On Tuesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey appointed former Arizona state legislator Justin Olson to serve on the Arizona Corporation Commission to fill the vacancy left by departing Doug Little.
Little left the scandal ridden Commission to take a job in the Trump administration.
Olson, who has enjoyed a reputation as an honest broker, was a likely choice due to the damage control the Ducey administration must engage in since the appointment of former Speaker if the House Andy Tobin to the Commission to replace Susan Bitter Smith in 2015. [Related article: Ducey Dips Into Shallow Talent Pool, Pulls Out Tobin For ACC]
Olson currently works as a Senior Tax Analyst for the Apollo Education Group, which is the parent company of the University of Phoenix. [Related article: Apollo Hopes University Of Phoenix Will “Return To Stability”]
Prior to that, Olson served from 2011-2017 in the Arizona House of Representatives, where his assignments included serving as Chair of the Appropriations Committee. He worked as Senior Research Analyst at the Arizona Tax Research Association and a Congressional Aide for U.S. Representative Trent Franks. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a Masters of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to represent Arizona citizens again in this new capacity,” Olson said. “My approach to governing and legislating has always been to keep an open mind, study the issues careful and thoroughly, be transparent, look out for the hard-working taxpayer, and put my constituents first. I will bring that same mindset to this important position with which I have been entrusted.”
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