John Gajda Appointed by Governor Stein to N.C. Utilities Commission

Congratulations to NC State ECE Professor of the Practice John Gajda on his appointment to the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

Congratulations to NC State Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of the Practice John Gajda on his appointment to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). 

The NCUC is the oldest regulatory body in North Carolina state government, and is responsible for regulating the rates and services of all investor-owned public utilities in N.C. Gajda, who graduated with his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from NC State in 1994, brings 36 years of industry and utility experience to the Utilities Commission.

“This appointment is not so much a recognition for me,” said Gajda. “Rather, this is a recognition by the Governor that adding further engineering perspective to the Commission is crucial to assuring affordable and reliable utility services across North Carolina.”

Since joining the department as a faculty member in 2024, Gajda has taught courses in the M.S. in Electric Power Systems Engineering Program; he also served as an ECE adjunct lecturer for over 10 years. In addition to higher ed, his roles have spanned industry, regulatory agencies, cooperative utilities, investor-owned utilities, consulting, solar power and the federal government. 

“John has made a tremendous impact in ECE during his time with us as Professor of Practice,” said Department Head Veena Misra. “He has strengthened our power and energy programs, brought deep real-world insight into the classroom and built meaningful bridges between our students and the utility sector. His presence has been especially valuable as we continue to invest in energy systems, grid modernization and data center power infrastructure.”

Gajda discovered his passion for utilities almost accidentally, while working a summer job in 1987 as an engineering technician with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “It turns out that job had nothing to do with electrical engineering,” said Gajda, “but the chief engineer asked if I would like to spend a few weeks at the end of the summer at a hydroelectric power plant nearby, which sounded pretty neat… I spent two weeks shadowing technicians and engineers at the Bull Shoals plant, a 340 MW hydroelectric power plant built in 1951. To see a massive structure and set of machines built over 35 years earlier, all working perfectly to keep people's lights on, was amazing. I was hooked.”

That passion Gajda still has for “keeping people’s lights on” will undoubtedly serve him well as a Utilities Commissioner. The department is thrilled to have such an incredible representative serving the people of North Carolina. As for what he wants to accomplish at the NCUC?  

“As I learned from my time teaching, it's never about me,” said Gajda. “In teaching, my focus was always on the students. At the Commission, I plan to do the same – focus squarely on our utility consumers.”