Brien J. Sheahan

Chairman
Illinois Commerce Commission

Brien J. Sheahan is the Chairman and CEO of the Illinois Commerce Commission. He was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner on January 20, 2015. During the first year of his five-year term, Sheahan initiated agency reform and established the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs, hosted a Policy Session on Business and IT Investments in Cloud Computing Arrangements, accepted an appointment to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Board of Directors, endorsed a new smart thermostat initiative, and joined industry leaders at Penton's Empowering Customers and Cities Conference where he participated on a panel to weigh in on whether the role of regulators should be responding or driving change. Prior to joining the Commission, Sheahan was a senior advisor to the Governor's successful 2014 campaign and served as Counsel to Governor Rauner's Transition Committee beginning in November 2014. Prior to that, Sheahan was the Director of Government Relations for Navistar from 2012-2014 and General Counsel for the Illinois Republican Party from 2007 to 2012. His extensive background in government includes serving three Illinois Governors in senior leadership roles. Sheahan was also a DuPage County Board Member for ten years and served on the staffs of the Office of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Illinois Commerce Commission. He was Deputy Executive Director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, a $2 Billon quasi-public affordable housing lender, where he was responsible for government relations, legal, Human Resources, and information technology. Sheahan received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning, with High Honors, from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana and his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law. He resides with his wife, Anne, and son in Hinsdale, Illinois.