Contact: Marisa Lewis, 202-821-1694, mlewis@naruc.org

Andrew O. Melnykovych Honored with NARUC's Barnich Award for International Work

SAN ANTONIO (November 18, 2019) — In recognition of his efforts to advance effective regulation internationally, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners honored Andrew O. Melnykovych of the Kentucky Public Service Commission with the 2019 Terry Barnich Award at the Association’s 131st  Annual Meeting and Education Conference.

The prestigious award recognizes state commissioners and staff who promote international cooperation among utility regulators and the development of professional regulation. The award is named in honor of former Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission (1989 to 1992) Terrence "Terry" Barnich. He was killed on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, while working as the deputy director of the State Department office overseeing U.S. reconstruction projects in Iraq. The Terry Barnich Award is the highest honor bestowed by NARUC’s Committee on International Relations.

“Andrew has been a strong advocate and valuable contributor to NARUC’s international programs for more than a decade in Europe, Asia, and Africa,” said Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission Chairman David Danner. “During that time, he has also chaired the staff subcommittee of NARUC’s International Committee, where his leadership has been invaluable. He richly deserves this honor.”

Commissioner Talina Mathews of the Kentucky Public Service Commission added, “In my years of working with Andrew, I have been awed by his energy and commitment to education and outreach—whether it be within the Commonwealth, within the context of NARUC, or within the international regulatory community. He did all this while being a dynamic public information officer for the Kentucky Public Service Commission, an avid birder, and all around fount of information. I am pleased to see his contributions to the international programs recognized with this prestigious award.”

A graduate of Yale University, Melnykovych holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a Master of Forest Science from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He also did graduate work in population ecology at the University of Wyoming. Before entering the world of utility regulation, Melnykovych was a reporter for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal and the Casper (Wyoming) Star-Tribune. He won several awards for his journalistic work, including the George Polk Award.

In his current role as the director of communications for the Kentucky Public Service Commission, he is responsible for all aspects of the PSC’s communications with the public and news media. In addition, he is also the chair of NARUC’s Staff Subcommittee on International Relations and has held the post since January 2013.

Since joining the PSC staff in 2002, Melnykovych has participated in numerous regulatory exchanges, focusing on issues of transparency, community involvement, public information and media relations. A native speaker of Ukrainian, he has participated abroad in programs with Ukraine, Georgia, Nigeria, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as with Armenia, through the US Energy Association.

He has also coordinated visits to the PSC by delegations from Georgia, Armenia, Nigeria, Kosovo, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has represented the PSC in exchanges hosted by the Louisville International Center for delegations from Russia, Ukraine and Jamaica.

To learn more about the award, visit naruc.org/barnichaward/.

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About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.