Stephen M. DeFrank

Stephen M. DeFrank was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate to serve a second term as Commissioner on June 4, 2025, after being renominated by Governor Josh Shapiro on March 24, 2025. His new term as Commissioner extends through April 1, 2030. He continues to serve as Chairman of the Commission.

Chairman DeFrank was originally nominated to serve as Commissioner by Governor Tom Wolf on Sept. 20, 2022, and confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate on Oct. 19, 2022. Once on the Commission, he was elected as Vice Chairman on Oct. 27, 2022, and appointed as Chairman on Aug. 30, 2023, by Governor Shapiro.  

Some of Chairman DeFrank’s board and committee memberships include:

• Chairman, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Committee on Gas;
• NARUC Board of Directors;
• Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC) Board of Directors;
• Organization of PJM States, Inc (OPSI) Board of Directors;
• Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority;
• Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations;
• New Mexico State University Center for Public Utilities (CPU) Board of Directors;
• Gas Technology Institute Public Interest Advisory Committee (GTI PIAC);
• NARUC Advanced Nuclear State Collaborative; and
• NARUC Electric Vehicles State Working Group.

Immediately prior to his tenure at the Commission, Chairman DeFrank worked over five years as a Principal in the government relations practice of Buchanan, Ingersoll, and Rooney, P.C. It was there that he cultivated a strong understanding of economic, environmental, and operational issues from an array of utility, commercial, and public-interest clients.

Additionally, Chairman DeFrank served for more than 24 years in state government, primarily in the Pennsylvania Senate. During his time at the Senate, he helped develop policy initiatives and legislation dealing with all utility sectors.  He helped develop several utility-related legislative initiatives including the creation of the Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) and the authorization of Transportation Network Companies in the Commonwealth.

The Chairman’s priorities at the Commission cover a wide spectrum of areas. He is focusing efforts on several areas, including:

• guaranteeing resource adequacy and electric reliability for Pennsylvanians;
• replacing aging and at-risk natural gas infrastructure;
• achieving economies of scale in the water sector through practical regionalization;
• updating cyber-security protocols for both utilities and the Commission;
• advancing utilities’ roles in transportation electrification;
• increasing availability of broadband telecommunications services;
• renewing energy efficiency programs;
• fostering better accessibility and retention of consumer affordability assistance programs; and
• updating the Commission’s transportation licensing procedures.

Chairman DeFrank earned his bachelor’s degree in public policy from California University of Pennsylvania.  He resides in the Harrisburg area with his wife Colleen and their two daughters Brynn and Paige.