Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Outreach and Education

• Ray Foeller
• Chris Verich

Ray Foeller

Ray Foeller is an outreach and education 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 southern 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. 

Chris Verich

Chris Verich joined the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility advocate, as an outreach and education specialist in March 2002.

As a specialist, Chris’ 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. Chris coordinates OCC’s outreach and education efforts in northern Ohio.

Previously, Chris served in the Ohio legislature as a State Representative for the 66th District. During that time he sat on several important committees including public utilities and was heavily involved in drafting Senate Bill 3, which helped restructure Ohio’s electric market. Chris’ experience in telecommunications, marketing and promotions, as well as governmental relations has given him insight into the complex utility issues facing consumers.

Chris earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in political science from Kent State University.

OCC has had to cancel many of its services, including its consumer call center, due to recent budget cuts. We realize you may continue to need assistance with your utility services. OCC's website provides free access to publications and resources.

You may seek assistance with utility complaints from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio: 800-686-7826. For complaints about non-utility related services, you may call the Ohio Attorney General at 800-282-0515.