Trish formed Regulatory Compliance Services in late 2002 to bring her compliance expertise to her retail telecommunications and electric clients. Trish obtained most of her expertise during her nine-year tenure at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).
Trish's expertise was used on a variety of projects ranging from management audits of regulated utilities to customer protection rulemakings and customer protection policy formulation. She also served in various senior management positions in the Customer Protection Division, most recently serving as the Director of Enforcement Investigations.
Since departing the PUCT, Trish has helped numerous retail electric providers (large and small) understand the intricacies of the Texas retail electricity market.
​
While at the PUCT, Trish helped form Office of Customer Protection in 1997 and facilitated the implementation of the state’s first slamming law. Trish went on to manage most of the functional areas within Customer Protection, including the call center, complaint resolution, and enforcement investigation functions.
​​
Trish's vast knowledge of customer protection issues has also been instrumental in the agency’s implementation of the Texas Electric Choice Customer Education Campaign.
​​
Trish was responsible for the implementation of the both telecommunications and electric customer protection rules stemming from both Senate Bill 86 (Customer Protection) and Senate Bill 7 (Electric Restructuring) both passed by the 77th session of the Texas Legislature in 1999.
​
In fact, her work in leading the rulemaking team for the Electric Restructuring Customer Protection Rules, won praise from all sides, including the Commissioners. Upon final rule adoption, former Chairman Patrick Wood (now chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) praised Trish personally for her efforts in striking a fair balance among the competing interests. Chairman Wood went on to observe that “this is one of the most solid performances I’ve ever seen from a Staff team at this Commission.’ Both former Commission Judy Walsh and Commissioner Brett Perlman seconded this high praise.
​​
Upon completion of that major effort, Trish was asked to lead a small team of staff to facilitate the transition to the retail electric market. In this capacity, Trish served as a commission representative to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ (ERCOT) Retail Market Subcommittee and provided guidance on issues directly impacting the delivery of electric service to retail customers to both this group and the Commissioners.
​​
​Trish is widely acknowledged as one of the best “armchair lawyers” the PUCT and many of her REP clients have ever employed, and is known for her straightforward and professional approach. She has a reputation for being able to quickly identify a problem, craft a solution that honors the “spirit of the law,” and succinctly summarize relevant issues to all key decision-makers and other affected parties.
​
Beyond her work at the PUCT, Trish was active with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Staff Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, facilitating and organizing panel discussions on “Detariffing” and “Electric Customer Protection Best Practices.” Trish was also instrumental in working to facilitate the state opt-in process for slamming enforcement. In her work with the staff subcommittee, Trish was Chair of the State National Action Plan (SNAP) group, which aims to improve enforcement and education activities between the states and the Federal Communications Commission. In 2001, her peers elected Trish as Vice-Chair of the staff subcommittee.
​
Trish received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and her MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Reach Trish at 512-656-3185.