Press Release

PUC Announces Appointments to Consumer Advisory Council

Published on 6/17/2021

Filed under: Consumer Education Electric Gas Telecommunications Water and Wastewater

The Council Advises PUC Commissioners on Matters Related to the Protection of Consumer Interests Under PUC Jurisdiction

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced a series of appointments to its Consumer Advisory Council (CAC), which provides input to the PUC on issues important to utility customers.  Today’s appointees will serve on the CAC through June 30, 2023. 

New CAC members appointed by the Commission include:

• Ray Landis, of Harrisburg, is a retired, former Advocacy Manager for AARP Pennsylvania. Landis retired from AARP in 2019 after working for the organization since 1996.  Prior to his work at AARP, Landis served on the Congressional staff of U.S. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania.  A native of York, he is currently a columnist for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, writing about issues impacting consumers, particularly older Pennsylvanians.
  

• Elizabeth “Liz” R. Marx, of Harrisburg, is Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project (PULP) – which provides information, assistance and advice about residential utility and energy matters affecting low-income consumers.  Prior to joining PULP, Marx worked as a staff attorney at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  A graduate of Temple University and the Widener School of Law, Marx currently chairs Pennsylvania’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Advisory Committee and serves on a statewide Weatherization Assistance Program Policy Advisory Committee.
  
  
• Eileen Mazza, of Eighty Four, Washington County, is a retiree from Columbia Gas of Ohio, where she was a plant supervisor in charge of the fleet and warehouse and eventually rose to Director of General Services for their Northern Ohio Region.  With 20 years of experience in the gas distribution industry, Mazza has been a member of AARP’s Consumer Issues Task Force since 2007 and has given presentations to various groups on issues such as “Frauds and Scams,” “It's Your Money” and “Health Care Frauds.”

Additionally, the PUC reappointed the following “at-large” CAC members:

• Mary Bach, of Murrysville, Westmoreland County, is a long-time independent consumer advocate.  A former high school teacher, Bach is volunteer chair of AARP’s Pennsylvania Consumer Issues Task Force and has long been a strong voice for consumers across Pennsylvania.
   
• Carl W. Bailey, of Philadelphia, has 35 years of experience working with community development and small business growth.  He currently serves on Pennsylvania’s LIHEAP Advisory Committee and has also been a strong leadership voice for AARP programs in Pennsylvania.
   
• Lenora M. Best, of Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, has an extensive background in consumer protection policy.  A retired manager of the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services, Best previously served on the PA Relay Service Advisory Board and brings decades of experience working with utility and consumer organizations.
   
• Timothy B. Hennessey, of North Coventry Township, Chester County, is Business Development Manager for HiUp USA and is owner of Phoenix Festival Productions, an event-planning company.  He is also a former member of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Cleanup Standards Scientific Advisory Board.  A graduate of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, Hennessey currently chairs the CAC.
  
  
• Chad Quinn, of Pittsburgh, is Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh-based Dollar Energy Fund, which works to improve the quality of life for households experiencing hardships by providing utility assistance and other services that lead to self-sufficiency.
   
• Sylvia P. Simms, of Philadelphia, is an advocate for high-quality education – especially in low-income neighborhoods.  Simms is the founder of PARENT POWER, a training program to get families more involved in their children’s education and has been involved with community improvement efforts for more than a decade.  Previously, Simms was Executive Director of Educational Opportunities for Families and served as an Urban Affairs Coalition Broadband Adoption Community Liaison.

The following reappointments from state executive offices and legislators were ratified by the PUC today:

• Sonny Popowsky, of Philadelphia, is the former Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate (serving from 1990 to 2012) and is regarded nationally as an expert on state and national consumer and utility issues. Popowsky, of Philadelphia, has been reappointed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
   
• Ralph G. Douglass, of Bensalem, Bucks County, is semi-retired as President of PECA Inc., an electronics design and manufacturing firm, for which he continues to provide project management consulting services.  A former chairman of the CAC, Douglass currently serves as CAC vice chairman and has been reappointed by Sen. Robert M. Tomlinson (R-Bucks), the Majority Chairman of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee.
  
  
• Justin Udo, of Philadelphia, is a reporter for KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia.  A former Western Pennsylvania resident, Udo brings a journalistic background to the CAC – blending research and storytelling that includes consumer and community issues. Udo has been reappointed to the CAC by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

The Consumer Advisory Council advises the PUC Commissioners on matters related to the protection of consumer interests under the jurisdiction of the PUC. Council meetings are held bimonthly and are open to the public. Members serve without compensation.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

For recent news releases and video of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.pa.gov. Follow the PUC on Twitter – @PA_PUC for all things utility.  “Like” Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Facebook for easy access to information on utility issues.

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Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov