Elin Swanson Katz, Consumer Counsel

            Elin Swanson Katz was appointed to a 5-year term as Consumer Counsel for the State of Connecticut by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in 2011.  She heads the Office of Consumer Counsel, an independent state agency established in 1975 that advocates on behalf of consumers in matters relating to electricity, water, natural gas, and telecommunications.  Her agency also includes the Connecticut State Broadband Office.  Ms. Katz is one of the state leaders of the CTgig Project, in which a number of Connecticut municipalities are seeking to develop ultra-high-speed gigabit networks through public-private partnerships.

As Connecticut’s Consumer Counsel, Ms. Katz serves on the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board, and is Treasurer of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (“NASUCA”).  She is also NASUCA’s representative on the Federal Communication Commission’s Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service.  Ms. Katz is on the Advisory Committee for the Critical Consumer Issues Forum, a joint initiative of NARUC, NASUCA and EEI, and is on the Graduate Studies Advisory Board for Trinity College.  She is the recipient of the New England Women in Energy and Environment’s (NEWIEE) 2014 Achievement Award.

Prior to becoming Consumer Counsel, Ms. Katz practiced at law firms in Washington, D.C.; Boston; and Hartford.  She also served as Assistant Counsel at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, taught at Trinity College in Hartford, and served as a legal consultant.  Ms. Katz served on the West Hartford, Connecticut Board of Education from 2009 to 2013.

Ms. Katz holds degrees from Cornell University (B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations), Boston University School of Law (J.D. cum laude), and Trinity College (M.A. in English (Writing, Rhetoric, and Media Arts), with honors).