Sadzi Martha Oliva

Sadzi Martha Oliva was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner and confirmed by the Illinois Senate to the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2017 and is the first Latina to serve in this capacity in the State of Illinois.  In this role, Commissioner Oliva balances the interests of consumers and utilities to ensure adequate, efficient, reliable, safe and least-cost public utility services; regulates the commercial activities related to investor-owned electric, natural gas, water and sewer companies; and enforces regulations for trucking, towing, motor carriers, and railroad safety.   She is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) as Chair of the Supplier and Workforce Diversity Sub Committee.  She serves on the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Advisory Council, Financial Research Institute (FRI) Advisory Board, Gas Technology Institute (GTI) Public Interest Advisory Committee, National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC) Board of Directors, as Treasurer for the Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC) and served as Illinois’ representative on the Organization of MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) States (OMS) Board of Directors from 2018 to 2020. In June of 2018, Commissioner Oliva participated on a Peer Review on Renewable Energy Integration and Smart Grids in Panama with other Central American regulators sponsored by the Power Sector Program, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State and organized by NARUC. In October of 2018, Commissioner Oliva participated in a Partnership Exchange with the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Stakeholder Engagement and Public Communications in Jakarta, Indonesia. Commissioner Oliva co-authored an article published in Utility Dive on October 19, 2018, titled, “Alternative Retail Electric Suppliers: A Surge in Consumer Protection Standards in Illinois”.  She authored an article published in Public Utilities Fortnightly in July of 2019 titled, “Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act at Work.”  She also co-authored an article published in Negocios Now in September of 2019, titled “Strategic Resolutions for Increasing Supplier & Workforce Diversity in the Energy Sector.”

Prior to joining the Illinois Commerce Commission, Commissioner Oliva was General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).  Previous positions held by Commissioner Oliva within IDFPR include Ethics Officer, Administrative Law Judge and Chief of Medical Prosecutions.  She also worked at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as the Chief Administrative Law Judge.  Early in her career, Commissioner Oliva served as an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Special Prosecutions Bureau, where she prosecuted financial crimes.  Commissioner Oliva was Chair of the Illinois Governor’s Office Administrative Hearings Review Committee that organized and presented the Chicago Bar Association’s Annual Administrative Law Conference and continuing legal education seminars related to Administrative Hearings.  She was also the co-chair of the Rules Subcommittee for the Illinois Department of Central Management Systems’ Bureau of Administrative Hearings Pilot Program and helped draft the Model Rules of Practice in Administrative Hearings.  Commissioner Oliva is a member of the Cuban American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.  She has volunteered for the Chicago Coalition for Law Related Education, Lawyers in a Classroom and as a mentor for the International Confederation of Energy Regulators Mentoring Program. 

Throughout her career in public service, Commissioner Oliva has gained experience in leadership, public speaking, stakeholder engagement, litigation, ethics, compliance and adjudication serving as a Commissioner, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Law Judge, Arbitrator, Ethics Officer and Prosecutor at different government agencies.  Commissioner Oliva is a first-generation Cuban American and was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  She earned her J.D. from Loyola University, School of Law, her B.A. from DePaul University, and is a graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart.  She is a busy hockey mom and lives in Park Ridge, Illinois.