Albert appointed as PSC chairman

CHARLESTON -- Gov. Joe Manchin has appointed Michael A. Albert of Charleston as chairman of the West Virginia Public Service Commission.

Albert, a former business law attorney and partner with the Charleston Law Firm Jackson Kelly PLLC, has been a member of the PSC since February 2007.

He succeeds Jon W. McKinney, who is stepping down as chairman but will remain a member of the commission. Albert was appointed in February 2007 to an unexpired term that ended June 30. He was reappointed to a six-year term that expires June 30, 2013.

Prior to joining the PSC, Albert was a member in the Business Law Department of Jackson Kelly, focusing on public utilities and business and commercial transactions. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from West Virginia University in 1965 and was an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1968, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He received his law degree from WVU's College of Law in 1972, and he is admitted to the West Virginia Bar.