2023 EBA Annual Meeting and Conference Speaker Bios
David A. Applebaum
Partner
Jones Day
David Applebaum's practice focuses on energy industry enforcement, compliance, internal investigations, audits, litigation, regulatory, and policy matters. He regularly advises on proposed energy market transactions to mitigate enforcement risk from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission), NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation), state public utility commissions (PUCs), antitrust enforcers, and RTO (Regional Transmission Organization) market monitors. David has successfully represented clients on a broad range of enforcement investigations and surveillance inquiries alleging market manipulation.
David is the former head of FERC's Division of Investigations, where he managed all aspects of the Division, including decisions on opening, conducting, and resolving investigations, settlements, enforcement actions, trials, and electric reliability inquiries. He also led the Division in coordination efforts with the CFTC on market manipulation investigations. During his government service, David was a member of the Office of Enforcement senior management team and was a key advisor to Commissioners' Offices and senior staff on enforcement matters.
Before FERC, David was in private practice, focusing on antitrust, class action, and financial services litigation for corporate clients.
David is a member of the Energy Law Journal's editorial board and former vice chair of the ABA Antitrust Section's Civil Practice & Procedure Committee and has presented on enforcement and compliance topics at major industry conferences sponsored by the Energy Bar Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), S&P Global Platts, Futures Industry Association (FIA), Edison Electric Institute, the ABA, Energy Risk USA, and Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).
David also actively participates in Jones Day's VetLex program, providing pro bono legal services to veterans.
Ruben Arredondo
Energy Counsel and Consultant
Regine, LLC
I've broad experience that includes transmission, interconnection, operations and maintenance, critical infrastructure cybersecurity, project development, NERC, FERC, regulatory, compliance, and other complex energy matters. I'm comfortable advising utilities operating in the bulk electric system and behind the meter/non wires solutions providers like microgrid developers, virtual power plant operators, DER aggregators, RegTech.
I've helped develop and lead nimble, diverse and inclusive professional, legal, and technical teams that supported the regulation, development, operation and protection of electrical energy systems and solutions from Canada, Mexico, the USA and Europe.
Janel C. Burdick
Director, Office of Enforcement
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Janel Burdick first joined the Commission’s Office of Enforcement (OE) in July 2009 as an Energy Industry Analyst. She served as a Technical Advisor to former Chairman Norman Bay from September 2014 to August 2015. In June 2016, she was named Director, Division of Energy Market Oversight, within OE, and in July 2019 was elevated to the position of Deputy Director, OE. Burdick has been serving as Acting Director, OE since February 2021. Prior to joining FERC, she served as a Commodities Product Controller and Commodities Settlement Analyst for Barclays Capital and was a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy. Burdick holds a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University.
The Honorable Neil Chatterjee
Senior Advisor
Hogan Lovells
Neil Chatterjee is a former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and has deep ties in Washington and across the industry, with extensive experience across the energy landscape both domestically and internationally. He is respected for his ability to strike compromise and work with a wide variety of stakeholders.
In his time on the Hill and at FERC, Neil built a reputation as a bipartisan operator who builds alliances and cuts through red tape with an eye on always promoting innovation. Neil’s significant knowledge and experience is derived from operating at the highest levels of government and as such, is able to provide clients valuable insights and counsel when navigating the highly regulated energy industry.
While at FERC, Neil championed several strategic initiatives, including streamlining and improving FERC’s liquified natural gas application review and approval process, bolstering power grid reliability and resilience, and boosting renewable resources’ ability to compete in regional power markets and for the reduction of carbon emissions.
Prior to his time at the Commission, Neil served as an advisor to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) where he aided in the passage of major energy, highway, and agriculture legislation. Neil also has experience working as a principal in government relations for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He began his career as a staff member on the House Committee on
Ways and Means.
The Honorable Allison Clements
Commissioner
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Commissioner Allison Clements joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in December 2020 following a range of public and private sector experience in energy law and grid modernization policy. Prior to her current role, she worked at Energy Foundation, Goodgrid LLC, and Natural Resources Defense Council. She began her legal career in private practice at Troutman Sanders LLP and Chadbourne & Parke LLP. Over the course of her career, her clients have included utilities, independent power producers, developers, lenders, nonprofits, and philanthropies.
Commissioner Clements has also served as a federal energy expert in several capacities, including as a member of a National Academies of Sciences committee on grid resilience and as a clinical visiting lecturer at Yale Law School. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School.
Commissioner Clements grew up in Dayton, Ohio and now lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children.
James R. Denniston
Assistant General Counsel
Xcel Energy
James Denniston is an Assistant General Counsel for Xcel Energy in Minnesota. For the last 13 years, a major part of his practice at Xcel Energy has focused on state regulatory issues with interconnection of distributed energy resources. Prior to this, for 14 years his was in-house and his practice focused on state regulatory issues for telecommunications, including representing a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier on its interconnection issues with Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers. He was in litigation private practice in Chicago prior to that for 10 years. He holds a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago, and a B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan.
Joseph E. Donovan
Partner
Pierce Atwood LLP
Joseph Donovan, a well-respected energy regulatory and transactional attorney, advises renewable, natural gas, and other power generation developers, as well as electric transmission owners, interstate oil and natural gas pipeline owners and shippers, local gas utilities, landll renewable gas and LNG project developers, and project nancing entities.
Joe also helps emerging businesses develop go-to-market strategies and capitalization efforts for new technologies in a wide range of industry sectors, including clean hydrogen energy, solar, energy storage, banking, distributed ledger, water, waste management, plastic recycling, internet, and data connectivity, aerospace design, and cellular app processing.
In 2021, Joe helped create the Transformer Manufacturing Association of America (TMAA), a new trade association supporting the domestic transformer manufacturing sector. In September 2022, Joe was named TMAA's executive director, leading its administrative function as well as its involvement in federal activities, including supporting the organization before the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce.
Prior to joining Pierce Atwood, Joe was a member in the Washington, D.C. ofce of an international law rm. While there, Joe represented clients involved in both utility- and distributed-scale renewable energy generation projects, nuclear generation facilities, and LNG storage and trucking facilities.
Mason Emnett
Senior Vice President, Public Policy
Constellation Energy Generation, LLC
As Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Mason Emnett oversees the development and implementation of federal legislative and regulatory strategy for Constellation Energy Corporation, the nation’s largest producer of clean energy.
Prior to joining Constellation, Emnett oversaw the development and implementation federal regulatory strategy for Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest producer and distributor of clean energy. He is responsible for achieving Exelon’s policy objectives in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.
Earlier, Emnett was Senior FERC Counsel for NextEra Energy, Inc., where he provided legal support and strategic advice on federal regulatory matters. Before joining NextEra in 2014, Emnett served as Deputy Director of the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he led the development of regulations and rules governing wholesale electric markets and the provision of interstate transmission service. Prior to joining in 2006, Emnett was in private practice with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP.
Neil Fisher
Partner
The NorthBridge Group
Neil Fisheris a Partner of The NorthBridge Group, where he provides economic and strategic consulting services to regulated utilities, competitive generators and energy suppliers, and other companies and policy organizations active in the energy space. Neil specializes in advising companies about customer choice and competitive electricity markets, regulatory policies, and the design of utility default service supply procurement. Using a combination of market insights, policy and regulatory expertise, perspectives on the energy transition, and rigorous analytic and economic skills, he has worked with clients to develop recommendations to modernize greenhouse gas accounting and reporting policies, assess risks for existing generation and new investments, evaluate emerging clean energy technologies, and achieve carbon-free procurement goals. He recently co-authored a paper, Modernizing How Electricity Buyers Account and are Recognized for Decarbonization Impact and Climate Leadership. Neil graduated from the Honors Program at Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Yale School of Management.
Lon Huber
Senior Vice President, Pricing and Customer Solutions
Duke Energy Corporation
Lon Huber serves as senior vice president of pricing and customer solutions for Duke Energy. With a focus on revenue generation and carbon savings, Lon leads the strategy and delivery of product & service portfolios spanning all customer types. To further meet evolving customer needs, Lon also oversees the development and implementation of innovative rate designs, advanced customer load analytics, and creative regulated solutions across eight different jurisdictions.
Prior to Duke, Lon worked for state commissions, clean technology companies and consumer advocates across the country as a consultant. Lon has also held various positions in the public and private sectors ranging from economic development to state government and the solar energy industry.
Lon has received numerous awards for his creative solutions to the electricity industry’s most pressing issues, including awards from Public Utilities Fortnightly, the top honor from the Energy Storage Association as well as Utility Dive’s Innovator of the Year award. Lon is also a regular instructor at FRI’s Advanced Rates Seminar at the University of Washington.
Diana Jeschke
Senior Counsel
Linklaters LLP
Diana Jeschke is senior counsel in the Energy & Infrastructure Group. She focuses primarily on regulatory matters affecting clients in the electricity industry before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Diana has advised and represented clients in matters concerning wholesale electric market rules, generator interconnections, enforcement investigations regarding alleged market manipulation, qualifying facilities, market-based rates, transfers of FERC-jurisdictional assets and other issues involving the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA).
She also advises on project development, reviewing and negotiating related commercial agreements, and retail supplier and other state regulatory requirements.Before joining Linklaters, Diana was at another law firm where she practiced in the firm's Energy Group, and prior to that she was an attorney-advisor at FERC.
Diana holds a Juris Doctor from University of California, Davis. She gained a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Berkeley.
Craig N. Johnson
Director of Government Relations and General Counsel
Colorado Rural Electric Association
Craig Johnson is a Colorado attorney with over 25 years of experience in complex commercial litigation and municipal utilities law. He is currently Deputy General Counsel with the Platte River Power Authority, a joint action agency providing wholesale electric generation and transmission service in north central Colorado. Prior to joining Platte River, Mr. Johnson was a partner with Kutak Rock LLP and managing director at Fairfield and Woods, P.C. in Denver. He is a graduate of Colorado State University and UCLA School of Law.
Adrienne Lotto
Senior Vice President Grid Security, Technical & Operations Services
American Public Power Association
As a member of the executive leadership team, Adrienne leads the American Public Power Association’s Technical & Operations Services department, which focuses on issues pertaining to electric utility operations, reliability, resilience, safety, grid security, and disaster response and mutual aid. A seasoned risk management professional, her experience has focused on addressing cross-sectional issues associated with cybersecurity, public policy, risk management, law, and the environment. Before joining APPA, Adrienne was vice president, chief risk and resilience officer at the New York Power Authority, and as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. Adrienne received her Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany.
Romaine Marshall
Partner
Polsinelli
Data has been called the new oil or new gold, and the lifeblood of many organizations. Romaine helps organizations protect their data, continuity and reputations, from cybersecurity and data privacy incidents.
As a technology and data lawyer, Romaine has represented organizations during litigation involving injunction hearings, bench and jury trials, and investigations relating to data breaches, malware attacks, crypto and digital asset fraud, security misconfigurations, social engineering and other exploits. As organizations implement technological shifts, Romaine helps them reduce potential legal exposure by advising on industry-specific policies and procedures, directing risk assessments and developing written information security programs.
Romaine is also a frequent author and presenter on digital transformation and legal obligations for Web3 technologies such as crypto, blockchain and digital assets, and artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
He is a member of the Utah Bar’s Innovation in Law Practice Committee, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Data Security and Privacy Committee, and hosts the Utah Chapter of the CISO Executive Network.
Charles R. Mills
Partner
Bracewell LLP
Charles (Charley) Mills focuses his practice in the areas of derivatives, commodities, crypto and securities trading law. Exchanges, market intermediaries, advisors, traders, end users and product developers turn to Charley for his deep knowledge of the regulatory agencies, the law, trading and the markets. He represents these clients in law enforcement investigations and actions, internal investigations, federal court litigation and regulatory compliance counseling involving the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice, the regulated futures exchanges, the National Futures Association and FINRA. He has tried over 60 court cases, administrative proceedings and arbitrations to successful outcomes and prevailed for clients in many appeals.
Charley is a former chair of the American Bar Association’s Derivatives and Futures Law Committee and has long served on the New York City Bar’s Committee on Futures and Derivatives Regulation. He also has served multiple terms on the Executive Committee of the Futures Industry Association’s Law and Compliance Division. He is a co-author of the treatises Derivatives Regulation (Wolter Kluwer), Broker-Dealer Regulation (PLI), and The Securities Enforcement Manual (ABA, 2007). He is on the board of editors of the Futures & Derivatives Law Report (Thomson Reuters) and was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center for 21 years, teaching courses in securities law and derivatives regulation.
As part of his community service, Charley serves as the president of the Benedictine Foundation, which supports the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children, Inc., which provides educational, vocational and residential services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Kelly Speakes-Backman
Executive Vice President, Public Affairs
Invenergy LLC
Kelly Speakes-Backman is a nationally recognized thought leader in the clean energy industry and leads Invenergy’s communications, government affairs and marketing activities. Most recently, she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy. A ‘Day 1’ appointee of the Biden Administration, she led the Office’s $3.2 billion portfolio of renewable power, energy efficiency and sustainable transportation. Kelly has also served as the first CEO of the Energy Storage Association and as a former Commissioner of the Maryland Public Service Commission. She has spent 25 years working on energy and environmental issues in the public, NGO and private sectors.
Lauren E. Snyder
Partner
Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
Lauren Snyder, Vice Chair of HWG’s Legal Ethics and Malpractice group, focuses her practice on legal ethics and malpractice, complex civil litigation, and government enforcement actions. Ms. Snyder practices in Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Prior to joining HWG, Lauren was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where her practice focused on litigation and regulatory antitrust matters. Ms. Snyder received her J.D., with high honors, from the George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of The George Washington Law Review and a Dean’s Fellow for the Legal Research and Writing Program. While in law school, she served as a legal intern for the Victim Witness Assistance Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. She has previously taught Legal Research and Writing as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School. Ms. Snyder currently serves on the Board of Wake Women Attorneys. She also serves as the Nominating and Public Service Awards Committee Chair on the Board of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the Membership Chair for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Antitrust and Complex Business Disputes Law Section.
Lauren received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. Prior to entering law school, she taught at-risk middle school students through Teach for America, where she helped implement a gang prevention program.
Regina Y. Speed-Bost
Founder and Managing Partner
SB Law, PLLC
Regina advises an array of clients reflecting the broad spectrum of energy companies that engage in regulated activities in the U.S. She represents natural gas companies, local distribution companies, and electric utilities on a variety of matters related to energy administrative and regulatory law. Her previous experience working for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the foundation of her distinct approach toward communicating between business owners, regulators and engineers. Regina works to understand your business objectives to bring results for her clients. Regina also understands the significant role the energy sector plays in the health of the overall economy, and applies that knowledge to her practice. Investigations and compliance matters are not only legal matters, they are whole company issues. Regina partners with company compliance officers and business teams to help ensure that all areas of an organization with compliance responsibilities are engaged in compliance daily and are informed during internal or external audits, investigations and enforcement actions. Her long-term, positive relationship with regulators underlies her firm but cooperative attitude in compliance cases, leading to better overall results for her clients. Her measured outlook has produced successful results and, in some cases, improved regulatory understanding for the entire industry.
A litigator at her core, she applies her deep knowledge of the energy industry and years of litigation training to cases before state courts, as well as before federal and state regulatory bodies, on behalf of clients in multiple jurisdictions. She is a trained negotiator and uses those negotiation skills, when appropriate, to bring about favorable results for her clients. Regina has spearheaded diversity initiatives throughout the energy bar and industry. She served as the co-chair of the Energy Bar Association President's Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and actively works to increase diversity, equality and inclusion throughout the industry and the legal profession generally.
Regina serves as a Professional Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School where she teaches energy law and regulation. She is a licensed, christian minister and serves as an Elder in her local church. She regularly shares the intersections of her faith and roles as wife, mother, grandmother, legal professional, and community worker to younger
attorneys as they navigate their careers.
Deepika H. Ravi
Partner
Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
Deepika Ravi is a partner with the law firm HWG LLP, and serves as Vice Chair of the firm’s Legal Ethics and Malpractice group.
Deepika helps lawyers and law firms understand and comply with their legal ethics obligations. She counsels clients on ethical restrictions on the practice of law, and represents attorneys in disciplinary proceedings. Her experience includes providing advice on ethical issues surrounding partner departures, and helping clients evaluate the merits of legal malpractice claims, including competency and conflicts of interest issues. Deepika has particular experience advising and representing clients who have received inquiries from the District of Columbia Committee on Unauthorized Practice of Law.
Deepika is a frequent speaker and writer on evolving issues in legal ethics, and serves as a co-chair of the Professional Responsibility Committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association. She also serves as an adjunct professor of law, teaching professional responsibility at the Georgetown University Law Center.