Offices and Staff Directory

Chairman and Commissioners

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is overseen by a group of five commissioners appointed by the state's governor for five-year terms. The group includes a chairman, vice chairman, and three commissioners-at-large.

Office of Executive Director

The Office of Executive Director is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day management of the Commission’s functions and staff. This position is responsible for the overall planning, direction, organization and operation of the Commission. Also, the Executive Director develops, recommends to the Commissioners, and implements the PUC’s strategic plans and policies.  

Deputy Executive Director

The Deputy Executive Director oversees the PUC’s bureaus with regulatory functions, including the Bureau of Audits, the Bureau of Consumer Services, the Bureau of Technical Utility Services, the Office of Special Assistants and the Office of Administrative Law Judge . The Deputy Executive Director also is responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and overseeing regulatory staff.

Bureau of Administration

The Bureau of Administration provides support for administrative matters in the daily operation of the Commission. The bureau is responsible for the preparation of the PUC budget, collection of assessments, contracts, travel-related services, mail distribution, inventory control, automotive services, and the facilities where staff are located. 

Office of Administrative Law Judge

The Office of Administrative Law Judge (OALJ) fulfills a judicial role within the Commission by hearing cases, mediating cases through the alternative dispute resolution process and issuing decisions. The office’s primary duty is to provide fair and prompt resolution of contested proceedings before the Commission. The Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are attorneys with experience in administrative law who preside over the hearings in cases that can include consumer complaints, rate filings, investigations, ability to pay/billing disputes and applications.

The OALJ includes a mediation unit and a mediation coordinator. It is the PUC’s policy to encourage mediation and settlement rather than to see the parties engage in what may become lengthy and expensive litigation during the formal hearing process. Mediation is a voluntary, confidential and non-binding process through which a neutral third party, the mediator, assists the parties in reaching a mutually acceptable settlement of their disputes.

Learn More About Mediation

Bureau of Audits

The Bureau of Audits performs financial, management, operational and specialized audits on electric, natural gas, steam heat, wastewater, water and telecommunications utilities. It also reviews certain adjustment clause rate filings and 1307(e) reconciliation statements. The audits may result in recommendations to refund over-recovered costs and to improve accounting/operational procedures that could save utilities and consumers money.

Adjustment Clause Audits

Gas, steam-heat and certain municipal electric utilities require an annual adjustment clause audit as mandated by the legislature. The audits verify the energy costs incurred by a utility, determining if the utility overbilled or underbilled customers for yearly energy charges. The PUC then decides if customer rates will be appropriately reduced or increased. The bureau performs audits of certain water utilities that are authorized to charge ratepayers a Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC). The DSIC enables water utilities to accelerate compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Audits are conducted to ensure that only Commission-authorized expenses are included in the DSIC rates. Certain electric utilities impacted by the Electric Competition Act are authorized to recover a portion of their stranded costs through Competitive and Intangible Transition Charges. The utilities are required to file annual reconciliation statements associated with the application of these charges. The bureau will perform audits designed to determine the accuracy and the propriety of the reconciliation statements.

Office of Communications

The Office of Communications is charged with handling Commission media relations, employee communications, consumer education and communications technology, in addition to serving as the lead staff for the Consumer Advisory Council. The office is responsible for issuing press releases, responding to media calls, conducting consumer-education campaigns, distributing educational materials, creating internal and external publications, coordinating the PUC’s websites and social media, and managing livestreaming and communications technology.

The Office of Competitive Market Oversight (OCMO)

The Office of Competitive Market Oversight (OCMO) serves as the Commission's electric and natural gas choice ombudsman, oversees the development and functioning of the competitive retail electric and natural gas supply market; and  provides a forum for informal dispute resolution.  

Bureau of Consumer Services

The Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) investigates and issues decisions on informal complaints from residential and small commercial customers and enforces the PUC’s customer service regulations. The bureau also serves as an intermediary between utilities and consumers, mediating complaints, making payment agreements, and implementing and monitoring universal service and energy policy. The bureau prepares annual reports for the Commission and General Assembly on complaint handling, customer service performance, universal services and collection performance.

Office of Cybersecurity Compliance and Oversight

The Office of Cybersecurity Compliance and Oversight (OCCO) advises the Executive Director and Commissioners on policy issues and procedural improvements involving cybersecurity oversight functions of regulated utilities; drafts proposed cyber-related regulations, ; and oversees the preparation of documents related to cybersecurity policies and procedures. 

Human Resource Office

The Office of Human Resources (HR)is responsible for planning, organizing and directing the PUC’s  comprehensive human resource services program. This includes personnel and position management, labor relations, staff development, equal opportunity, recruitment and placement, employee benefits and services, personnel and leave transactions, and complement management. The bureau provides administrative and advisory services to the Executive Director, Director of Administration and PUC management.

Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement

The Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E) serves as the prosecutorial bureau for purposes of representing the public interest in ratemaking matters. The bureau also prosecutes service matters before the Office of Administrative Law Judge and enforces regulatory compliance with the state and federal motor carrier safety, damage prevention, electric safety, and gas pipeline safety laws and regulations. The bureau handles rail safety enforcement proceedings and investigates referrals from other bureaus. The bureau also prepares administrative reports for the Commission. 

Safety Division

The Safety Division is located with in the Bureau of I&E.

Law Bureau

The Law Bureau acts as the Commission’s in-house legal counsel in three main areas: advisory, representational and enforcement, providing legal advice to the Commission regarding electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water/ wastewater and transportation matters, as well as proposed legislation, and regulatory and policy statements. The bureau’s director serves as Chief Counsel to the Commission. The Law Bureau represents the Commission before state and federal courts and before other state and federal agencies. 

Office of Legislative Affairs

The Office of Legislative Affairs acts as the liaison between the PUC and the Governor’s Office, the General Assembly and the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation; identifies legislation that may affect the Commission or public utilities and obtains staff analysis; provides relevant information to the legislature; and promotes the Commission’s position on legislation and issues with the General Assembly.

Management Information Systems (MIS)

The Office of Management Information Systems (MIS) serves as the PUC’s central IT department. As the primary technology steward for the agency, MIS is responsible for ensuring that reliable, secure, and efficient technology systems are available to support the Commission’s critical regulatory responsibilities. The office oversees the full spectrum of technology operations, enabling PUC staff to carry out their public service mission effectively. MIS delivers a comprehensive suite of services, including application development, data analytics, project management, infrastructure, and  cybersecurity. Through these functions, the team builds and maintains custom applications, extracts actionable insights from complex datasets, manages technology projects from inception to completion, maintains robust server and network environments, and implements proactive security measures to protect sensitive regulatory data against evolving threats.

Secretary's Bureau

The Secretary's Bureau is the PUC’s official point of contact with the public. The Secretary serves as the prothonotary of the Commission, and all documents and filings received by the Commission must be officially filed with the Secretary. The bureau processes, dockets and assigns all filings to the appropriate bureaus within the Commission for review and recommendation. All official Commission actions and decisions are issued over the Secretary’s signature. The Secretary’s Bureau coordinates the Commission’s Public Meeting agendas; records the minutes of each Public Meeting; and issues all Commission orders, decisions and secretarial letters. The Secretary also is the Commission’s official Right to-Know Officer.

Office of Special Assistants

The Office of Special Assistants (OSA) is the Commission’s advisory support bureau, providing legal and technical advice to the Commission primarily regarding challenges to Administrative Law Judge decisions, as well as policy issues; drafts proposed opinions and orders containing a review of the facts, the applicable law and a proposed resolution of the issues raised in contested proceedings; drafts opinions and orders pursuant to Motions adopted at Public Meeting; and reviews petitions for relief following the issuance of Commission orders.

Bureau of Technical Utility Services

The Bureau of Technical Utility Services (TUS) serves as the principal technical advisory bureau to the Commission regarding fixed and transportation utility regulatory matters, as well as an adviser to the PUC on technical issues for electric, natural gas, water and wastewater, and telecommunications utilities. The bureau also offers policy recommendations on rates, tariffs and regulatory matters; processes utility applications; and coordinates emergency operations of utilities.