12  ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER
Maria Bocanegra
President, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas

Maria Bocanegra has primary responsibility for managing the daily operations, 
strategy and administrative activities for the two Illinois utilities, which together 
provide safe, reliable natural gas service to nearly 1 million customers in Chicago and 
54 communities in its northern suburbs.
	
Most recently, she was chief legal and government relations officer for the Port of 
Cleveland — the first in its 55-year history. She previously served as a commissioner 
on the Illinois Commerce Commission, regulating investor-owned electric, gas and 
water utilities in highly complex and technical matters. There, she gained national 
recognition in both the transportation electrification and water spaces, and served as 
chair of the EV Working Group and standing Committee 
on Water. 
	
Her prior board service includes the University of 
Missouri Financial Resource Institute’s Advisory Council, 
New Mexico State University’s Public Utilities Advisory 
Council, the National EV Charging Initiative’s Advisory 
Council, World Resources Institute’s Electric School 
Bus Advisory Council as co-chair, Citizen’s Utility Board 
(CUB) Ohio, Council of the Great Lakes Region and the 
Cleveland Water Alliance. 
	
Maria currently serves on the boards of Intersect 
Illinois, World Business Chicago, Chicagoland Chamber 
of Commerce, the Civic Committee and the Illinois 
Utilities Business Diversity Council. Maria’s prior 
public service includes work as an administrative law judge at the Illinois Workers’ 
Compensation Commission and as the public member of the Labor Advisory Board 
for the Illinois Department of Labor. Before entering public service, Maria practiced 
law focused on workers’ compensation, wage and hour issues, and personal injury 
claims.
	
She has been recognized by Fortnightly’s Under 40, Negocios Now’s 40 Under 
40, Negocios Now’s Who’s Who In Hispanic Chicago, Negocios Now’s Rising Star and 
by Latino Leaders Magazine. Her work has been featured in Utility Dive, T&D World 
and Bloomberg Law News, and by the American Association of Port Authorities. 
She has presented/spoken before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, among others.
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