HARRISBURG, Pa. (May 30, 2023) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Public Utility Law Section will present its Christianson Award to Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille during the Public Utility Law Conference, June 1, in Harrisburg. The conference is cosponsored by the PBA Public Utility Law Section and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
The Christianson Award is named in honor of Robert A. Christianson, a former chief administrative law judge for the PUC, and recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the development, improvement and advancement of the profession of public utility law.
Beginning her tenure at the PUC as a commissioner in 2013, Dutrieuille is in her second term after Gov. Thomas W. Wolf nominated, and the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed, her reappointment in 2018. Assuming the title of chairman in 2015, Gov. Wolf reappointed her for that role in 2019.
Practicing a fair and balanced approach to managing utility and consumer issues, Dutrieuille promotes the PUC’s work to educate consumers, enhance the safety and reliability of utility services, and explore innovations. Her efforts highlight the importance of bringing public utilities, including energy, water, communication and transportation, to underserved communities.
Prior to joining the PUC, Dutrieuille served as deputy chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic leader. In that role, Dutrieuille addressed numerous major utility issues, including deregulation bills for telecommunications, electricity and natural gas; Act 201 of 2004, which added Chapter 14 to the Public Utility Code and changed the handling of consumer terminations and reconnections; Act 129 of 2008, which addressed energy efficiency and procurement; and Act 11 of 2012, which expanded use of the distribution system improvement charge.
Before her work with the Senate, Dutrieuille served as assistant counsel for the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Pennsylvania Department of State. She also was a clerk for the late Judge Paul A. Simmons, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania.
A leader in her industry, Dutrieuille is president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners. Within the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Dutrieuille is a member of the Board of Directors; Telecommunications and Critical Infrastructure committees; and Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resiliency Task Force. Recently, she was nominated to serve on NARUC’s joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission.
Within the PBA, Dutrieuille is a member of the Government Lawyers, Minority Bar and Statutory Law committees. In addition, she is a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association, James S. Bowman American Inns of Court, Keystone Bar Association, and Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Governance and Nominations committees.
Dutrieuille earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.
For more information on the Public Utility Law Conference, visit: https://bit.ly/3IArpEQ