Valerie Means was appointed to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission by Governor Tim Walz, effective April 22, 2019. Her six year term expires on January 6, 2025.
Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Means was a mediator on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Roster of Qualified Neutrals under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice.
Commissioner Means began her career as a prosecutor with the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office in Illinois. She entered private practice in 1995 with Sacks, Albrecht, Copeland, Herzog and Smith, where she handled a broad range of commercial and civil disputes in state and federal courts. Commissioner Means also served as an Administrative Law Judge in Illinois.
Her professional background and experience dealing directly with utility regulatory issues in public service and private practice has prepared her especially well to bring a balanced perspective to the Commission. Commissioner Means was an attorney and shareholder at Moss & Barnett, P.A., where she represented public utilities and telecommunications service providers in regulatory proceedings before the Commission and in state court. Before joining Moss & Barnett, Commissioner Means served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, where she provided legal counsel to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security in regulatory matters before the Commission.
Commissioner Means is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, and Minnesota Women Lawyers.
Commissioner Means received a BA. From the University of Memphis, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law at Champaign-Urbana.
