Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed former infrastructure developer Patrick Rhode to the state’s Public Utility Commission, bringing the agency to its full five-person complement.
Rhode’s term expires Sept. 1, 2027, and is effective April 1, according to Abbott’s March 12 announcement.
Rhode spent 16 years as vice president of corporate affairs for Cintra, which develops and manages energy, highway and airport infrastructure projects in North America. He founded his own eponymous public relations consulting firm in Austin in 2024 and serves as its president.
He is credited with helping secure and protect more than $10 billion in “new age” infrastructure projects and managing diverse policy climates at federal and state government levels.
The Advanced Power Alliance, which represents advanced generation projects, welcomed Rhode’s appointment. The APA said his career has been defined by “navigating complex institutions” and “demonstrating a seasoned understanding of how public policy, regulatory environments and private investment” work together.
“Texas is home to more power generation investment than anywhere else in the country, and that investment … is the product of a regulatory environment that is stable, predictable and focused on positive outcomes for Texas consumers and the Texas economy,” APA President Jeffrey Clark said in a statement. “A strong, reliable, affordable electric grid requires all of these technologies working together, and the commission plays an essential role in ensuring the conditions are in place for diverse energy investment to continue.
“We are confident that Commissioner Rhode understands the stakes.”
Patrick Rhode Strategies works with organizations to help manage commercial development support, government and public affairs, political risk and strategic communications.
Before he joined Cintra, Rhode was a special assistant to President George W. Bush, associate administrator of the Small Business Administration and senior adviser to NASA, and he held senior roles in the Department of Homeland Security after Sept. 11, 2001. He began his career in television reporting for CBS and ABC affiliates.
An Arkansas native, Rhode holds bachelor’s degrees in political science from the University of Arkansas and in communications from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The PUC’s membership was changed from three commissioners to five after the disastrous 2021 winter storm that brought the ERCOT grid to its knees. Besides the electricity sector, the commission regulates the state’s water, wastewater and telecommunications utility industries.
