Governor Doug Ducey announced the appointment of Malcolm Hightower to Director of the Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO), effective May 10. He will replace Laurie A. Woodall, who served as Interim Director since mid-December.
Ducey stated on Twitter, “Malcolm’s years of leadership and commitment to serving communities in need make him a great fit to lead RUCO. He will serve Arizona’s utility consumers well, and I look forward to working with him to ensure their needs are met.”
Malcolm’s years of leadership and commitment to serving communities in need make him a great fit to lead RUCO. He will serve Arizona’s utility consumers well, and I look forward to working with him to ensure their needs are met. https://t.co/hfPknIP33Y
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) May 10, 2021
Hightower received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Science in Public Administration both from Seattle University in Washington. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith, and Family (GOYFF). He was responsible for child well-being, juvenile justice, substance, and physical abuse prevention, faith-based initiatives, and volunteerism. Hightower also worked with the Casey Family Programs, a national operating foundation, to support safety and child and family well-being in local, state, tribal, and national communities. Prior to that, Hightower spent six years as a social worker and case manager where he specialized in communities with primarily Native American and Black citizens.
The strategic plan for RUCO in 2021 includes goals like improving communication with customers, enhancing customer advocacy, improving the skillset of all employees, and increasing the amount of and productivity while telecommuting.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Arizonans and look forward to leading the team at RUCO,” stated Hightower. “Thank you to Governor Ducey for appointing me to this new role — our team will take innovative measures to meet the needs of Arizona’s utility consumers.”
RUCO was established by the Arizona Legislature to represent the residential utility ratepayers in rate-related proceedings involving public service corporations. RUCO intervenes and participates in rate cases involving Arizona’s largest utilities, with smaller companies decided on a case-by-case basis.
