MONTPELIER — Gov. Peter Shumlin will appoint Sarah Hofmann to serve as a member of the Public Service Board, replacing retiring board member John Burke.
Hofmann is a former deputy commissioner and public advocate at the Department of Public Service, and is currently the executive director of the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners. She will begin to hear new matters at the Public Service Board starting in March 2015.
“Sarah brings an excellent combination of accessibility, warmth and deep policy expertise to the board,” Shumlin said, adding, “Her institutional knowledge, innate fairness and good sense of public engagement will serve the board very well.”
Hofmann previously worked at the Department of Public Service for 17 years — nine years as special counsel, representing the department before the Vermont Public Service Board, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in appeals to the Vermont Supreme Court; and six years as director of Public Advocacy, Consumer Affairs and Public Information. She was named deputy commissioner in April 2011. Hofmann joins Public Service Board Chair Jim Volz and member Margaret Cheney.
“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to help shape our regulatory landscape for the coming years,” said Hofmann. “The utility world is changing and I want to help ensure that our choices are reasonable, affordable and sustainable. I am also excited to join the hard working staff and board members at the Vermont Public Service Board.”
Hofmann replaces retiring board member John Burke, appointed in 2000 by Gov. Howard Dean and reappointed by Gov. Jim Douglas. She is a graduate of Rollins College and the University of New Hampshire Law School. She lives in East Montpelier with her partner, Ken Libertoff, and has two adult children.