Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Echols.
Hi Tim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A younger me was selected by the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club as “Student of the Year” from his high school in 1978. While at the luncheon, I met Truett Cathy, a member of the club. After the meeting, Truett invited me to his Hapeville office where he gave him a set of motivational tapes and a challenge. The tapes changed my life and, as a result of listening to Zig Ziglar and his teaching, I set a goal to become a statewide elected official.
Meanwhile, off I went to the University of Georgia getting very involved with the Baptist Student Union and further honing my leadership skills. Shortly after graduating from UGA, Tim and his wife Windy founded TeenPact, a training experience for conservative high school students. The program began at the Georgia Capitol and now operates in all 50 states, having trained 105,000 students.
After building TeenPact in my 30’s and 40’s, I ran for and was elected to statewide office in 2010. That job is unknown to many people, but impacts every Georgian.
The PSC’s primary job is energy regulation. When I took office, Georgia was 34th in solar power. Now, the state is 6th in the nation for installed solar. In 2020, Conservatives for Clean Energy dubbed Tim the “Solar Architect of Georgia.”
Tim has also created the Clean Energy Roadshow that has traveled the state every summer for the past 15 years. This educational event helps commuters, businesses and municipal governments evaluate alternative fuel for their transportation and residential use. I have owned 8 EVs, two CNG cars and several cars that run on corn ethanol.
So much of my job has to do with keeping the Georgia grid reliable and affordable.
In December 2017, I authored the motion to keep the expansion project at Plant Vogtle moving forward. I believe carbon-free nuclear energy plus solar is the best way forward for Georgia. That has led my to represent Georgia and the United States at the World Nuclear Exhibition since 2014.
I have tried to lead by example. I added solar hot-water heating to his Athens home just before he was sworn in and solar PV to my Hoschton home. I also led the effort to provide the Salvation Army and two other agencies with $5 million to help low-income seniors in Atlanta with heating assistance. That program continues today.
I created a pilot program to provide specially equipped iPads to the hearing impaired to help them function more productively and led the PSC to increase the number of pediatric hearing aids it provides to eligible hearing-impaired children.
In 2019, I rallied donors and the solar community to build and donate to the Hog Hammock Foundation a 16-panel solar pavilion for the community library on the remote Sapelo Island off Georgia’s coast. Sapelo is the home of one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities and this array will provide free electricity to the library for 30 years. With help from YellaWood, Southern Current and EDF Renewables, Echols led the way to build this lasting asset.
I also has been at the forefront in fighting human sex trafficking by creating the “Unholy Tour” that helps policy makers see first-hand the harms of human trafficking. As a part of my efforts to educate the public about the harms of trafficking, I created the Wilberforce Fellowship that meets once per year at Jackson Lake in Newton County. Tim and Judge Tim Batten head this effort.
I have a weekly radio show called Energy Matters airing on Cox Media Group and in four other Georgia media markets. The show has over 320 episodes.
I most recently finished writing a historical fiction book about the founding of the Jekyll Island Club entitled “Jean Marc of Jekyll.” The book is about the power of remarkable friendships.
Windy and I have been married 41 years and have seven children. I received two additional degrees from the University of Georgia and lives in Hoschton.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Running a non-profit is not easy. TeenPact and so many other charities were impacted financially during the 2007 downtown, and the Pandemic. By God’s grace, the organization is thriving today.
Energy costs are high today along with just about every thing else impacted by inflation. I am fighting to keep bills down as best I can.
Health can be an issue too, and my wife struggled with health issues in 2001 that required much family adjustment.
We’ve been impressed with Public Service Commission, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Public Service Commission seeks to oversee affordable rates all the while making sure the companies we regulate are performing at a high level, and are financially viable for the long term. Some California utilities have gone bankrupt, and we want those under our authority to thrive and be technologically competent. Providing reliable energy for a growing Georgia is a critical part of my job.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Truett Cathy had a impact on my life from afar. Numerous pastors have spoken into my life. Robyn Greer, my student council adviser helped me hone my early political skills. But it is my wife of 41 years who has been my greatest friend and cheerleader.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://timechols.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timechols/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timgechols
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/commishtim/
- Twitter: https://x.com/timechols
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TimEchols
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-625199474
- Other: https://psc.ga.gov/
