Kandi Hughes, JD, MBA

Commissioner Kandi Hughes serves as Managing Assistant General Counsel at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), an independent, not-for-profit, member-based organization headquartered in Indiana that manages the reliable operation of the high-voltage electric grid across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. In her leadership role, she advises on complex commercial transactions, corporate governance, technology, procurement, enterprise risk, and strategic business initiatives supporting the nation's critical energy infrastructure.

Commissioner Hughes earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Arkansas, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University. She is pursuing an Executive Doctor of Business Administration at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Bowen School of Law, where she teaches Lawyering Skills and Advanced Legal Writing: Contract Drafting.

Throughout her legal career, Commissioner Hughes has held leadership and attorney positions with MISO, the University of Central Arkansas, the City of Little Rock, and the Southwest Power Pool, concentrating on corporate governance, commercial transactions, compliance, human resources, and regulatory matters. She currently serves as Immediate Past President of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, the American Water Works Association, the National Black MBA Association, and several other professional organizations.

A dedicated civic leader, Commissioner Hughes served on the Arkansas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during the Biden Administration and is a member of the Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee. She is a Sustainer with the Junior League of Little Rock and has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® for 25 years, where she currently serves as President of the Alpha Gamma Theta Omega Chapter. She previously served on the boards of the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund, Tendaji Community Development Corporation, and the Arkansas Foodbank.

Commissioner Hughes is a graduate of the Arkansas Bar Association Leadership Academy, the Arkansas Bar Association Public Service Academy, Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXI, and Leadership Arkansas Class XX. Her leadership and professional achievements have earned numerous honors, including Arkansas Business 40 Under 40, Arkansas Money & Politics Legal Elite, Trailblazing Women, Community Influencer of the Year, Intriguing Woman of the Year, the Little Rock Regional Chamber Outstanding Young Professional of the Year Award, the Irma Hunter Brown Women's Leadership Award, and repeated recognition among Arkansas 250, honoring the state's most influential business and civic leaders.

Commissioner Hughes resides in Little Rock and proudly serves as the Little Rock representative on the Central Arkansas Water Board of Commissioners.