SCC News

RICHMOND – Kelsey A. Bagot was sworn in today as the 39th commissioner of the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Bagot was elected by the General Assembly to fill a term ending January 31, 2030.

Prior to being elected to the Commission, Bagot was a Senior Attorney at NextEra Energy, Inc. Previously she served as Legal Advisor to Commissioner Mark C. Christie at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Christie served on the SCC for almost 17 years before joining FERC.

Bagot also served as a trial attorney at FERC as well as an associate at Troutman Saunders LLP and Van Ness Feldman LLP in Washington, D.C.

Bagot earned her Bachelor’s Degree from American University and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

The other two SCC commissioners are Jehmal T. Hudson, the current chair, and Samuel T. Towell. The commissioners serve six-year terms.

Established in 1902, the SCC’s authority encompasses utilities, insurance, a health benefit exchange, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising, railroad safety, and underground utility damage prevention. The Commission also serves as the Commonwealth’s central filing office for all entities formed or registered under Virginia corporate law. 

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Contact: Andy Farmer, 804-371-9141

RICHMOND – Samuel T. Towell was sworn in today as the 38th commissioner of the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Towell was elected by the General Assembly to fill an unexpired term ending January 31, 2028.

Prior to being elected to the Commission, Towell was the Associate General Counsel at Smithfield Foods, Inc. Previously, he served for five years as Virginia’s Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation. In that role, he supervised the Insurance and Utilities Regulatory Section which appears before the SCC, the Consumer Protection Section, and the Office of Civil Rights, among others.

Towell also served as the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry under Governor Terrence R. McAuliffe and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Finance under Governor Mark R. Warner. In the private sector, Towell was a litigation attorney with McGuireWoods LLP and Williams Mullen, P.C. He also served as a judicial clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Towell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Towell joins Commissioner Jehmal T. Hudson, the current chair, who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam and took office in July 2020.

Established in 1902, the SCC’s authority encompasses utilities, insurance, a health benefit exchange, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising, railroad safety, and underground utility damage prevention. The Commission also serves as the Commonwealth’s central filing office for all entities formed or registered under Virginia corporate law.

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Contact: Andy Farmer, 804-371-9141