Governor Nixon has appointed Kevin Gunn as the new chairman of the Public Service Commission. Gunn, of Webster Groves, has been on the commission since 2008. The appointment comes just a day after Robert Clayton stepped down from the chairmanship. Clayton, however, will stay on as a commissioner.

Here is more from the official announcement from the Governor’s Office:

“Kevin Gunn has experience and vision that will be invaluable as we formulate Missouri’s energy policy for the coming decades,” Gov. Nixon said. “A key part of that will be wise investment in renewable energy sources, and Kevin will give us strong leadership on that issue. I appreciate Commissioner Robert Clayton’s service as chairman of the PSC for the past two years in standing up for the fair treatment of Missouri energy consumers, and look forward to his continued good work on the commission.”

Gunn was appointed to the PSC in 2008 to a six-year term. That year, he was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship, and in 2009, he traveled to Australia to study energy and economic development, and other energy-related topics, including renewable energy. In 2009, Gunn also was appointed to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners board of directors and currently serves on the Committee on International Relations.

Prior to his appointment to the PSC, Gunn was an attorney in private law practice in St. Louis with the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal. He received his bachelor’s degree from American University and his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law.