Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera

Personal Background

Gabriel Aguilera was appointed to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to a four-year term commencing on January 1, 2023. In June 2025, he was selected by his colleagues to serve as Chair of the Commission.

Chair Aguilera grew up in Doña Ana County. He brings nearly two decades of experience in regulatory, economic, and energy market matters, having served as a dedicated public servant at the federal and state levels of government. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from New Mexico State University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business. He lives with his family in Santa Fe and enjoys exploring the outdoors.

NMPRC

In his time at the NMPRC, Chair Aguilera has focused on regulated utilities’ obligation to provide affordable utility services and the essential grid infrastructure investments needed to meet New Mexico’s clean energy mandates and economic goals. To that end, Chair Aguilera has championed competition, regional electricity markets, and a modernized transmission grid. In evaluating matters before the Commission, he has focused on utility affordability, reliability, and compliance with New Mexico’s energy policies. Additionally, Chair Aguilera has maintained a keen focus on proactive wildfire mitigation to protect New Mexico’s communities.

Amid unprecedented grid demands and resource transitions, he supports rigorous regulatory oversight to protect New Mexico consumers from undue cost burdens while ensuring utility services remain reliable and accessible to all. Chair Aguilera is dedicated to providing well-reasoned, fair regulation of essential services to customers.

Prior Regulatory Experience

Prior to his appointment to the NMPRC, Chair Aguilera spent 15 years at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C. During his tenure in the federal government, he held multiple key positions, including Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Energy Market Regulation’s Western Region. At FERC, he specialized in complex utility tariffs, transmission planning and pricing, generator interconnection rules, resource adequacy, and the removal of barriers to the integration of renewable and energy storage resources into wholesale electric markets to ensure a level playing field.

Regional and National Leadership  

Chair Aguilera is a recognized leader in Western energy policy, driven by a commitment to positioning New Mexico at the forefront of the rapidly evolving Western energy markets, and ensuring that regional market expansion maximizes grid reliability and efficiency for the benefit of New Mexico’s utilities and consumers. He leverages his extensive technical expertise to advocate for New Mexico’s interests across several influential regional and national bodies:

Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation (CREPC):

Serves as Co-Chair, helping guide joint state efforts to foster dialogue on electricity policy, planning, and market design across the Western Interconnection.

• Body of State Regulators (BOSR): Serves as Chair, leading collaboration among state regulators to provide independent oversight and guidance on regional grid operations and market issues.
• CREPC Transmission Collaborative: Serves as Co-Chair and is an active member of the CREPC 1920 Ad-Hoc Committee, collaborating with Western commissioners to advocate for effective regional transmission planning.
• Markets+ States’ Committee (MSC): Has served as a key member, coordinating state regulatory perspectives on the development and design of a western multi-state day-ahead market.

National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC):

Represents New Mexico on key standing committees within NARUC, an organization with regulatory representation from across the country.

• NARUC Transmission State Working Group: Serves as Co-Chair, promoting collaboration among state utility commissioners to advance the influence of state commissions in transmission development and evaluation.
• NARUC Committee on Electricity: Contributes to national policy debates on evolving power markets, grid reliability, and transmission infrastructure.
• NARUC Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest: Analyzes and addresses state commissions’ roles in safeguarding consumer rights, ensuring public equity, and managing utility affordability in a shifting regulatory landscape.

Education

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Master of Business Administration, Smith School of Business

NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance
Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics

Commissioner Aguilera’s Staff

Jennifer Baca
Executive Assistant

Phone: 505-469-3537
Email: jennifer.baca@prc.nm.gov

Kai Filion
Technical Advisor

Email: kai.filion@prc.nm.gov