PJM Interconnection appoints Haque as executive director of strategic policy and external affairs

PJM Interconnection announced Monday that it appointed Asim Z. Haque, currently the chair and CEO of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), as its executive director of strategic policy and external affairs.

Haque is stepping down from PUCO and will join PJM on March 11. He will advise on energy policy matters and be responsible for engaging and fostering relationships with members of state and federal government in PJM’s 13 states and the District of Columbia. Haque will report to Denise R. Foster, vice president of State and Member Services.

“Asim is respected for his astute insights into policy and practical questions facing our industry,” Vincent P. Duane, senior vice president, general counsel, Law, Compliance and External Relations, said. “He will bring a unique and thoughtful perspective to PJM, informed by his recent service as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio,”

Ohio Governor John R. Kasich appointed Haque to PUCO in 2013. Haque was reappointed to a second term in 2016.

“I am forever grateful to my fellow Commissioners and the Staff of the PUCO for their hard work and for being partners with me in this venture,” Haque said in a statement on his resignation from PUCO. “I am also thankful to our utility community for working collaboratively to piece Ohio back together after some challenging years. Thanks are due of course to Governor John R. Kasich and his team for providing me with the opportunity to serve, and my sincere best wishes to Governor Mike DeWine and his team going forward.”

Haque began his career as an attorney in a general practice law firm in Columbus where he represented clients in energy and utility matters. He then joined the in-house counsel team at Honda of America Mfg., Inc. until his appointment to PUCO in 2013.

Haque earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he was awarded the school’s Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award in 2015.