Kandi Hughes
Commissioner
Commissioner Kandi Hughes is Senior Corporate Counsel at MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). MISO, headquartered in Indiana, is an independent, not-for-profit, member-based organization that manages the generation and transmission of high-voltage electricity across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. Commissioner Hughes is also an adjunct faculty member at UA Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.
A Little Rock, Arkansas native, Commissioner Hughes received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Duke University. She received a Juris Doctor from UA Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law, a MBA with a concentration in Business Administration and Management from the University of Central Arkansas, and certification in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
Commissioner Hughes is a member of industry organizations including the American Water Works Association, the National Black MBA Association, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Arkansas Women in Power, and the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Commissioner Hughes civic affiliations include membership on the Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee, the Junior League of Little Rock, and a parent volunteer with the Girls Scouts of America. Commissioner Hughes has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated for over 20 years.
Commissioner Hughes public service includes serving on the U.S Commission on Civil Rights’ Arkansas Advisory Committee; chair of the Leadership Foundation for Women, board member of the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund, and secretary of the Tendaji CDC Board of Directors.
Commissioner Hughes is a graduate of the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXI and a member of Saint Mark Baptist Church, where she is a member of the Personnel Committee and volunteers within their pro bono legal group.
Commissioner Hughes has been recognized, annually since 2017, in Arkansas Business’ publication, Arkansas 250, honoring a group of Arkansans who influence the way we live, learn, and do business in the state. She is the recipient of the Irma Hunter Brown Women’s Leadership Award, given by the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. Commissioner Hughes was also recognized by Arkansas Business as a 40 Under 40 honoree and by Little Rock Soirée as a Woman to Watch honoree. Commissioner Hughes has been named as one of 40 Top Attorneys in the state of Arkansas by Arkansas Life and honored as a Future 50 by Arkansas Money & Politics. She is the 2022 Little Rock Regional Chamber’s Outstanding Young Professional of the Year.
Commissioner Hughes resides in Little Rock and is a Little Rock representative on the CAW Board.