AUSTIN The Texas Senate Friday unanimously confirmed the appointment of Kathleen Jackson as commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), according to a press release. Jackson was appointed to her position by Gov. Greg Abbott in Aug. 2022.
“I am grateful to Gov. Abbott and the Texas Senate for trusting me with this responsibility,” Jackson said in the release. “As our state continues to experience incredible growth, the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ mission to ensure reliable and affordable power has never been more important. I’m eager to continue this work alongside my fellow commissioners and the PUCT staff.”
Since joining the PUCT, Jackson has spearheaded efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the state’s electric grid. She previously served as a Board Member of the Texas Water Development Board, first appointed by Governor Rick Perry in 2014 and reappointed by Governor Abbott in 2017.
Throughout her career, Jackson has represented agricultural, environmental, industrial and wholesale supply interests, including developing and implementing water management strategies for Southeast Texas. A registered professional engineer, Jackson served as a public affairs manager for one of the world’s largest petroleum and petrochemical producers.
Jackson was also involved in production agriculture with her late husband, who ran a cattle operation and farmed rice. She was a member of the Lower Neches Valley Authority Board of Directors, the Texas Water Conservation Association, and participated on the Sabine and Neches Rivers Bay and Estuary Environmental Flows Assessment Program Stakeholders Committee. In August 2021, Governor Abbott appointed her to the Environmental Flows Advisory Group.
She is also a board member and past president of the Lamar Institute of Technology Foundation, a sustaining member of the Junior League of Beaumont, a member of the Texas Farm Bureau, past president of the American Cancer Society of North Jefferson County, and a past board member of Junior Achievement of the Golden Triangle.
Jackson received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University.
