The Utilities and Regulatory division provides legal advice to several departments, including Austin Energy, Austin Water, Austin Resource Recovery, the Information Security Office, and Communication and Technology Management. The attorneys advise on utility, regulatory, and franchise issues, as well as cyber and information security legal compliance.
- About Don Ballard, Utility and Regulatory Division Chief
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Don serves as Division Chief for Utilities and Regulatory at the City of Austin Law Department. He represents the city’s electric, water, information security, technology, and regulatory practice areas. Don previously served 10 years as the General Counsel for Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc., the largest electric utility cooperative in the country. Prior to joining PEC, Don was appointed to serve as the Texas Public Utility Counsel, the chief executive of the state office representing residential and small business customers in electricity and telecommunications matters. In that position he served on the Board of Directors for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). He has also served as General Counsel to the Texas Workforce Commission; Assistant General Counsel at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas; a Chief Attorney at the Texas Public Utility Commission; and Deputy Chief of the Open Records Division, Office of the Texas Attorney General.
In 2007, Don received the Texas General Counsel Forum’s Magna Stella Award for excellence in leadership and management. He is also a past president of the Administrative and Public Law Section of the Austin Bar. Don graduated from the University of Texas Law School and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from Baylor University.