Angela Speir Phelps, Executive Director and Senior Director of the Consumer Energy Program aspeir@georgiawatch.org
In 2002, Angela Speir Phelps became the first woman elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission and the second Republican woman elected to a statewide office in Georgia history. A Georgia native, Angela grew up in Dekalb County and graduated from Agnes Scott College with a B.A. in Biology. She is also a graduate of CEO International.
After graduation from Agnes Scott, Angela served as the Assistant Administrator of the medical complex at the United Methodist Children’s Home providing medical aid and counseling to abused children. She first ran for public office in 1992 as a candidate for the Georgia State Senate.
Angela’s victory in 2002, winning the statewide election to the Commission, led to many victories for consumers. She championed fairness, transparency, and accountability while serving on the Commission. She fought for open government and passed an “ex parte” rule to prohibit private conversations between commissioners and utility lobbyists. Angela’s efforts on behalf of the people of Georgia have been recognized in many publications across the country and she has been awarded numerous distinctions and honors for her service to the people of Georgia. Georgia Trend magazine recognized Angela as one of their 100 Notable Georgians. She received the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Hero of Open Government Award and has been named one of Georgia’s Most Influential Women by the Georgia Informer. Angela was recognized by WSB as the “Political Role Model” for her ethics, integrity, and dedication to Georgia. The Council on Aging awarded her their Community Service Award for her efforts on behalf of senior adults. Angela is also the 2009 recipient of the Common Cause Democracy Award. The award is given in honor of her noble service and fight for good government.
On January 1, 2009, Angela joined the team at Georgia Watch - in July she became the group’s executive director. She also serves as the senior director of the Consumer Energy Program.
“Georgia Watch’s Phelps builds legacy of service,” Atlanta Business Chronicle, December 4, 2009.
Danny Orrock, Deputy Director
dorrock@georgiawatch.org
Danny Orrock is an Atlanta native and a product of Georgia’s public education system. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 2001 with a B.S. in history, technology and society and is currently enrolled at the Georgia State College of Law. Since receiving his undergraduate degree, he has worked in public policy and has been a registered lobbyist during the Georgia General Assembly for the past eight sessions. In 2003, he became the second employee for Georgia Watch, which was founded just a year earlier. Danny took on the role of deputy director in July of 2009 and serves as the organization’s voice at the Capitol, educating legislators and advocating for consumers. In his spare time Danny enjoys throwing Frisbee, playing cards, swimming and cheering on the Georgia Tech basketball team.
Holly Lang, Hospital Accountability Project Manager
Holly Lang was born and raised in the small town of Guyton, Ga, located about 35 miles outside of Savannah. She attended Georgia State University studying philosophy and print journalism, and worked for a variety of publications, including the Birmingham Post-Herald. As a journalist, she has worked internationally and won several industry awards. In addition, she works with several other publications as a contributing editor and writer. At Georgia Watch, Holly researches state hospitals and their indigent and charity care policies, authoring reports on those findings, and she heads up the group’s Metropolitan Atlanta Hospital Accountability Project.
Clare McGuire, Senior Counsel and Director of the Consumer Energy Program
cmcguire@georgiawatch.org
Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, Clare moved to Georgia in 1989 to attend Emory Law School. She holds a BS in Economics with a minor in Philosophy from Manhattan College, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude. After finishing law school, Clare’s career began in Savannah at the District Attorney’s Office. She then moved back to Atlanta to work for the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs. In 2002, Clare was assigned to the Consumers’ Utility Counsel, where she began advocating for the state’s utility customers. Three years later, she was hired as a staff attorney with the Georgia Public Service Commission. As a staff attorney at several of Georgia’s regulatory bodies for almost two decades, Clare has garnered a vast working knowledge of the bureaucratic process that occurs within the state’s utility industry. And as an advocate fighting for fair procedure and equitable rates, Clare has represented the interests of approximately nine million Georgians.
In January 2010, Clare joined our watchdog team at Georgia Watch as the director of the Consumer Energy Program and senior counsel. At Georgia Watch, Clare works to give Georgians a voice in the energy debate by intervening in billion dollar rate cases that come before the PSC. Georgia Watch’s presence at these hearings will allow for more transparency and accountability at the commission.
Jeannine Malone, Grassroots Coordinator
jmalone@georgiawatch.org
Jeannine Malone was born and raised in the lower east side of Manhattan. In 2005, Jeannine moved to Georgia to attend college and recently graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State with a degree in public relations and marketing. As the Grassroots Coordinator, Jeannine organizes statewide consumer education workshops and resolves consumer disputes while building and managing relationships with Georgia Watch members. In 2008 Jeannine orchestrated 50 consumer workshops on identity theft, reaching more than 6,000 consumers in 17 counties. Jeannine will begin Georgia State law school in the Summer of 2009.
Beth Malone , Communications Coordinator
bmalone@georgiawatch.org
Beth Malone attended Georgia State University as an undergraduate, where she completed her studies with a dual degree in English and History. She recently received her Master of Letters degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Beth has lived and worked in five countries – USA, Scotland, England, China and Russia. Of them all, she found China the most challenging. When not working or traveling, Beth is a freelancer writer and is active in the local Atlanta film scene. At Georgia Watch, Beth handles all the group’s communication needs, from writing editorials and reports, to web design and media outreach.
Matt Bouillon, Court Watch Fellow
bouillon@bc.edu
Matt Bouillon graduated from the University of Georgia in 2004 with a bachelor’s in romance languages (he speaks Spanish, Italian and French) and received a Master Universitario degree in 2006 from L’Università degli Studi di Siena in Italy. He became interested in a legal career after working on philanthropic projects in Dakar, Senegal aimed at improving the rule of law in the West African subregion. He’s worked extensively in international human rights advocacy and recently as a criminal defense student-attorney under Georgia’s Third Year Practice Act. He is currently a visiting student at Emory Law School and will graduate from Boston College Law School in May of 2010. He came to Georgia Watch in the fall of 2009 as the organization’s Court Watch Fellow.