Speakers
Gary Hanson, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, Pierre, S.D.
Gary Hanson was elected to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in 2003 and re-elected in November 2008. He served as chairman in 2005 and 2008. Commissioner Hanson represents South Dakota on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioner's Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, and he represents NARUC on the steering committee of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative. He is chairman of the South Dakota Underground Pipeline Task Force and past treasurer of the Organization of MISO States. He has served three terms in the South Dakota Senate and two terms as the mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city. Prior to becoming mayor, Commissioner Hanson was Sioux Falls' Utilities Commissioner for six years and was responsible for the development and day-to-day activities for three municipal utilities. He has been involved as a co-founder, past president and chairman of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System; past chairman of the South Dakota Public Assurance Alliance; and past president of the Sioux Falls Board of Realtors. He owned small businesses for 16 years and is a licensed real estate auctioneer, appraiser and broker.
Learn more about the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.