TRENTON - New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) President Christine Guhl-Sadovy has announced the appointment of Ava-Marie Madeam as General Counsel for the state regulatory agency.
“I am thrilled to announce Ava-Marie Madeam as the NJBPU’s new General Counsel,” said Christine Guhl-Sadovy, President, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. “Ava-Marie’s polished career and considerable experience in utility regulatory law will prove valuable as we strive to serve and protect New Jersey ratepayers as best as possible.”
Madeam brings decades of extensive experience in the corporate and state government sectors. Prior to joining the NJBPU, Madeam served as Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Verizon, where she played a key leadership role in ensuring the company’s compliance with state and federal regulatory rules and regulations and avoided penalties related to video franchise, broadband deployment, cybersecurity, service quality, privacy, underground damage prevention and safety, and other regulatory standards.
Earlier in her career, Madeam worked for the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel as Assistant Deputy Ratepayer Advocate, where she represented the State agency before various judicial and state regulatory bodies, including, but not limited the NJBPU, New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, Federal Communications Commission, and U.S. District Court.
“A strong and balanced regulatory framework is essential to ensuring that New Jersey’s utilities operate efficiently and fairly for all ratepayers,” said Madeam. “I am honored to serve as General Counsel for the NJBPU and look forward to working alongside our dedicated team to uphold the agency’s mission of protecting consumers while advancing the state’s energy and utility policies.”
As the new General Counsel of the NJBPU, she will lead the Office of the General Counsel by overseeing all legal matters, providing expert legal counsel, and driving the regulatory agenda of the agency forward.
Madeam earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Emory University. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.
Madeam’s appointment rounds out the Office of General Council, which also includes two relative newcomers: Elspeth Hans and Gary Colin Emerle. Hans, who started in October of last year, was formerly Senior Counsel in the Office of the Governor. Emerle, who started last August, came to the BPU from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Legal Affairs.
