About SBUA

Britt Marra began volunteering with Small Business Utility Advocates (SBUA) in 2012 as Membership Development and Outreach Lead. Through that work, she developed a deep commitment to protecting and advancing the interests of small commercial ratepayers and ensuring they have a voice in utility policy and regulatory decision-making. She has served as SBUA’s Executive Director since 2022.

In addition to her work with SBUA, Britt has held leadership roles with the National Small Business Utility Council, advocating for small commercial customers in proceedings before the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the Oregon Public Utility Commission. She has also worked as a nonprofit consultant supporting a small business coalition at the Ontario Energy Board in Toronto, Canada.

Jennifer Weberski has been with SBUA since 2019, serving as Litigation Supervisor. Ms. Weberski has over 25 years’ experience focused on utility regulation, with significant experience in utility rate regulation, rate design, and energy policy.

Prior to joining SBUA, Ms. Weberski worked for consumer advocate’s offices in Connecticut and the District of Columbia and advocated on behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund before the California Public Utilities Commission. She received her JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University.

Ted joined SBUA in 2019. He is focused primarily on advocating for the interests of small businesses, including diversified businesses, in California Public Utilities Commission energy, climate change, and telecommunications.

His 40+ years of experience in energy, climate change, and telecommunications prior to joining SBUA includes serving as an analyst at the CPUC, visiting and consulting with small businesses as an Energy Ambassador for PG&E and Peninsula Clean Energy, consulting to the Japanese and Swiss governments on California energy policies, and leading Germany’s Deutsche Telekom USA Research and Development subsidiary as Founder, President, and CFO. His formal education includes a M.S. in Energy Economics from Virginia Tech.E and Peninsula Clean Energy.

Matt Sheriff is a senior financial and regulatory policy expert with Palos Verdes Advisors, LLC, with more than 25 years of professional experience in corporate finance, utility regulation, and energy policy. He spent over 17 years at Southern California Edison, where he held senior roles in the Treasurer’s and Regulatory Affairs departments, supporting large-scale capital investments, cost effectiveness, revenue requirements, and cost recovery. His work has focused on utility economics, cost estimation, rate impacts, and customer affordability in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission.

Mr. Sheriff is known for his ability to translate complex utility finance and regulatory issues into clear, practical analysis for regulators, stakeholders, and the public. His work has contributed to improved transparency around utility rate drivers and the evaluation of utility programs and investments. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

Michael Brown is a utility professional who has served as an outside consultant and expert for Small Business Utility Advocates since 2013. He has worked in the electric and natural gas utility industry for more than 15 years, including roles for both private and public utilities in California as a program manager, supervisor of electricity resources, and project analyst.

Prior to working in the electric and natural gas utility sector, Mr. Brown worked with small businesses, primarily in Silicon Valley, to help design products and develop new inventions. In addition to his utility expertise, he brings experience as an innovator and startup entrepreneur within the small business community.

Mr. Brown has also devoted significant time to public service, including as a Visalia Rotary Board Member (2022–2023) and as Tulare County’s representative on the Citizens Advisory Committee to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (December 2013–December 2016). He holds a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and his credentials include APICS CPIM certifications, Project Management Mastery (PMI), and Engineer-in-Training certification (No. 119825).

James M. Birkelund is an energy and environmental attorney with over 25 years of legal experience and has served as general counsel to SBUA since the organization’s founding in 2012. He also served on SBUA’s Board of Directors from 2012 to 2022. Mr. Birkelund currently practices as outside counsel at Energy & Environmental Law Corp. and focuses on representing intervenors and other parties before state and federal regulatory bodies on utility and energy matters, including general rate cases, rate design and cost allocation, wildfire mitigation, telecommunications, distributed energy resources, and clean energy policy. His work with SBUA reflects a longstanding commitment to making utility regulation more equitable, transparent, and responsive to the needs of small business customers.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Birkelund served as a Senior Project Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he litigated major environmental protection cases. He also practiced as an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP and worked in-house for a large electric utility, giving him insight into both regulatory advocacy and utility operations.

Mr. Birkelund has contributed to the legal profession and the broader environmental community through service on the Environmental Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors of the Climate Change Law Foundation, and the Legal Committee of the Sierra Club’s Bay Chapter. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at UC Law San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law) and as a Pro Tem Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court. He received his J.D. and M.S. in Resource Policy from the University of Michigan and his B.A. in Geology and Economics from Colgate University. Mr. Birkelund is admitted to practice in California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California.