Outreach and Education Staff | Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

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Amy Carles – Central and Northwest counties: Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Union, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, Wyandot.

Ray Foeller and Tonja Stewart Shaw – Central and Northeast counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Geauga, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Licking, Mahoning, Medina, Morrow, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Wayne.

Kathryn Metz – Central and Southern counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Warren, Washington.

Amy Carles

Amy Carles is a Senior Outreach and Education Program Specialist with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility consumer advocate. Amy’s first term with OCC spanned from June 2004 until July 2011. She has since reclaimed her position with OCC in November 2014.

As a Senior Outreach and Education Program Specialist, one of Amy’s major responsibilities is to conduct presentations on a wide range of utility topics, including electric, natural gas, telephone and water, for social and human service agencies, community and professional organizations and other interested groups. She also plays an active role in educating consumers about OCC’s services by meeting with consumers, answering their questions and distributing informative materials such as fact sheets, brochures and newsletters. Amy coordinates OCC’s outreach and education efforts in the Central and Northwest Ohio area.

Prior to returning to OCC, Amy served as program coordinator and executive director for the non-profit organization Hancock County Saves at OSU Extension, Hancock County. There, she strengthened community outreach and developed, coordinated and taught financial literacy programs. She also worked for the Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County where she assisted with Animal Control office operations, wrote grants and coordinated the Paws for a Cause: PAWS fundraiser. In the past, Amy also was a consumer education coordinator with the Ohio Attorney General’s office as well as the director of complaint management and dispute resolution and the director of advertising review for the Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Bluffton University in 2011. Prior to this, she graduated from Owens Community College with an associate’s degree in Sales and Marketing with a certificate in Supervision and earned a certificate in Management Advancement for Public Service in Public Relations and Marketing from the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at The Ohio State University.

Central and Northwest counties: Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Union, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, Wyandot.

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Ray Foeller

Ray Foeller is a Senior Outreach and Education Program Specialist with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility advocate. He joined the OCC as a compliance investigator in November 1997 and moved to the Communications Department in December 1998.

As a specialist, Ray’s responsibilities include giving speeches to community and professional organizations on a wide range of utility topics including electric, natural gas, telephone and water. He also attends shows and fairs to increase awareness of OCC’s services by speaking with consumers, answering their questions and distributing information such as fact sheets, brochures and newsletters. Ray coordinates OCC’s outreach and education efforts Central and Northeastern Ohio.

Before joining the OCC, Ray worked as a national product specialist with Simon and Schuster Education Publishing in its school division group focusing on Language Arts textbooks. Ray’s education background has helped him to make complex utility issues understandable to Ohio citizens.

Ray earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master of Arts in English Education from The Ohio State University.

Central and Northeast counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Geauga, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Licking, Mahoning, Medina, Morrow, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Wayne.

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Tonja Stewart Shaw

Tonja Stewart Shaw joined OCC as a Senior Outreach and Education Specialist in February 2023. As an outreach specialist, Tonja’s responsibilities include giving speeches to community and professional organizations on a wide range of utility topics.

Previously, Tonja worked in public service at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) as the Low-Income Programs Specialist for more than 31 years. Tonja was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP Plus), consumer protections, coordinating the annual winter heating season campaign which included the issuance of the special reconnect order and conducting statewide training on energy assistance programs.

Tonja earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Science Administration in Strategic Leadership from Central Michigan University.

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Kathryn Metz

Kathryn Metz is a Senior Outreach and Education Specialist with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility consumer advocate. She joined the OCC in January 2023.

As a Senior Outreach and Education Specialist, Kathryn delivers presentations on a variety of utility topics, including electric, natural gas, telephone and water for social and human service agencies, community and professional organizations and other interested groups. She also educates Ohio consumers about the OCC’s work by attending shows and fairs and speaking with Ohio consumers, answering their questions and distributing fact sheets. Kathryn coordinates OCC’s outreach in Central and Southern Ohio.

Before joining the OCC, Kathryn worked as an outreach coordinator at The Ohio State University’s Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. She also served as a humanitarian aid worker along the Balkan route of migration in Bosnia and Serbia. Her background in human rights and education has equipped her to educate and advocate for the rights of Ohio consumers.

Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from The Ohio State University and a Master of Arts in Human Rights Law from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.

Central and Southern counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Warren, Washington.

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