Raleigh, NC -- On Jan 28th, following the resignation of Utilities Commission Chair Charlotte Mitchell, Governor Josh Stein appointed Floyd B. McKissick Jr. to carry out the remainder of Mitchell’s term, which goes through June 30, 2029. Governor Stein also appointed Steve Levitas to fill McKissick’s position through June 30, 2025.

“Floyd McKissick currently serves on the Utilities Commission, and he brings decades of conscientious experience in public service to the role,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am grateful for his willingness to continue serving on the Utilities Commission, and I am proud to be bringing on Steve Levitas, a utilities expert who is a practical problem-solver, to finish Floyd’s current term.”

McKissick has served on the State Utilities Commission since 2019 and currently serves on the following committees through the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): International Relations, Critical Infrastructure, Consumers and the Public Interest, and Energy Resources and the Environment. He is also the Immediate Past President of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC). He previously represented Durham and Granville counties in the North Carolina State Senate for 13 years, including serving as the Senior Deputy Democratic Leader. He has practiced law since 1984, representing both Fortune 500 corporations and small businesses.

Levitas is a solar industry veteran and nationally respected authority on energy policy. His areas of expertise include competitive procurement program design, voluntary customer programs, PURPA implementation, integrated resource planning, and transmission and interconnection policies and procedures. In 2023, he received the North Carolina Sustainable Energy’s Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior to his involvement in the renewable energy sector, he spent more than 25 years working in the field of environmental law and policy, including serving as the Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Natural Resources.