Commissioners

Megan Decker was appointed to the Oregon Public Utility Commission by Governor Kate Brown in April 2017 and was promoted to Commission Chair in May 2018. 

 

Chair Decker has led the PUC through a period of major change. From a strengthened financial and organizational position, the agency has both shaped and responded to the evolving policy and industry environment facing its regulated utilities. Beginning with the PUC's landmark SB 978 process, Chair Decker has presided over evolution of the PUC's role in climate change policy, equity and energy burden, load flexibility and distributed resources, and wildfire risk mitigation.

 

In her regional and national leadership, Chair Decker focuses on increasing regional cooperation within the Western electricity grid to benefit Oregon utility customers. In 2019, Chair Decker was elected Co-Chair of the Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation (CREPC), where she promotes impactful conversations among Western leaders. Chair Decker has also represented Oregon as a member of the Committee of State Representatives (COSR) for the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP), the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body (WIRAB), and the Enrolled Parties and States Committee (EPSC) of NorthernGrid, a regional transmission planning organization. 

 

Prior to her appointment, Chair Decker was an Assistant General Counsel with the Port of Portland. She developed expertise in energy policy and regulation as Chief Counsel for Renewable Northwest, where she managed utility commission advocacy in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana and served as Board Chair of the NW Energy Coalition. Chair Decker’s legal experience also includes private practice in land use and a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

 

Chair Decker earned her law degree from the University of Washington, where she graduated with high honors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Stanford University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, earned honors in Latin American Studies, and received the Firestone Medal for Excellence in Research.

First Term: April 1, 2017 – March 31, 2021

Les Perkins was appointed to the Oregon Public Utility Commission by Governor Tina Kotek in February 2024. 

 

Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Perkins represented the rural south end of Hood River County as a Hood River County Commissioner since 2001. While serving as a Commissioner, Perkins represented Hood River County on the board of the Community Renewable Energy Association where he served as Chair. Perkins also served in leadership roles with the Association of Oregon Counties, most recently as Co-Chair of the Natural Resources Legislative Committee, which included energy. Perkins was a longtime member of the Hood River Energy Council which developed an energy plan for Hood River County. Additionally, he gained expertise in energy and water utility management as general manager of the Farmers Irrigation District, which owns and operates two in-conduit hydropower facilities. Commissioner Perkins was also co-founder of Farmers Conservation Alliance, a non-profit focused on finding resource solutions for rural communities, specifically around energy and water. 

 

Commissioner Perkins holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lewis and Clark College.

 

Term: March 18, 2024 – February 15, 2028

Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Tawney was an expert on electric utility business models, state regulation, clean energy development, and large customer buying strategies for World Resources Institute (WRI). As the WRI Polsky Chair for Renewable Energy, she propelled innovation in business and regulatory models in the power sector. Commissioner Tawney has a deep understanding of the constraints and interests driving both utilities and their customers as technology creates large-scale change in the sector.

 

Commissioner Tawney holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

 

Partial Term: June 18, 2018 – May 31, 2020

First Full Term: June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2024

Second Full Term: June 1, 2024 - May 31, 2028