English Version - Meet the People's Counsel

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English Version - Meet the People's Counsel

Meet the People's Counsel

Elizabeth A. Noel People's Counsel On March 29, 2007, Elizabeth A. Noël was sworn in to serve an unprecedented six term as People's Counsel for the District of Columbia, the statutory representative and advocate for all utility consumers in Washington, D.C. Operating as a public interest law firm, the Office of the People’s Counsel represents consumer interests before the Public Service Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, federal courts and legislative bodies.

As People’s Counsel, Ms. Noël's vigorous representation of consumer interests is credited with leading the D.C. Municipal Aggregation Task Force (“D.C. MAP”) in order to protect the interests of D.C. Consumers in a viable competitive marketplace and a well developed municipal aggregation program; advancing the interests of consumers in securing the benefits of a retail competitive marketplace and “effective consumer choice,” halting the now abandoned PEPCO/BG&E merger, which many industry analysts viewed as anti competitive; creating a public-private partnership, “Telecommunications Trust Funds,” used to wire D.C. public schools, public libraries, the courts for access to advanced telecommunications services and to the Internet; and promoting quality of service standards to protect consumers as the District of Columbia transitions into a retail competitive marketplace brought on by changes in local and federal laws.

Ms. Noel is a 1972 graduate of Thomas More College of Fordham University where she earned a B.A. in Economics. In 1975, she received her J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Possessing extensive experience in administrative law, public utility regulation, and state and federal regulatory and legislative issues involving telecommunications and energy law, Ms. Noël is a frequently requested speaker before professional organizations, consumer and citizen organizations, and the industry on emerging issues.

She has served as a faculty member of the Michigan State University Institute of Public Utility Studies sponsored yearly by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. In 1995, Ms. Noël was invited to join the faculty of the D.C. Bar's Continuing Legal Education Committee, teaching District of Columbia administrative law to lawyers newly admitted to the D.C. Bar. Ms. Noël is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Washington Bar Association, the Women's Bar Association, and the Greater Washington Area Chapter of the Women's Division of the National Bar Association. She is a founding member of Minority Women in Regulation, Energy and Telecommunications. Additionally, she serves on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (“NASUCA”).

Ms. Noël was a member of President Clinton's Transition Team in the Natural Resources Cluster advising on energy matters related to the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In 1997, she was awarded the “Beatrice Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Government Service” by the District of Columbia Bar Association. A graduate of Leadership Washington, she also served as Secretary of the Parents Association of the Holton Arms School and Co chair of its Fine and Performing Arts Committee. She is also a past member and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Sheridan School, an independent school in Washington, D.C. where she focused on issues concerning finance, faculty compensation, education, minority affairs and long range planning.

Ms. Noel currently serves as the Parent Coordinator of the Senior Teen Division of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. As a result of her efforts with teens and parents, in April 2003, Ms. Noel was named “Mother of the Year” by this Organization, a distinction she treasures above many other accolades

Ms. Noel is married to Judge Harold L. Cushenberry, Jr. and they have two daughters.