Norma P. Garcia, Senior Attorney

Norma P. Garcia is a Senior Attorney and manages the Financial Services Program for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports magazine. Since joining Consumers Union?s staff in 1992, Ms. Garcia has become a recognized national and international expert in mortgage lending, credit, finance and insurance regulatory law and policy. She has served as expert advisor and witness on technical matters for legislators and legislative staff and has negotiated and successfully lobbied for the passage of significant consumer protection legislation. Ms. Garcia is the author of several publications on topics including the usage of credit scores in insurance, reverse mortgages and predatory mortgage lending.

Ms. Garcia was honored as a 2000 National Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice for her contribution to the public interest while serving as co-counsel on the litigation team which successfully defended Consumers Union in a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by Isuzu Motors Ltd. Ms. Garcia also served as co-counsel on the Consumers Union litigation team which in 2007 successfully defended landmark anti-discrimination insurance regulations which will save California consumers billions in automobile insurance premiums.

Ms. Garcia received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her BA from the University of California at Irvine. Garcia?s undergraduate studies include one year abroad at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.

Ms. Garcia is an attorney admitted in California and Hawaii.

Michelle Jun, Staff Attorney

Michelle Jun is a Staff Attorney for Financial Privacy Now. She came to Consumers Union in 2003, initially to work on nonprofit hospital and healthcare conversions. Michelle works on payments issues, and has also worked on identity theft and financial privacy issues. A transplant from Southern California, Michelle now resides in San Francisco.

Lauren Z. Bowne, Staff Attorney

Lauren came to CU as a staff attorney in May of 2005 to work on children's health insurance with the Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools Project. She spent three years working on issues ranging from childhood obesity and marketing to children to nonprofit health entity conversions and health marketplace reform. Since 2008 she?s been a member of the Financial Services Advocacy Team and focuses on issues related to credit cards and bank products. During law school Lauren studied consumer food issues and environmental policy. Before getting her legal education Lauren spent time working with a bay area organization that advocates for children's after-school and child-care programs. Lauren lives in San Francisco.

Michael McCauley, Media Director

Michael has been on Consumers Union's staff since January 2000. He works out of Consumers Union's west coast office in San Francisco and is currently the Media Director for CU's Safe Patient Project and Financial Services Campaigns. Prior to joining CU, Michael was the Communications Director for Greenbelt Alliance, a San Francisco Bay Area land conservation and urban planning nonprofit. Before moving to California, Michael was the Media Director for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice and Research Director for Public Citizen's Congress Watch, both in Washington, D.C. He has over 20 years of experience as a public interest advocate, primarily in media relations.

Tim Marvin, Grassroots Organizer

Tim Marvin is a Grassroots Organizer at the West Coast Office of Consumers Union. He splits his time as a member of the financial services and the food and product safety teams. Prior to joining Consumers Union, Tim worked with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) first in 2001 as a student activist and canvasser. After college he was hired as a campus organizer at SUNY Albany then Syracuse University/ SUNY College of Environmental Science and University. In 2005 he worked in the Manhattan office overseeing activities at seven NYPIRG chapters around the state. During the summers he directed three outreach offices and then became a Regional Outreach Supervisor for two summers. In addition, he worked with NYPIRG's legislative and issue staff on a variety of campaigns such as the Bigger Better Bottle Bill and Wind Power Education.

Suzanne Martindale, Staff Attorney

Suzanne Martindale is a Staff Attorney at Consumers Union's West Coast Office in San Francisco, CA. As part of the Financial Services Team, she works on payments, banking, consumer credit, debt collection, debt relief, regulatory reform and other consumer finance issues. Before joining the Team, Suzanne worked on tenants' rights and debt collection cases as an advocate and clinical student at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, CA. She received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Prior to embarking on a legal career, Suzanne was an adjunct instructor in Philosophy and Humanities at two Chicago-area community colleges. She received her Master's degree in Humanities from the University of Chicago, and her undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently resides in Oakland, CA.