OUC exec faked Ph.D.
Official resigns from city-owned utility after falsely claiming degree
An Orlando Utilities Commission vice president resigned Wednesday, after the Orlando Sentinel asked for verification of a doctoral degree indicated by the “Ph.D.” on his business cards and his office signage.
Lee “Chip” Merriam, 65, was being paid $254,000 annually by OUC, where he had worked for a decade.
On Wednesday afternoon,
OUC leaders confirmed that Merriam was leaving the cityowned utility.
“Today, Chip Merriam, Vice President of Legislative, Regulatory and Compliance resigned from his position,” the utility stated.
“We learned on June 11, 2019 that Merriam had not completed the postgraduate program requirements for the credentials he claimed to have. The degree was a personal pursuit of Merriam’s which was not funded by OUC and was not required for his role. However, this revelation is disappointing to us as integrity is foundational to OUC,” the utility said in its brief statement.
The Sentinel first sought verification last week that Merriam held an advanced degree. Getting no response, the Sentinel on Tuesday confronted Merriam as he waited for an elevator at the utility’s headquarters in Orlando.
Merriam said he was seeking a doctoral degree but would provide few details.
“It’s something I’m doing for myself,” he said. “I’m not done. I’m still working on it.”
Merriam said without explanation that labeling his business
cards with Ph.D. was “a nice gesture and I quit using them awhile ago.”
Merriam responded “no” when asked if he would provide details about his studies and school.
Merriam could not be reached for comment after OUC issued the statement.
Merriam’s duties at OUC included legislative, regulatory and compliance matters and strategic planning. In a 2014 performance review, he said: “I constantly remind or educate those who impact how we do business of our manner and success of doing the correct thing always.”
Merriam previously had been a top executive at the South Florida Water Management District, where he focused extensively on Everglades restoration and once applied for the position
of executive director at that massive agency.
He is widely known among Florida’s watermanagement and utility professionals. His personnel file from the South Florida water district includes reviews with overwhelmingly high marks for performance.
His personnel file at OUC shows that he was hired in 2009 as director of legislative affairs within the utility’s legal department.
In his job application, Merriam stated that he went to high school in St. Petersburg and earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida. There is no indication of graduate studies in the application.
University of Florida officials confirmed that Merriam earned a bachelor’s of science degree with a zoology major in 1982.
In 2013, Merriam was honored as a “Rising Star” by the American Public
Power Association, which cited his congressional testimony on air-pollution regulation and work on water-pollution standards.
Performance reviews by OUC leaders also give Merriam high marks.
“Chip is an incredible addition to the OUC executive team, with outstanding industry credentials, experience and capabilities,” a 2011 review states. “Chip’s advice, counsel and testimony are being sought by water and electric trade associations, members of the state and federal government, and various agencies and committees.”
Another OUC performance review described Merriam as someone who “recognizes that OUC’s reputation is important and seeks to intercept any marks to our stellar reputation. He strives always to do the hard, right thing over the easy, wrong thing.”
Of few negative comments,
one remarked “Chip struggles with providing employees with clear guidance on career development, and fails to motivate employees to do their best work possible.”
Merriam’s departure comes as OUC faces increasing state and federal regulatory uncertainty in the shift from fossil fuels used by power plants to greater emphasis on green energy.
His departure also follows the resignation last month of a high-ranking power-plant manager, Jon Janis. The 30-year veteran was central to an OUC investigation last year of worker complaints about abuse at Stanton Energy Center.
The Sentinel reported on that investigation a week prior to Janis’ resignation.
OUC is owned by the city of Orlando and the fivemember board includes Mayor Buddy Dyer.