Gov. John Hickenlooper fills Colorado Public Utilities Commission vacancies Appointments of Jeff Ackermann and Wendy Moser will be effective on Jan. 9

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday announced replacements to fill two vacancies on the three-member Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Jeff Ackermann, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office since March 2013, will take one of two open slots created by the departures of commissioners Joshua Epel and Glenn Vaad. Wendy Moser will fill the other. Prior to taking over at the Colorado Energy Office, which focuses on energy conservation, Ackermann was the chief researcher at the PUC, which is tasked with regulating investor-owned energy utilities, telecommunications firms and ground transportation providers. “Jeff has proven to be a skilled leader during his work as director of the Colorado Energy Office,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We are confident he will bring that same level of integrity and ingenuity to the PUC.” Moser is a senior manager at Charter Communications, where she handled governmental, regulatory and public affairs across several western states. “I’m grateful to be selected for the PUC and will do my best to uphold the laws and regulatory framework for the benefit of Coloradans,” Moser said in a statement. Epel, the PUC chairman, announced last month he would resign halfway through his second four-year term. Vaad, whose term was up, announced his retirement effective Jan. 9. Moser and Ackermann will join commissioner Frances Koncilja, who was appointed to the PUC a year ago. The three will be tasked with some big issues, including a proposed $500 million modernization of Xcel Energy’s grid. Both appointments will be effective on Jan. 9, the day Vaad is stepping down. The Colorado Energy Office is also on the hunt for an executive director to replace Ackermann.