Commissioner Carolene Mays of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) will be the new chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Committee on Critical Infrastructure, effective Aug. 1.
Appointed by NARUC President Philip Jones of Washington, Commissioner Mays will replace former Chair Terry Jarrett of Missouri, who is leaving regulation.
First established after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the Committee on Critical Infrastructure gives state regulators a forum to identify, study and propose solutions to utility infrastructure security and delivery concerns.
“I am honored to serve NARUC in this capacity, and I thank President Jones for this opportunity,” Mays said. “Issues concerning cyber security, energy assurance, emergency communications and system resiliency are of the utmost importance, which gives us much to discuss as a committee. Newspapers are filled with examples detailing the vulnerability of our infrastructure. I look forward to working with my committee members to address these challenges.”
Switching the focus from a national to a local perspective, Mays organized meetings with Indiana’s energy utilities this past year to discuss cyber security concerns and their preparedness strategies. Additional meetings with water utilities and communications providers are scheduled for the coming months.
“Our nation’s economic and physical well-being depends on reliable utility service,” Jones said. “The NARUC Critical Infrastructure Committee is addressing some of the biggest challenges the utility sector is facing, with cyber security leading the way. Commissioner Mays is well-versed in these issues, and I am proud and grateful that she is willing to serve in this capacity.”
Mays was appointed to the IURC in 2010. Before joining the commission, she served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008, where she received several Legislator of the Year awards. She was listed as a “Rising Star in Indiana Politics” and was named one of “Indiana’s Most Influential Women.”
Commissioner Mays also served as publisher and president of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper and the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. She also was a finalist for an appointment by President Barack Obama as the Midwest Regional Director of Housing and Urban Development.
Mays was also recently elected president of the Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC), an association of regional regulatory agencies from 14 states.
“Since her appointment to the commission in 2010, Carolene has repeatedly proven her ability to lead,” said IURC Chairman Jim Atterholt. “She represents Indiana and the commission with great distinction.”
As part of her presidency, Indianapolis will host the annual MARC meeting, which brings together commissioners and their staff from each member state to discuss regulatory and policy issues affecting their states, the region and the nation. The conference is scheduled to take place spring of 2014.
