CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A new member filled the final vacancy left in the state Public Service Commission Friday.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Kara Cunningham Williams to the job that took effect immediately.
Williams will fill the role of Commissioner Jon McKinney who previously resigned.
“Kara’s professional background and community involvement in both the Lewisburg and Charleston communities make her experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of issues that come before our state’s PSC. She will be a great asset to the Commission moving forward,” Tomblin said in a news release.
Since 2006, Williams has been a volunteer at the YWCA of Charleston, where she used to serve as the President of the Board of Directors. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg.
Williams has taught at the West Virginia University College of Law and worked at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC where she was on the Recruiting and Ethics Committees. She began her career in a commercial litigation practice at Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. before returning to West Virginia in 1999. Williams is a graduate of Washington & Lee University and Harvard Law School.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Public Service Commission, and I appreciate Governor Tomblin’s confidence in me to serve the people of West Virginia,” she said in a news release.
Williams’ term lasts through June 30, 2017.