(Olympia, WA) Gov. Bob Ferguson on Wednesday named former Microsoft executive Brian Rybarik as the new chair of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Rybarik will join Ann Rendahl and Milt Doumit on the independent panel responsible for regulating private, investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities and transportation companies in Washington. His appointment will take effect March 3 and is subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
“Washingtonians are impacted every day by the availability and safety of electricity, telecommunications, natural gas, water and transportation,” Ferguson said in a statement. “Brian’s decades of regulatory experience will help the Commission to protect these vital services and center people’s needs as Washington advances forward on a clean energy transition.”
At Microsoft, Rybarik held numerous posts, including overseeing the company’s environmental sustainability team. A lawyer, he previously worked for MidAmerican Energy Company, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Rybarik earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to Ferguson’s office.
Rybarik will succeed David Danner who served as chair from February 2013 until his term expired Dec. 31.
In his final year, Danner withstood pressure from former governor Jay Inslee to resign after an investigation into the commissioner’s use of a racial slur and handling of employee allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the regulatory agency.
This story first appeared on Washington State Standard.
