Excerpt from “Meet the Youngest Commissioner in the Country,” an interview with Illinois’ Acting Commissioner Anastasia Palivos in the December PUF:
“My goal is to be a fair and accessible regulator. It’s very important to me that everyone who appears before the Commission — whether it’s a senior citizen who lives on Social Security or the CEO of a major corporation – receives equal treatment and respect. I also hope that younger people are given a fair chance in an industry that has traditionally been limited by diversity and generational gaps.
You have to lead by example. Since being in office, I have experienced being overlooked at NARUC events and have even been mistaken as another commissioner’s wife.
When it became time to look for advisors, I was told to hire older men to balance out my image. I did the opposite. I chose to hire legal and policy advisors that I could easily relate to — they are both young women who are driven, hard-working, and hungry — and it’s the best decision I’ve made. Going forward, I aspire to continue creating opportunities for young and diverse individuals.”
