PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission will elect new leadership at their regular meeting on Nov. 6, 2025, at the request of Chairman Gary Hanson. Current Vice Chairman Chris Nelson is expected to be nominated for the role of chairman. Commissioner Kristie Fiegen is expected to be nominated for the vice chairperson position. The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. CST in Room 413 at the State Capitol in Pierre.
Hanson is currently serving in the commission’s top leadership spot, a role he has held on many occasions since first being elected to the PUC in 2002. Hanson also held the chairman’s seat in 2005, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2020.
Hanson proposed the leadership change as he began treatments for cancer, which was detected earlier this month. “It is sensible to turn the leadership reins of the commission to my very capable fellow commissioners as I enter this new phase,” Hanson said. “I expect to be fully engaged and fulfill my duties as a public utilities commissioner during this time,” he continued.
Hanson’s treatment will be directed by a team of medical professionals in his hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “I am encouraged and impressed by the many doctors and medical staff I have met during this journey so far. Their knowledge and skills combined with my own determination and the support of my family and friends will result in what I expect to be a positive outcome.”
Nelson has served on the PUC since January 2011 and has carried the gavel as the PUC’s chairman in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2022. He is a board member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the Organization of MISO States. Nelson is also a member of the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council and the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. Prior to joining the PUC, Nelson served as the South Dakota Secretary of State for eight years.
Fiegen’s tenure with the commission began in August 2011. She holds leadership positions in the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization, the Gas Technology Institute’s Public Interest Advisory Committee and the NARUC Committee on Gas. Her public service career includes four terms in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
For more information about the Public Utilities Commission, visit the agency’s website at puc.sd.gov.
