Sadzi Oliva

Vice President Government Relations and Community
United Scrap Metal, Inc.


Sadzi Oliva joined United Scrap Metal, as Vice President of Government Relations & Community. In this role, Sadzi directs federal, state and local government and community relations across the six United Scrap Metal locations within the U.S. She also focuses on extending its mission to make a positive impact in the lives of others by working with other business units on community outreach and throughout numerous charitable and philanthropic endeavors.

United Scrap Metal, Inc., is a Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) and one of the largest and fastest- growing, privately-held, providers of innovative recycling  solutions  in  the  country.  Sadzi’s appointment as the first Latina Executive Team member is aligned with United Scrap Metal’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Prior to this role, Sadzi was appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in 2017 and was the first Latina to serve in this capacity in the State of Illinois. In this role, she balanced the interests of consumers and utilities to ensure adequate, efficient, reliable, safe, and affordable utility services. Her experience as a utility regulator involved issues affecting the energy and public utility industry, including grid modernization, renewables, natural gas infrastructure, emerging technologies, market structures, cybersecurity, reliability, and supplier / workforce diversity.

She was also a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and gained national recognition in diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices as Chair of the Select Committee on Regulatory and Industry Diversity where she championed resolutions that encouraged utilities to recruit from minority serving institutions; engage diverse professional services including both law and investment firms; and review their business certification processes to reduce barriers to entry for diverse small business vendors. Sadzi’s impact as a leader in the energy industry includes international work participating on a peer review of Renewable Energy Integration with Central American Energy Regulators and a partnership exchange on Stakeholder Engagement and Public Communications with members of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission.

Prior to joining the ICC, Sadzi held the following positions in the Public Sector: General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Chief Administrative Law Judge at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and as Assistant Attorney General within the State of Illinois.

Sadzi is a first-generation Cuban-American and was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her

J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a B.A. from DePaul University and is a graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Sadzi is also a busy hockey mom with a thirteen year old son and lives in Park Ridge, Illinois.