Hon. Robert S. Kenney

Chairman, Missouri Public Service Commission
NRRI Board Term Ends 12/31/16
200 Madison Street, PO Box 360, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Tel: (573)751-3234
robert.kenney@psc.mo.gov

Commissioner Robert S. Kenney was appointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission on July 29, 2009 by Governor Jay Nixon. He was unanimously confirmed by the Missouri State Senate on January 13, 2010.

Commissioner Kenney is an active member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He serves on the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, the Consumer Affairs Committee, the Subcommittee on Utility Market Place Access, and the International Relations Committee. He currently serves as the President of the Organization of MISO States.

Commissioner Kenney has been invited to speak and present on a variety of legal and energy related topics including general and emerging issues in regulatory policy, renewable energy standards, smart grid deployment, customer engagement, integrated resource planning, environmental compliance, and market monitoring.

Prior to his appointment to the PSC, Commissioner Kenney served as Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster’s Chief of Staff.

As Chief of Staff, Commissioner Kenney was instrumental in leading the office through the transition process. He was responsible for overall management of the Attorney General’s attorney and non-attorney employees in five offices throughout the state. Commissioner Kenney was also responsible for managing and litigating complex cases involving, among other things, election law, petition initiatives, and representation of statewide elected officials. Commissioner Kenney was also tasked with monitoring and advocating on behalf of legislation affecting the Attorney General’s Office. As a part of the executive leadership team, Commissioner Kenney was responsible for the management and administration of a $23 million budget. Commissioner Kenney also acted as the primary contact and liaison with multiple constituencies including the Missouri General Assembly, statewide elected officials, local/municipal elected officials and leaders, and the labor, law enforcement, agriculture, minority, and other communities.

Before working for the Attorney General, Commissioner Kenney was a shareholder at the St. Louis law firm Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus PC (now Polsinelli Shughart), where he practiced in the commercial and business litigation practice group and the product liability practice group. He litigated complex cases in state and federal courts in Missouri, Illinois, and other courts throughout the country. Commissioner Kenney chaired Polsinelli’s diversity committee and served on the firm’s recruiting committee.

Prior to his time in private practice at Polsinelli, Commissioner Kenney was an Assistant Attorney General in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for nearly three years, practicing in the Consumer Protection Division. In that division, Commissioner Kenney worked to enforce state and federal consumer protection laws. Commissioner Kenney also served the community by implementing community education and outreach efforts. Commissioner Kenney also played an instrumental role in the initial implementation and enforcement of Missouri’s Telemarketing No-Call List Law.

Commissioner Kenney remains actively involved in a host of civic and bar related activities. Commissioner Kenney is a member of the Missouri Bar Board of Governors. Commissioner Kenney served as the Co-Chair of the 2009-2010 Missouri Bar Leadership Academy. He is Vice-Chair of the Missouri Bar’s Twenty-Second Circuit Judicial Evaluation Committee and Vice-Chair of the Missouri Bar’s Environmental and Energy Law Committee. Commissioner Kenney is a past President of the Mound City Bar Association. Commissioner Kenney has also served as a member of the board of governors of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, serving as a presidential liaison.

Commissioner Kenney has served on the Board of Trustees for Fontbonne University, the Board of Directors for The St. Louis Black Repertory Theater, and the Board of Directors for the Portfolio Gallery and Educational Center. Commissioner Kenney is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Lambda Chapter.

Commissioner Kenney was selected to receive the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2009 Inclusive Leadership Award. Commissioner Kenney was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s Class of 2009 40 Under 40. He was also recognized in the 2008 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers, as a “Rising Star” in the Business Litigation practice area. Commissioner Kenney was also selected to appear in the Fifth and Sixth Editions of Who’s Who In Black St. Louis.

Commissioner Kenney earned his undergraduate degree in 1994 from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. He earned his law degree in 1998 from Saint Louis University School of Law. While in law school, Commissioner Kenney was an Articles Editor for the Saint Louis University Public Law Review. He was also a member of the National Moot Court Team and the Moot Court Board. He is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Illinois (inactive). He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Energy Bar Association, and the Mound City Bar Association

Commissioner Kenney is married to Michelle (Oakley) Kenney. They have two children: daughter, Mackenzie; and son, Robert, Jr. They live in the Carondelet neighborhood in the City of St. Louis, Missouri.