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		Q&A: Beth Lindstrom Director, Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Beth Lindstrom, MBA’98, is director of the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, which is charged with educating, informing, and protecting the state’s consumers. Before taking the post in January, she served as the Massachusetts lottery director, under then treasurer Joe Malone. Q. On behalf of everyone whose family dinner has been interrupted or who’s missed a dramatic ending to a TV show because of a telemarketer call, thank you, thank you, thank you for the Do Not Call Registry. A. [Laughs] It’s been tremendously successful. We’re very pleased with the outcome. Many, many people have stopped me and said, “Thank you so much. My dinnertime is much more peaceful now.” Q. How many Massachusetts residents have registered for the list? A. We have about 1.2 million—or a little over a third—of the residential phone lines. Q. You’re careful to say the registry will reduce but not eliminate calls from telemarketers. Which businesses and organizations are exempt from the law? A. Nonprofit and charitable organizations, organizations with which you are an existing customer, businesses that call to request a face-to-face meeting, and legitimate polling companies. Q. Is there anything in the works on a statewide level to reduce spam e-mails? A. As a matter of fact, yes. We’ve been working with the [state] attorney general’s office and state senator [Jarrett] Barrios and the Science and Technology Committee on an anti-spam bill. Hopefully, we’ll get something out there in the future. Q. How do you prepare yourself for a job that oversees areas as diverse as telecommunications and energy, banking, medicine, insurance, and racing? A. I believe in good management, so it’s trying to take your basic management skills and apply them over all the areas [you supervise]. I did a lot of reading at the beginning—trying to get up to speed—and now, six months later, it’s beginning to pay dividends. Q. What’s the best tip you can give a consumer? A. Be informed. We see this over and over again, where, if consumers had asked a few more questions, done a little bit of background checking, and done some research, they’d be better armed to address the situation they find themselves in. Q. Why did you decide to get your MBA at Northeastern? A. It was a way to round out the business principles I was employing on a day-to-day basis and put them into book work, and also give me depth and more knowledge. Q. What’s it like being a Republican official in a heavily Democratic state? A. Tough. But I would hope that most people look at me as someone who’s trying to do the best job she can and do the right thing. Q. Some media outlets criticized your appointment as pure patronage. Did you find that personally hurtful, or do you think all is fair in love and politics? A. After working at the lottery for seven years, I got used to being in a fishbowl, being in a situation where people have things to say about everything. But as I said before, I believe in good management, and I believe that’s why the governor [Mitt Romney] appointed me. Q. You came out of the Joe Malone treasury department, which was marked by scandal [six people were imprisoned for their part in embezzling over $9 million from the department’s Unpaid Check Fund]. Has that saddled you with a lot of baggage to carry around? A. No, I personally have not felt that. Having this opportunity and being part of this administration speaks for itself. Q. Do you hold Joe Malone personally accountable for what happened there? A. No, I think Joe is a terrific person. I think he did a great job. He just had some bad apples there, and that was unfortunate. Q. What has Governor Romney taught you in your six months on the job? A. To do the best job you can, work hard, try to do the right thing, and be honest. And when you make a mistake, get up, move on, and try again. Q. Where do you want to go from here? A. I don’t have a short-term or a long-term plan. Just having the opportunity to be a part of this administration—trying to make some changes along with the governor—is really my focus now. Q. Will you ever run for elected office? A. I don’t have any plans to do that. Being a politician is a tough job. See Mass. Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Web site.