Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday appointed long-time ExxonMobil employee Kathleen Jackson to the Public Utility Commission, bringing the agency that regulates the state’s electricity industry to its full five-person membership.
Jackson’s term expires in September 2027. She previously served on the Texas Water Development Board, where she was first appointed in 2014. She is a registered professional engineer and has a diverse background representing agricultural, environmental, industrial and wholesale-supply interests.
She has been a public affairs spokesperson since 1997 for an ExxonMobil refinery in Beaumont, where she lives. Jackson joined the company in 1977 after receiving a degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University.
Legislation last year expanded the PUC’s seats from three to five. All three previous commissioners left the PUC in the aftermath of the February 2021 winter storm that almost collapsed the ERCOT grid.