Andrew G. Place joined the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on October 1, 2015, one day after receiving the unanimous approval of the Pennsylvania Senate. Commissioner Place was nominated by Gov. Wolf in May and his term will continue until April 1, 2020.
The recipient of the 2013 Energy Leadership Award by the Pittsburgh Business Times, Place has served as a keynote speaker, lecturer and panelist at numerous national and international energy-related forums. With a background in business, academia, state government service and agriculture, he brings a unique blend of insights to the Commission’s efforts to balance the needs of consumers and utilities.
Place had been the corporate director for energy and environmental policy at EQT Corporation in Pittsburgh, and had worked to establish the Center for Sustainable Shale Development, whose collaborative efforts have been praised by The Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor.
Previously, Place held a number of positions in the DEP, and was a research fellow at Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Engineering and Public Policy. He also taught at CMU as an adjunct professor.
He serves on the board of Global Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization that works to welcome international students and influencers to the Pittsburgh region and encourages more people to consider living and working in the region.
Place received his bachelor’s degree in economics, with a concentration in mathematics, from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in public policy and management from the H. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon. Place lives in Greene County, where the family owns and operates a 210-acre cattle and sheep farm.