Chairperson Andrew J. French

Andrew J. French was appointed to the KCC on June 12, 2020 by Governor Laura Kelly and approved by the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee on June 24, 2020. He served as Chairperson from January 14, 2021 to January 13, 2022 and was re-elected Chairperson on September 14, 2023. French was reappointed to the Commission for a second term and confirmed by the Senate on February 21, 2024. His second term expires March 15, 2028.

French currently serves as the Kansas representative to the Southwest Power Pool and regularly participates in various SPP stakeholder groups, including the Regional State Committee (RSC). French currently serves as the 2023 RSC President. He is also one of 10 state utility regulators selected to serve on the Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission formed in 2021.

Before his appointment to the KCC, French practiced law with a focus on energy policy and the regulation of utility rates and services. He represented a broad spectrum of energy stakeholders, including large industrial energy customers, local school districts, and a natural gas utility company.

Prior to his work in private practice, French was a staff litigation attorney with the KCC. During his tenure from 2012 to 2017, French held a number of positions within the agency, including Senior Litigation Counsel representing the KCC Staff in litigated administrative proceedings. He also advised the Commission on legal, electric reliability, and cost-recovery issues associated with actions of the Southwest Power Pool, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

French has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

A lifelong Kansan, French is originally from Reno County, where he grew up working on his family's farm. He currently resides in Lenexa, Kansas with his wife and son.