Maureen F. Harris was appointed Commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission on June 14, 2006. Her term runs through February 1, 2012.
Ms. Harris began her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General at the Litigation Department of the New York State Attorney General's Office. Prior to joining the Public Service Commission, Ms. Harris practiced law in a private law firm. Ms. Harris focused her private practice on the representation of investment banks, municipalities, school districts, 501(c)(3) organizations, borrowers, industrial development agencies, and trustees in connection with a variety of tax-exempt and taxable financings. Ms. Harris' transactional experience included financing for colleges, housing, hospitals, transportation and New York State Thruway projects, resource recovery facility projects, a nuclear service center project, as well as water facilities and drinking water projects. Ms. Harris has also represented real estate developers and municipalities in connection with the development of affordable residential housing.
A member of the Telecommunications Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners since 2006, Ms. Harris was appointed Vice-Chair of the Telecommunications Committee in July of 2007. She is also a member of NARUC’s Critical Infrastructure Committee. Recently, Ms. Harris was appointed a member of the leadership group of the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency. Since 2004, Ms. Harris has served as a Board Member of The Harriman Research and Technology Development Corporation, a subsidiary of New York State Empire State Development Corporation.
Since 2002, Ms. Harris has served as an Advisory Board Member to the Government Law Center of Albany Law School. Ms. Harris is the Secretary to the Parent Teacher Association for the Academy of the Holy Names. Ms. Harris served as a Board Member of the Bethlehem Area YMCA and served as the Chair of the Capital Project Committee. During 1997 through 2000, Ms. Harris served as a Board Member of the not-for-profit, Equinox Community Services Agency. Ms. Harris has been a member of the: National Association of Bond Lawyers; Government Finance Officers Association; New York State Association for Affordable Housing;and the Municipal Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Ms. Harris received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Siena College and her J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University. She resides with her husband John and two daughters in Slingerlands, New York.