Kandi Chitman Hughes

Kandi Hughes is a dedicated legal strategist and public servant with almost 20 years of multifaceted experience across the public, private, and regulatory sectors. She currently serves as managing senior corporate counsel at Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), an independent, not-for-profit, member-based organization headquartered in Indiana that oversees the reliable transmission of high-voltage electricity across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba, where she provides strategic legal guidance on complex transactions, vendor management, corporate governance, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to promotion to her current role, Kandi served as senior corporate counsel, leading high-value negotiations, advising cross-functional teams, and driving results through sound legal counsel.

Kandi also brings experience from the public sector and higher education, having served as Associate General Counsel at the University of Central Arkansas and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Little Rock, where she focused on regulatory compliance, governance, labor and employment law, and transactional matters. In addition to her in-house counsel responsibilities, she serves as adjunct faculty at the Bowen School of Law, where she teaches Lawyering Skills I and Advanced Contract Drafting.

An engaged leader in both industry and civic life, Kandi is president of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the immediate past president of Arkansas Women in Power. She is an active member of Corporate Counsel Women of Color, the American Water Works Association, and the National Black MBA Association, and has been named to Arkansas Business Publishing Group’s Arkansas 250.

Kandi’s long-standing commitment to public service is evidenced by her roles on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Arkansas Advisory Committee as well as the Central Arkansas Water Board of Commission, currently in her ninth year and serving her second term as chairman. Her commitment to education and mentorship is evidenced by her ongoing involvement with the Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee and her appointment as PTSA president-elect at the historic Little Rock Central High School. Kandi is a Sustainer Advisor with the Junior League of Little Rock and has been a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated for over two decades—serving as an International Executive Leadership Fellow.

Kandi is a graduate of the Arkansas Bar Association’s Leadership Academy and Public Service Academy, as well as Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXI. Her achievements have been recognized widely: Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 (2019); Little Rock Soirée Women to Watch (2019); Arkansas Life Magazine 40 Top Attorneys in Arkansas (2020); Arkansas Money & Politics Future 50 (2021); Democratic Black Caucus Irma Hunter Brown Women’s Leadership Award (2018); Arkansas Money & Politics Arkansas Power Women (2023); Little Rock Regional Chamber Outstanding Young Professional of the Year (2023); and, most recently, Arkansas Money & Politics Trailblazing Women (2024) and Arkansas Money & Politics Legal Elite (2024). And yes—she’s still accelerating.

Kandi holds a Juris Doctorate from the UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law, an MBA with a business management concentration from the University of Central Arkansas, and a Bachelor of Arts in public policy with a concentration in health policy from Duke University. She is admitted to practice in the State of Arkansas and the U.S. District Courts for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.