Paul Kjellander

Paul Kjellander rejoined the Idaho Public Utilities Commission in April 2011 following his service as administrator of the Office of Energy Resources (OER). Kjellander, who serves as Commission president, was appointed to his current six-year term by Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter.

Kjellander previously served on the Commission from January 1999 until October 2007. In 2007, Governor Otter appointed Kjellander to head up the newly created OER. During his 3.5 years at OER, Kjellander created an aggressive energy efficiency program funded through the federal stimulus act. Kjellander was also elected to serve as a board member on the National Association of State Energy Officials.

Kjellander, a Republican, was elected to three terms (1994-1999) in the Idaho House of Representatives, where he served as a member of the House State Affairs, Judiciary and Rules, Ways and Means, Local Government and Transportation committees. During his last term in office, Kjellander was elected House Majority Caucus Chairman. His legislative service includes membership on the Legislature’s Information Technology Advisory Council and the House/Senate Joint Committee on Technology. He also served as co-chairman of the Legislative Task Force on the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 and vice chairman of the Council of State Governments-West “Smart States Committee.” His interim legislative committee assignments included the Optional Forms of County Government Committee, Capital Crimes Committee and the Private Property Rights Committee.

Kjellander has also served as director of the Distance Learning Program at Boise State University’s College of Applied Technology and head of broadcast technology. At the BSU Radio Network he was station manager, director of the Special Projects Unit and director of News and Public Affairs.

Kjellander’s undergraduate degrees from Muskingum College, Ohio, are in communications, psychology and art. He has a master’s degree in telecommunications from Ohio University.

As a member of the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC), Kjellander has served on the Telecommunications, Consumer Affairs, and Electricity committees. He was also appointed by the chairman of the Federal Communication Commission to the Federal/State Board of Jurisdictional Separations and served as chairman. He is currently serving as a NARUC representative to the North American Numbering Council (NANC).