Courtney K. Hjaltman
Governor Greg Abbott appointed Courtney Hjaltman to serve as The Chief Executive and Public Counsel for the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) on December 19, 2022, for a term set to expire February 1, 2023. Abbott reappointed Mrs. Hjaltman for a second term on February 3, 2023, for a term set to expire on February 1, 2025. As the Chief Executive and Public Counsel, Mrs. Hjaltman oversees day-to-day operations and leads OPUC’s representation of residential and small commercial consumers in the state’s electric, water, wastewater and telecommunication utility industries primarily before the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), State Office of Administration Hearings (SOAH), state courts, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Prior to her appointment, Mrs. Hjaltman served as Deputy Legislative Director for Governor Abbott, where she worked with Members of the Texas Legislature and other stakeholders on various issues which in the 87th Session included legislation to bolster the state’s energy market, weatherization requirements, as well as reforms of the ERCOT Board. Mrs. Hjaltman has worked in both the Texas Senate and Texas House working with members on the Senate and House Natural Resource Committees, Senate Select Committee on Water Policy, and House State Affairs.
Mrs. Hjaltman is a proud graduate of The University of Texas at Austin graduating with a BS in Corporate Communications and a BA in Government, and she earned her Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law.