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Doug Heller
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Doug Heller is a Southern California-based consumer advocate, the executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, and a policy expert on insurance industry practices and energy policy. He has testified regarding corporate accountability issues before numerous state and federal legislatures throughout the United States, appearing often in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C. Heller has led successful campaigns to pass whistleblower protection laws, and the nation's first low-cost automobile insurance program for the poor. Heller is also noted for being among the first consumer advocates in the US to identify the energy market manipulation by Enron and other energy firms during the California energy crisis. Heller has authored numerous reports on issues such as energy deregulation, medical malpractice and insurance industry low-balling. He participates in numerous California insurance and consumer oriented boards and panels. Education and early career Heller received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Heller was a public school teacher in rural Louisiana for two years as part of a nationwide program, Teach for America. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights Heller represents medical patients, utility ratepayers and insurance policyholders as the executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), a consumer advocacy group that has been fighting political and corporate corruption since 1985. He is also FTCR's lead legislative and regulatory advocate on insurance and energy issues. Heller regularly addresses lawmakers and the media about matters including insurance regulation and the legal rights of victims of medical negligence. He has authored numerous reports on energy deregulation, medical malpractice and the practice by insurance companies of 'low-balling' benefits claims owed to consumers. Heller spearheaded a two-year battle waged by FTRC for the strongest whistleblower protections in the US, which are now the law in California. Heller led FTRC's 2001 lobbying effortagainst a proposed financial bailout of California electric utilities by the California state legislature. His team of 'bailout watchdogs', comprising citizen activists ranging from students to soccer moms, roamed the halls of the California capitol before voting took place on the bailout, at times crossing paths with nattily coifed lobbyists representing Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric and other energy firms. 
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