Kathryn L. Zerfuss was nominated to serve as Commissioner by Gov. Tom Wolf on Sept. 20, 2022, and subsequently confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate on October 19, 2022. Her term will expire on April 1, 2026.
In her confirmation testimony before the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, Zerfuss said she respects the mission of the PUC and will work in a transparent, bipartisan way on the pressing utility-related issues that impact the individuals, families and businesses of this Commonwealth.
Commissioner Zerfuss is a highly regarded government affairs strategist, public servant and trusted adviser who has spent nearly 20 years advancing regulatory and policy issues with a concentration in education, workforce development, worker protections, tax fairness, victim rights and the environment.
She joined the Office of Governor Tom Wolf in the beginning of his second term as a Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs. Among many of her key contributions in this position, she advanced the state's It's On Us initiative to combat sexual violence at postsecondary schools; secured Pennsylvania's first tax credit to help working families with childcare; and created the state's free school breakfast program that serves students in all public and private schools.
Commissioner Zerfuss is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), a non-profit organization dedicated to representing state public service commissions who regulate public utilities. Additionally, she serves on NARUC’s Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment.
Commissioner Zerfuss is only the ninth woman to serve on the PUC in its 86-year history. She currently serves with Commissioner Kimberly Barrow making it only the fourth time two women commissioners have served concurrently.
An alumna of Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, she lives in Mechanicsburg and is married with three children. She grew up in Tamaqua, Schuylkill County.