Map of Outreach and Education regions
- Amy Carles - Central and Northwest counties
- Ray Foeller - Central and Northeast counties
- Andy Tinkham - Central and Southern counties
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.
Download Amy Carles' Bio (PDF)
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.
Download Ray Foeller's Bio (PDF)
Andy Tinkham
Andrew Tinkham is a Senior Outreach and Education Program Specialist with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), the residential utility consumer advocate. He joined the OCC in November 2002 as a compliance investigator in the consumer services division and later transferred to the communications department in November 2006.
As an outreach and education program specialist, Andrew’s responsibilities include conducting presentations to social and human service agencies, community and professional organizations and other interested groups on a wide range of utility topics including electric, natural gas, telephone, and water. He also plays an active role in educating consumers about OCC’s services by meeting with consumers, answering their questions and distributing information such as fact sheets, brochures, and newsletters. Andrew coordinates OCC’s outreach and education efforts in the Southern Ohio area.
Before joining the OCC, he worked in various positions at CoreComm and as a customer support clerk at AirTouch Cellular. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in communications from Otterbein College.