Former Chair of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, Karen is a committed advocate and creative problem solver. She focuses her practice in the areas of energy, utilities, water and wastewater, and administrative law.

Karen has represented numerous independent power producers, solar and renewable energy companies, privately owned and municipal water and wastewater companies, natural gas companies, and telecommunications companies in regulatory matters as well as in the permitting, purchase, sale, and construction of facilities.

She has also regularly represented solar developers, telecommunications companies, and various project developers before state governmental agencies, permitting officials, and local zoning boards, as well as in appeals in state and federal courts. She has appeared before boards of commissioners and city and town councils to obtain rezonings, special use and conditional permits, ordinance interpretations, and variances.

In her role on the North Carolina Utilities Commission, Karen served in a variety of key influential federal and state utilities organizations, including:

• State representative to the Federal-State Collaborative with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
• Board member of the Organization of PJM States, Inc. (OPSI).
• Chair of OPSI’s Governance Committee.
• Member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
• Member of NARUC’s Critical Infrastructure Committee, Water Committee, and International Committee.
• Member of the American Water Works Association.

Karen’s background enables her to advise clients on their business in relation to state and federal policy contexts and how they can achieve their objectives within the regulatory framework in which they operate.