner continues a pattern of Republican senators rejecting Evers’ picks to state commissions and boards. (See Wisconsin Senate Votes to Fire Commissioner Huebner 4 Years into Job.)
Hawkins will exit the organization before OMS holds its annual Resource Adequacy Summit on May 14-15 in Ames, Iowa, in partnership with Iowa State University. Until his departure, Hawkins will continue to organize the summit.
