Phillips Names Williams, Ghattas to Head Office of External Affairs

FERC Chairman Willie Phillips announced the appointments of Benjamin Williams as Director, and Monica Ghattas as Deputy Director, of FERC's Office of External Affairs (OEA).

Williams is an experienced communications and public relations professional skilled in organizing coalitions, crisis communications, federal policy analysis and strategic social media planning and execution. He recently served as Deputy Director, and Acting Director, of OEA, and prior to that was Director of Operations and Communications for former Chairman Rich Glick. He has more than 10 years of federal service, having joined FERC in 2013. He has served with several distinguished FERC officials including former Chairman Norman Bay, former Commissioner Colette Honorable and former Commissioner John Norris. Prior to joining FERC, Williams worked for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

He holds a master of science degree in communications, focused on public relations, from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a bachelor of arts degree in history from Simpson College. He and his husband, Brent, have one dog, Brew, and reside in Washington, D.C.

Ghattas joins FERC from American Electric Power (AEP), where she was Director, FERC and RTO Policy and Relations, responsible for representing the company before FERC and the Regional Transmission Organizations. Prior to that, she was Principal Advisor, Federal Regulatory Affairs for Southern California Edison (SCE). She also served as an attorney representing SCE in various state regulatory proceedings.

Ghattas is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law. After graduation she clerked for Judge John T. Nixon, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. She earned her undergraduate degree from UCLA.

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