Governor Lamont Appoints Marissa Paslick Gillet as Commissioner

Governor Ned Lamont announced last Friday his nomination, Marissa Paslick Gillet of Baltimore, Maryland to serve as a commissioner of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), responsible for regulating rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electricity, natural gas, water, and telecommunications companies.

Marissa Gillet is currently with the Energy Storage Association as vice president of external relations, a national trade association representing the energy storage industry. Gillet also worked from 2011-2018 at the Maryland Public Service Commission, an independent agency within the Maryland state government that regulates public utilities, where she most recently served as the senior advisor to the chairman. Her position included a number of matters on energy issues in the state, as well as representing the commission on these topics by testifying before the Maryland General Assembly and by leading engagement initiatives as part of the state’s grid modernization proceeding.

Gillett will inherit the remainder of Katie Dykes term, who left her position at PURA earlier this year to become commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

“PURA serves a critical function to protect the consumer’s right to safe, affordable, and reliable utility service, while also ensuring that the providers have a reasonable return on their investments,” Governor Lamont said. “Marissa is going to bring to Connecticut an outsiders’ perspective that we can really utilize. It’s no secret that Connecticut has some of the highest energy rates in the country – we need to change that, and I hope that with her fresh set of eyes and the experience she has working on these issues she can help advance our policy goals of bringing cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power to the people of our state.”

“In this new role, I will focus on delivering more affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy to all Connecticut residents and businesses,” Gillett said. “I look forward to working with the other PURA commissioners and staff to achieve the state’s energy and climate goals in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. I thank Governor Lamont for the opportunity he has given me to serve the people of Connecticut, for his confidence in me, and for his leadership on energy issues in the state and in the region.”

Gillett received her BS in bioengineering from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and a juris doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law in Baltimore, Maryland.

She will begin her commissioner position with PURA on April 26. Her nomination will be sent to the General Assembly for its advice and consent.