2025 EBA Energy Forum Speakers
Speaker bios will be added to this page as speakers are confirmed.
Amy Andryszak
President and CEO
Interstate Natural Gas Association of America & INGAA Foundation
Amy Andryszak was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and the INGAA Foundation in 2020. INGAA represents natural gas transmission and storage companies who operate over 200,000 miles of pipeline and related infrastructure that safely transport natural gas from where it is produced to where it is consumed.
Since her appointment in 2020, Ms. Andryszak spearheaded the organization’s 2021 Vision Forward, a comprehensive set of climate change commitments that focuses on modernizing our nation’s interstate natural gas infrastructure with the goal of reducing emissions and minimizing climate impacts.
Prior to joining INGAA in 2020, Ms. Andryszak served as a Principal at a Washington, DC-based government relations firm where she managed a portfolio of clients across a range of policy areas, including energy and related infrastructure, telecommunications, travel and tourism, and financial services. With more than two decades of political and advocacy experience, Ms. Andryszak has held various leadership and executive positions in the U.S. House of Representatives and the private sector.
Ms. Andryszak received a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University. She volunteers as a reading mentor and board member of EverybodyWins! DC, a children’s literacy non-profit dedicated to providing children the opportunity to share an enjoyable reading experience. Ms. Andryszak lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and daughter.
Jordan Bakke
Director, Strategic Insights and Assessments
Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc.
Jordan Bakke is the Director of Strategic Insights & Assessments within MISO focusing on how public policy, emerging technology, and stakeholder changes impacts energy systems for the MISO footprint and developing strategies for MISO and the region to adapt to it. He received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering at North Dakota State University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. He has held many roles at MISO working in resource forecasting, resource adequacy, transmission planning, renewable integration, market & grid strategy, and corporate strategy.
Emanuel Bernabeu
Sr. Director, Applied Innovation & Analytics (Markets)
PJM Interconnection
Since joining PJM in 2015, Dr. Bernabeu has championed major initiatives that improve market efficiency, system resiliency, and performance under extreme conditions. He is recognized for fostering a culture of innovation that blends “think-tank” vision with “do-tank” execution, aligning PJM’s technical capabilities with the industry’s rapid transformation.
Before joining PJM, Dr. Bernabeu held engineering and leadership roles in Argentina and at Dominion Virginia Power, where he specialized in system studies, large-scale simulations, and advanced equipment design and testing. He holds a Ph.D. in Power Systems along with master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering
and Applied Economics from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. in Electronics from Universidad Católica de Córdoba.
An active member of IEEE and Chair of the Cascading Failures Working Group, Dr. Bernabeu frequently speaks on innovation in power systems at panels and conferences and has published widely on topics ranging from renewable integration to voltage stability and optimization.
Frederick S. Bresler, III
Executive Vice President, Market Services and Strategy
PJM Interconnection LLC
Frederick S. “Stu” Bresler is responsible for the conduct of all the markets operated by PJM including those for Capacity, Day-Ahead and Real-Time Energy, Ancillary Services and Financial Transmission Rights. He is responsible for Demand Response operations, and the market efficiency component of the Regional Transmission Expansion Planning process. Mr. Bresler is responsible for the continued evolution of PJM’s markets, including the integration of renewable resources, and the development of analytics around the performance of those markets.
Mr. Bresler has been involved with bulk power system operations and the development and implementation of electricity markets for capacity, energy, transmission rights and ancillary services for over 20 years.
Mr. Bresler is chair of the Board of PJM Connext, Inc., a PJM subsidiary. Mr. Bresler is also chair of the Board of APEx (the Association of Power Exchanges), an international organization formed to facilitate development and communication of ideas and practices in the operation of global competitive electricity markets. He also serves on the Board of Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.
Adria Brooks, PhD
Director of Transmission Planning
Grid Strategies LLC
Dr. Adria Brooks is Director of Transmission Planning at Grid Strategies, where she helps clients achieve well-designed regional transmission systems. Sitting at the intersection of engineering and policy, Adria has over 15 years of public service experience at the academic, utility, state, and federal levels. Her expertise includes power system modeling, industry practices, wholesale electricity markets, state utility regulation, grid technologies, energy justice and labor concerns.
Prior to joining Grid Strategies, Adria served as a Senior Technical Advisor in transmission planning with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office. Her portfolio at DOE included national generation and transmission assessments, system reliability studies, renewable energy integration, large load integration, grid-enhancing technologies, transmission permitting, and energy justice. Earlier in her career, Adria served as a transmission planning engineer at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and as a solar energy researcher at the University of Arizona. She had a particular focus in educational outreach for young students.
Adria holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a focus in energy policy and environmental resources from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. She has a B.S. is in engineering physics from the University of Arizona. At heart, Adria is a power grid and renewable energy nerd who is happiest when backpacking the nation’s forests.
Michael W. Brooks
Partner
Bracewell LLP
Michael Brooks focuses his practice in the areas of energy, commodities and derivatives law. He represents energy companies and commodity trading companies in a wide variety of commercial, regulatory, compliance and enforcement matters and routinely advises clients regarding federal rules and regulations governing the trading, ownership, transportation and transmission of energy commodities.
In addition to actively representing clients in investigations and regulatory matters involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and designated contract markets such as CME Group and ICE Futures US, Michael conducts internal compliance reviews and trainings, works with clients to develop effective compliance programs and collaborates with commercial teams to structure large commodity transactions and acquisitions to comply with FERC and CFTC regulations. He also advises clients regarding compliance with the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) petroleum market manipulation regulations and federal and state laws related to carbon emissions, renewable energy, and green energy claims.
Jason Chee-Aloy
Managing Director
Power Advisory LLC
Jason is a senior electricity market and electricity policy consultant based in Toronto, with 25 years of experience in competitive and regulated electricity markets. He has acted for multiple clients with business and policy interests across Canada and the United States, within areas of generation development and investments, transmission and distribution development, energy storage development, market assessment and intelligence, business strategy, wholesale electricity market design, power procurement, energy policy development, and regulatory and litigation support.
Prior to joining Power Advisory, he was the Director of Generation Procurement at the Ontario Power Authority, and previous to that led resource adequacy, market development, and market surveillance initiatives for the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator.
Jason is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, a member of the Advisory Board of Business Renewables Centre Canada, and is the renewable generator representative on the Independent Electricity System Operator’s Technical Panel.
He was selected as the Hedley Palmer award recipient from the Association of Power Producers of Ontario in 2019 as a leading contributor to the independent power industry, and in 2009 he was awarded with the Canadian Solar Industries Association Leader of the Year award.
Jason holds an MA in Economics with a focus on financial markets and graduated from York University and the University of Toronto.
Tony Clark
Executive Director
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
Tony Clark is the Executive Director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the organization that represents the nation’s state utility regulators. He was a commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2012 to 2016, having been appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Tony served as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner from 2001 to 2012, including more than five years as the Commission’s chairman. While on the North Dakota Commission, he was the 2010-2011 president of NARUC. He was North Dakota’s Labor Commissioner in the Cabinet of Governor Edward T. Schafer and is a former state legislator, representing a portion of the City of Fargo in the North Dakota House of Representatives.
After leaving the public sector in 2016, he was engaged in consulting, where he advised clients on complex regulatory and public policy matters. He is a former director of a publicly traded company, and was Directorship Certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors. As a recognized expert on energy, telecommunications, and utility issues, he speaks frequently on regulatory matters, and he has appeared multiple times before committees of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and state legislatures. He holds undergraduate degrees from North Dakota State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Dakota.
Cecelia Coffey
Attorney Advisor
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
CeCe Coffey is an Attorney-Advisor at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). She also served as a Legal Intern, Majority Staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources in 2024.
After graduating from college, CeCe worked in energy for six years before going back to school. She worked for ICF’s energy advisory services team and in the Office of Energy Market Regulation at FERC. In law school, CeCe tried out different roles in the energy law world. She worked in New York City at Consolidated Edison, then as a part-time extern with ISO New England, and finally with Troutman Pepper, and Bracewell.
CeCe enjoys playing water polo team and making it to as many new restaurants and Nationals games as possible.
Katie Coleman
Partner
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Katie Coleman, Managing Partner of O’Melveny’s Austin office, handles complex energy transactions, regulatory policy matters, and administrative litigation, with a focus on electricity.
Recognized for her deep knowledge of the electricity market in Texas, Katie works with a wide range of businesses to navigate regulatory requirements in developing new facilities, buying or selling energy assets, structuring energy supply agreements, and managing energy costs. She assists companies in complying with state and federal laws governing electricity service and participating in wholesale markets. Katie also has unique experience structuring joint ownership agreements for privately owned electrical facilities, negotiating and drafting energy supply arrangements, and developing on-site generation. In addition to her legal expertise, Katie brings considerable technical knowledge to issues involving energy markets and transactions.
Katie also has more than a decade of experience litigating contested cases involving electricity issues before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. She also represents companies in litigation before the Texas Railroad Commission involving natural gas rates and terms of service.
According to her clients and peers, Katie “is extremely effective and can break down very complicated topics to explain the heart of the matter.” (Chambers USA 2021). She “has considerable expertise in rate cases, ERCOT matters and energy regulatory compliance for large projects,” and is “highly knowledgeable and responsive.” (Chambers USA 2020).
Before joining O’Melveny, Katie led the Government and Regulatory Practice at a leading Texas law firm.
Margaret Czepiel
Associate
Day Pitney LLP
Margaret Czepiel is an Associate in Day Pitney LLP’s Washington, DC office. Margaret represents energy clients in regulatory, administrative litigation, enforcement, and compliance matters, predominantly in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state commissions. She counsels a wide array of clients on electric and gas-related matters, from municipalities to large corporations to the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL). In particular, Margaret assists electric generation and transmission, energy trading companies, and natural gas clients in rate cases, enforcement matters, filings under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act, compliance filings, and comments in front of FERC. Margaret is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and Gettysburg College.
Lincoln L. Davies
Professor & Executive Director for Energy, Resources, and Environmental Law
University of Utah Law School
Lincoln Davies is an internationally recognized expert in energy law and policy. His research has been sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the South Korean government, the Brookings Institution, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Heising-Simons Foundation, among others. Coauthor of one of the nation’s leading energy law textbooks, Davies was named a McCloy Fellow in Environmental Policy in 2012 and the Elizabeth Evatt Distinguished Fellow at the University of Sydney Law School in 2024. He served as the 20th Dean of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he held the Frank R. Strong Chair in Law. Davies is on the faculty at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he is Executive Director for Energy, Resource, and Environment Programs and Co-Director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, and the Environment.
Austin Dawson
Deputy Director of Energy Supply and Rates
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
Austin Dawson is the Deputy Director of Energy Supply and Rates within the Division of Policy, Planning, & Analysis at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). He manages a team engaged on topics related to energy affordability, large-scale renewables and transmission procurement, regional wholesale markets, retail energy supply, reliability, and resiliency. Austin also leads the development of DOER’s policies on utility rates and ratemaking, recently managing the Interagency Rates Working Group and convening the Massachusetts Electric Rate Task Force to explore reforms to electric rate design and regulatory mechanisms to drive an affordable energy transition.
Prior to joining DOER in 2022, Austin served as public utility auditor at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and an energy program and policy analyst at the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation. He is also a former social studies teacher, a background he enjoys drawing on to provide guest lectures on energy-related topics at universities, including at Harvard and MIT. In his free time, Austin is authoring a manuscript that examines the regulatory politics of electricity restructuring in Massachusetts, which he hopes to publish by the 30th anniversary of the Massachusetts Electricity Industry Restructuring Act (1997).
Austin holds a Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College. He also has a Technical Diploma in Accounting from Fox Valley Technical College, in addition to other professional certificates in utility regulation, accounting, and finance. He is originally from Wisconsin, but a long-time resident of Massachusetts where he now lives with his husband.
Jeff Dennis
Senior Counsel, CO2Efficient
and
Executive Director, Electricity Customer Alliance
Jeff Dennis is the Executive Director of the Electricity Customer Alliance (ECA), a growing coalition of diverse energy consumers—spanning technology, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors—committed to advancing customer-centric solutions that modernize the grid, keep electricity affordable and reliable, and support economic growth. He is also Senior Counsel at the Washington, D.C. policy consulting firm CO2EFFICIENT, where he advises clients on navigating federal and state policy and regulatory frameworks, wholesale market structures, and strategies to accelerate transmission planning, permitting, and development.
Jeff is a nationally recognized expert in energy and climate policy and law, with over two decades of experience across both government and private sector leadership. He held key roles at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—including Director of Policy Development, Legal Advisor to a Commissioner, and Appellate Attorney—where he helped craft landmark orders and rulemakings that modernized wholesale electricity markets, enhanced regional transmission planning and cost allocation, and tackled emerging reliability challenges; he also litigated numerous cases in federal courts. At the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), he served as the first Deputy Director for Transmission in the Grid Deployment Office, spearheading all transmission deployment initiatives, advancing public-private partnerships that mobilized over $8 billion in private investment, and streamlining federal permitting for new transmission projects.
Before joining ECA and CO2EFFICIENT, Jeff was General Counsel and Managing Director at Advanced Energy Economy (now Advanced Energy United), where he co-founded and led the organization’s wholesale markets education and advocacy efforts and frequently testified before Congress, FERC, state legislatures, and public utility commissions. He has a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law and a B.A. from Marymount University (Arlington, VA).
Andrew Dressel
Vice President
Charles River Associates
Andrew Dressel is an experienced power industry consulting professional who advises utilities, government agencies, independent power providers, independent system operators, and technology developers on regulatory strategy and compliance.
Mr. Dressel provides clients keen insights on regulatory strategies focused on maintaining and improving reliability, security, and resilience during this period of unprecedented technological, market, regulatory, and workforce changes. Mr. Dressel offers guidance derived from his experience as a former NERC and WECC lawyer and over 12 years as an industry consultant.
Andrew holds a JD from Vermont Law School and a BS in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana. He also has professional certificates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley.
Matt Durand
Deputy General Counsel, Government Relations
National Association of Convenience Stores
Matt Durand is Deputy General Counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), where he oversees legislative and regulatory affairs for energy and transportation issues. He also advises the association on litigation, compliance, and commercial matters, and is a staff liaison to its Strategic Communications Committee.
Before joining NACS, Matt was Vice President of Corporate Affairs for national convenience retailer and restaurant operator EG America, leading its public policy, external relations, communications, and sustainability functions across 30 states and 1,600 stores. He previously held a variety of legal and policy roles at both EG America and its Cumberland Farms subsidiary, and at Gulf Oil prior to that. He began his career as an aide in the Environmental Enforcement Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, supporting client agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Army Corps of Engineers.
Matt earned his B.A. in public administration from Stonehill College, his J.D. from Boston College, and a certificate in corporate governance from Cornell University. A proud Massachusetts native, he currently lives in Virginia with his wife and son.
Leigh Anne Faugust
Managing Attorney, Office of the General Counsel
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Leigh Anne Faugust is the Managing Attorney of the Reliability Group in the Office of General Counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Prior to joining FERC, Ms. Faugust was Counsel with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation for eight years in its enforcement department.
Reena Goyal
Counsel
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Reena is a leading energy lawyer. She has been practising law for almost 20 years and has specialized in energy law since 2011.
Reena focuses on electricity markets, regulation and compliance. She provides strategic advice and direction to private- and public-sector clients, including shareholders, acquirers and investors. She also has experience advising developers of power assets such as energy storage, gas, hydrogen, wind, solar, biomass and nuclear.
With a vast knowledge of wholesale electricity markets and regulation, Reena is well-positioned to advise industry stakeholders, including commercial and industrial loads, generators, transmitters, distributors, utilities, demand response aggregators, traders, retailers and gas marketers.
Reena is also a litigator. When clients require legal representation before energy tribunals, she works diligently to achieve the best outcome. She has appeared before the Ontario Energy Board, the Alberta Utilities Commission, the Canada Energy Regulator and all levels of courts in Ontario.
Before joining Blakes, Reena practised in the business law group of another large law firm in Toronto. Prior to that, she was a lawyer with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), holding various roles, including with regulatory affairs, market assessment and compliance and special advisor to the CEO. While at the IESO, she managed the market rule amendment process and represented interests in complex disputes relating to electricity markets and various procurement contracts.
Reena is the Practice Group Co-Leader of the Firm's Energy Regulatory group in Toronto, which has particular expertise in the power, renewable and resource sectors.
Christine Guhl-Sadovy
President
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Christine Guhl-Sadovy is the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). Governor Phil Murphy nominated Guhl-Sadovy to serve as a Commissioner in 2023. Shortly after her appointment, Guhl-Sadovy was named President in September of that year. Prior to her current role, Guhl-Sadovy served as Cabinet Secretary for Governor Murphy, where she spearheaded the creation of the Governor’s Fellow Program, which connects recent graduates and early career professionals to positions in key policy and programmatic fields in state government.
Before joining the Governor’s Office, President Guhl-Sadovy worked on staff at NJBPU, where she rose to the position of Chief of Staff to President Joe Fiordaliso and advanced priority initiatives related to community solar, offshore wind, and lead service line replacement. Prior to serving in the Murphy Administration, President Guhl-Sadovy held roles at the national Sierra Club, where she worked on state and federal energy policy matters, and at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey.
President Guhl-Sadovy is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners serving on the Energy Resources and the Environment, and Consumers and the Public Interest committees. She is lifelong New Jersey resident and a graduate of Rutgers University.
Scott Hallam
President and CEO
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP
Scott Hallam currently serves as Boardwalk's President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined Boardwalk as President and Chief Operating Officer in September 2023, bringing with him over two decades of upstream, midstream and downstream experience in the natural gas industry. He currently serves on the Southern Gas Association Board of Directors and is the current Executive Board Chair. Scott also serves on the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Greater Houston and on the Board of Directors of The Santiago Partnership.
Kerrick Johnson
Commissioner
Vermont Department of Public Service
Kerrick Johnson was appointed Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service on December 20, 2024, by Vermont Governor Phil Scott. Commissioner Johnson has served in key utility and tech startup leadership roles over the past decade focused on advancing energy sector transformation. Most recently, Johnson served as Vermont Electric Power Company’s (VELCO) executive advisor, having just ended a long tenure as VELCO’s Chief Innovation and Communications Officer. In these roles, Johnson helped the VELCO team identify, develop and collaboratively execute strategic development initiatives, build effective advocacy relationships and earn stakeholder support through responsive, imaginative messaging. Prior to that, he served as a co-founder and chief ecosystem officer for Utopus Insights, a New York-based energy company, purchased by Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Mr. Johnson attended Vermont’s Johnson State College and honorably served four years in the US Air Force as an airborne Russian linguist.
Lawrence J. Kahn
Director, Tulane Utility Vegetation Management Institute & Distinguished Research Fellow
Tulane Center for Environmental Law
Lawrence Kahn is an attorney, entrepreneur and educator who has provided advisory services in the energy, environmental and maritime “trees and seas” space for over 25 years.
With prior work for the U.S. Army where he was certified as a Contracting Officer’s Representative, he negotiated and enforced government contracts and had oversight of the hazard tree removal program, management of Army timber, flora and fauna resources, protection of Army air, water and land resources, and development of environmental remediation projects and hazard tree programs for the (then) Division of Land Management.
Following law school, Mr. Kahn served as Staff Attorney for the Center for Seafarers’ Rights before entering private practice, joining New York-based Freehill Hogan & Mahar, where he became partner in 2007. In 2013, he left the firm to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities as owner, director, and/or general counsel with respect to several ventures.
In 2020, Kahn developed (and currently serves as Director of) the Tulane Utility Vegetation Management Institute, a joint project of Tulane Law School’s Center for Environmental Law and Tulane Law School’s Energy Law & Policy Center, and the most prominent academic institute on this subject. Through the UVMI, he trains students to understand the complexities that lie at the intersection of law and the environment, conducts practical and purpose-driven scientific and academic research, and advises government, industry, service providers, academia and public advocates on energy challenges. Much of his focus has been on the wildfire problem, and he has recently served in an advisory capacity to the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii and Oregon. All of his recommendations to California's Wildfire Safety Advisory Board for modification of laws and regulations were unanimously adopted in February 2024. He also currently serves as the Facilitator of the Vegetation Management Working Group of the International Wildfire Risk Mitigation Consortium, which seeks to end the problem of utility-ignited wildfires, and as Director of Tribal Energy Solutions, a charitable organization seeking to correct energy justice issues on Native American lands. He also serves as a Director of both EverPower Energy Inc. and Blast Technologies Inc.
He is a graduate of Columbia University and Tulane Law School and a member of the Bar of the State of New York.
Joe Kakesh
General Counsel
Growth Energy
Joe Kakesh is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Growth Energy, the world’s largest renewable fuels trade association. He has nearly 20 years of experience with the Clean Air Act, the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Inflation Reduction Act, and other regulatory programs administered by EPA, USDA, FDA, Department of the Treasury, Department of Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal and state agencies relating to climate, biofuels, agriculture, mobile and stationary source emissions, endangered species, natural resources, and a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Joe is also a seasoned association executive with significant corporate compliance, governance, contracts, and other expertise integral to the operation of well-run organizations.
Prior to Growth Energy, Joe worked in the Washington, D.C., environmental law practices of Arnold & Porter LLP and Wiley Rein LLP. He received an undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a J.D. with high honors from The George Washington University Law School.
James Y. Kerr, II
Chairman, President and CEO
Southern Company Gas
Jim Kerr is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Southern Company Gas, one of America’s leading natural gas providers serving more than 4.4 million customers.
Kerr began his Southern Company career in 2014 as the executive vice president, chief legal officer, and chief compliance officer where he led the Office of the General Counsel, which includes the company’s legal, corporate governance, audit and compliance functions.
Prior to joining Southern Company, Kerr was a partner at McGuireWoods LLP and a senior advisor at McGuireWoods Consulting LLC. He also served for eight years as a member of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which regulates the rates and services of all public utilities in the state. He was elected president of both the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners and the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Kerr has established himself as a respected voice in the energy industry due to his extensive knowledge of federal and state energy policy and regulations from his work as a utility executive, attorney in private practice and public servant.
He has served or is currently serving in leadership positions with the American Gas Association, the National Petroleum Council, the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for the Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Electric Power Research Institute. He also remains actively involved in the legal and nonprofit communities, a reflection of his commitment to the customers he serves.
Kerr earned a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Washington and Lee University and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He and his wife, Frances, have two children.
Michael Kessler
Managing Assistant General Counsel
Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc.
For over forty-five years, Michael has been actively engaged in a broad range of regulatory, transactional and policy matters aimed at removing barriers to the development of competitive electric generation and transmission facilities and encouraging the development competitive power markets. Michael currently serves as Managing Assistant General Counsel for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO).
Michael previously represented MISO as outside counsel for ten years and joined the organization as in-house counsel in June 2012. Since that time, Michael has been engaged extensively in a wide variety of issues relating to the implementation and development of MISO’s markets, including matters relating to market design, price formation, resource adequacy, and renewable energy resource integration. Michael recently has been focused on a variety strategic and policy issues, including MISO’s Resource Availability and Need and Distributed Energy Resources initiatives.
Michael regularly represents MISO in proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state utility regulatory agencies, and various stakeholder forums.
Michael also has broad experience in the development and finance of electric generation projects, both domestic and international. He provided strategic and policy advice on a wide range of energy matters as both a lawyer and policy advisor to the FERC, has been a partner and served in a variety of leadership positions in private legal practice, and has served as in-house general counsel for a start-up retail energy services company. Michael’s experience provides him the interdisciplinary skills necessary to work effectively with senior management and to manage technical staff and other counsel in complex regulatory proceedings and on major projects.
Michael actively participates in Energy Bar Association and currently serves on both the national organization’s Board of Directors and well as the Board of the Midwest Chapter.
Mark G. Lauby
Senior VP and Chief Engineer
North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Mark G. Lauby is the senior vice president and chief engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Mr. Lauby joined NERC in January 2007 and has held several positions. Prior to joining NERC, Mr. Lauby worked for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for 20 years. Mr. Lauby began his electric industry career in 1979 at the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His responsibilities included transmission planning, power system reliability assessment and probabilistic evaluation.
In 2012, Mr. Lauby was elected to the North American Energy Standards Board and was appointed to the Department of Energy’s Electric Advisory Committee by the Secretary of Energy in 2014. He has been recognized for his technical achievements including the 1992 IEEE Walter Fee Young Engineer of the Year Award. He was named a Fellow by IEEE in November 2011, and in 2014, Mr. Lauby was awarded the IEEE Power and Energy Society’s Roy Billinton Power System Reliability Award. In 2020, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) elected Mr. Lauby as a member, citing his development and application of techniques for electric grid reliability analysis.
Mr. Lauby is the author of more than 150 technical papers about power system reliability, expert systems, transmission system planning, and power system numerical analysis techniques. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota. In addition, Mr. Lauby attended the London Business School Accelerated Development Program as well as the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.
Rachael L. Lipinski
Of Counsel
Van Ness Feldman LLP
Rachael specializes in natural resources and environmental law, with particular expertise in permitting renewable and transmission projects and in water rights. She provides strategic counsel on complex regulatory matters under key federal environmental statutes, including advising on permitting reform opportunities to facilitate the development of critically needed electric transmission infrastructure. Rachael's unique blend of public and private sector experience, coupled with her work bridging industry, environmental, and utility interests, allows her to provide comprehensive, strategic advice on permitting issues. Her close working relationships with regulators and deep understanding of regulatory frameworks enable her to effectively navigate complex environmental challenges for her clients.
Timothy J. Lucey
Managing Counsel & Senior Director, Ethics Programs
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Timothy J. Lucey serves as Managing Counsel and Senior Director, Ethics Programs for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Based in Oakland, PG&E is one of the largest utility companies in North America, serving more than 16 million Californians in a service territory stretching south to Santa Barbara, east to Lake Tahoe and north to the Oregon border. Mr. Lucey provides strategic advice on risk management to senior leaders throughout the company and coordinates all outside monitors and observers from state and local entities, including the Governor’s Operational Observer team. Mr. Lucey also manages the company’s employee conduct program along with its code of conduct and ongoing ethics training. Mr. Lucey heads up all internal investigations and serves as the point of contact for law enforcement interaction with PG&E and its employees.
Before joining PG&E, Mr. Lucey served for fifteen years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, where he was a member of the Securities Fraud Section. During his tenure, Mr. Lucey conducted numerous high-profile criminal jury trials and complex white-collar investigations, including leading the multi-agency investigation into fraud at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) that ultimately led to the indictment and conviction of its CEO. Prior to serving as an AUSA, Mr. Lucey practiced law at national law firms including Cooley LLP and Nixon Peabody LLP, where he tried numerous civil jury trials and administrative hearings, including the successful defense of the former California Insurance Commissioner against charges of campaign finance fraud.
Mr. Lucey received his A.B. magna cum laude in 1991 from Georgetown University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and stayed on at Georgetown to earn his J.D. in 1994, where he was managing editor of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.
Rajen Mahagaokar
Chief Financial Officer
Grid United LLC
As Chief Financial Officer, Raj Mahagaokar develops and drives the execution of Grid United’s capital strategy and financings. Raj creates and implements solutions for making Grid United’s portfolio economically beneficial to its utility partners and end customers. He evaluates and executes the acquisition and investment of external projects, and structures utility partnerships, project sales, and transmission service agreement contracts to allow for efficient collaboration with end customers. As a member of the Grid United management team, Raj helps determine the company’s internal and external priorities, and how to correctly meet customers’ evolving needs with the right value and risk profile.
Raj received his bachelor’s degree in mathematical economic analysis from Rice University.
Christopher Matos
Energy Market Development Strategic Negotiator
Google
Chris Matos is an accomplished energy and sustainability professional with a decade of experience navigating the complexities of the electric utility industry. His expertise spans wholesale power contracts, regulatory affairs, settlement models, and environmental markets, with experience in every major US ISO/RTO and several international markets. Currently, Chris drives Google's energy strategy in the Central U.S. by leading strategic evaluations of regulatory and policy environments. Chris holds Master's degrees in Global Policy Studies and Energy and Earth Resources from the University of Texas at Austin.
Geoff Moody
Senior VP, Government Relations & Policy
American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
Geoff Moody serves as the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers’ (AFPM) Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Policy. Geoff leads AFPM’s federal and state advocacy on issues impacting the refining and petrochemical industries, including fuels, environmental regulation, trade, transportation and infrastructure, chemicals management, and tax policy. Geoff started his career on Capitol Hill and has spent more than 15 years working in various policy and energy and environmental advocacy roles. He holds his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law.
Ann D. Navaro
Partner
Bracewell LLP
Ann Navaro advises on and litigates under the federal laws and policies governing natural resources and the environment. After more than 25 years as a top litigator and policy adviser to the federal government, Ann brings exceptional insight and acumen to clients seeking to build infrastructure, produce valuable natural resources, or improve government policies and programs affecting their businesses. She has held senior legal and policy positions at the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of the Interior. Ann spent more than 10 years as a trial lawyer in the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the US Department of Justice, as well as 10 years litigating and managing civil works litigation for the Army Corps.
Ann has advised on some of the most challenging and high-profile policy issues in natural resources and environmental law, including NEPA reform, federal permit streamlining, wetlands protection, and protected species policy. She has litigated or overseen the litigation of scores of disputes involving a wide range of issues, such as upstream energy permitting, wetlands permitting, offshore royalties, federal takings and constitutional challenges.
Ann supports clients—including infrastructure developers and companies active in the upstream, pipeline, renewables, power transmission, and LNG sectors—on project siting and operation; permitting and enforcement under federal wetland, habitat and resource statutes; and related regulatory issues, policy advocacy, and litigation.
Samuel A. Newell
Principal
The Brattle Group
Dr. Newell leads Brattle’s 50+ electricity-focused consultants in analyzing critical economic questions in the industry’s energy transition.
His 25 years of consulting experience centers on electricity wholesale markets, market design, resource valuation, transmission planning, integrated resource planning, and policy analysis. Dr. Newell conducts studies and prepares testimony on behalf of independent system operators (ISOs), state energy agencies, infrastructure investors, and wholesale market participants.
Prior to joining The Brattle Group in 2004, Dr. Newell was the Director of the Transmission Service at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Before that, he was a Manager in the Utilities Practice at Kearney.
Todd Mullins
Partner
McGuireWoods LLP
Todd represents energy clients with enforcement and compliance matters involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and other regulators, as well as related government and private litigation. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Todd was a Branch Chief at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Division of Investigations, Office of Enforcement in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2010. In private practice and in government, Todd has been involved in various forms of litigation and enforcement involving energy matters for more than 35 years.
Timothy A. Pohle
Of Counsel
Beveridge & Diamond PC
Tim leads the Aviation practice at Beveridge & Diamond, the first and largest U.S. law firm to focus on environmental law and litigation. With over 30 years of experience encompassing virtually every facet of environmental impact and regulation at the international, federal, state, and local levels, Tim helps companies develop and implement strategies to ensure regulatory compliance and advance sustainability goals while growing their businesses.
Tim joined B&D in March 2024 after 18 years at Airlines for America, where he served as VP of Environmental Affairs. Tim led litigation and regulatory strategy, representing airlines before administrative agencies and courts to rationalize U.S federal, state (particularly California), and local actions affecting aviation. Tim also represented airlines at the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization and its Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection on various matters, including negotiations to establish international CO2 and noise standards for aircraft, particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) standards for aircraft engines, amending the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), and adoption of the Long-Term Aspirational Goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Tim also has extensive experience representing industry interests in the European Union and member states’ regulatory processes.
A major focus of Tim's work has been to support the sector's transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). At B&D, in addition to advising clients on issues arising under the broad array of environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and NEPA, Tim continues to represent a wide variety of aviation and other clients regarding laws, regulations, and policies affecting renewable fuels.
Tim is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School.
Liza Reed
Director of Climate and Energy Policy
Niskanen Center
Liza is the Director for Climate and Energy at the Niskanen Center. She is an expert in High Voltage Direct Current, electricity transmission, and technology innovation. She worked on strategic initiatives for the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office, including permitting and financing for electricity transmission. She began her DC policy career as the research manager for a transmission at Niskanen Center. Her previous roles include energy funding at the Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University, wireless communication technology development at inmobly, and business analysis at Capital One Finance.
She holds a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in Engineering and Public Policy and a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Toby Z. Rice
President and CEO
EQT Corporation
Toby Z. Rice is President and Chief Executive Officer of EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT), the leading natural gas producer in the United States. As an influencer and champion for the energy industry, Mr. Rice has been a strong proponent of unleashing American energy to provide energy security and independence in the United States and to our allies around the world, while also achieving ambitious climate goals.
Mr. Rice was named President and Chief Executive Officer of EQT and a member of the company’s Board of Directors in July 2019. Since taking the helm, Rice has spearheaded a remarkable transformation of EQT, positioning it as “America’s Natural Gas Champion.” Under his visionary leadership, EQT has significantly boosted its operational efficiency while, increasing productive capacity by 50%, reducing the corporate cost structure by 30%, and doubling profitability on a Free Cash Flow per share basis.
Mr. Rice’s strategic focus on sustainable operations has also led to impressive environmental milestones. EQT now boasts one of the lowest emissions intensities among natural gas producers worldwide.
Since May 2018, Mr. Rice has also served as a Partner at Rice Investment Group, a multi-strategy fund investing in all verticals of the energy sector.
Prior to being appointed EQT’s President and CEO, Mr. Rice served as President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Rice Energy Inc. Previously, he served in a number of positions with Rice Energy, its affiliates and predecessor entities.
Mr. Rice graduated from Rollins College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He completed his Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2024.
Randall S. Rich
Partner
Pierce Atwood LLP
Randy Rich is the Partner in Charge of Pierce Atwood’s Washington DC office and a member of the firm’s Energy Practice Group. He began his career in the Office of the General Counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and after leaving the Commission in 1985 has practiced before FERC, DOE and State Public Utility Commissions. Randy is a graduate of Brandeis University and Washington University School of Law. He is a member and former chair of EBA’s Senior Lawyers Council. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his family, including his furry Coton de Tulear friend Oliver.
Maria Robinson
Vice President of North America Regional Business Development
Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Maria Robinson is Vice President of North American Region Business Development at Hitachi Energy. She previously served as the inaugural leader of the Grid Deployment Office within the U.S. Department of Energy. She was the first Korean-American elected to the Massachusetts General Court, where she served in the House of Representatives from 2019-2022. While in office, she led the bicameral Clean Energy Caucus, was the Massachusetts state lead for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators where she also served on the board, and was the only state legislator on the U.S. EPA Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. She also served on faculty at Tufts University's School of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, bringing her expertise in energy policy to graduate students. Prior to her election in 2018, Maria led Advanced Energy Economy's Wholesale Markets Program, including engagement at FERC and the regional transmission organizations.
Previously, she focused on regulatory issues relating to energy and air, including a 27-state campaign with Governors' offices, legislatures, and energy and environmental regulators. She also managed AEE’s report development and data-driven analysis at both the state and national level. She worked for Navigant Consulting in the renewable energy practice, supporting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in analyzing and procuring contractors for statewide renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Maria is a proud lifetime Girl Scout. She holds an S.B. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters of Jurisprudence in Energy Law from the University of Tulsa.
Serena A. Rwejuna
Partner
White & Case LLP
Serena Agaba Rwejuna Esq., MSM is a Partner at the international law firm White & Case LLP where she serves as Head of the Energy Markets and Regulatory Practice. Serena also serves as Co-Deputy Head for the North American Region of the White & Case Global Power Industry Group and Co-Head for the White & Case Global Green Policy, Regulation and Incentives Strategic Specialty Area. As an entrepreneurial and commercially-minded business and legal advisor and strategist who is formally trained in psychology, management, and public policy, Serena has developed a dynamic, multidisciplinary practice focused on innovation, value creation and problem solving in highly-regulated, fast-paced industries. Serena specializes in energy law and her practice focuses on advising clients on commercial, regulatory, compliance, litigation, and enforcement matters. She has experience with a variety of clean energy technologies, including solar, onshore and offshore wind, hydroelectricity, waste-to-energy, and other advanced and evolving energy technologies. Serena counsels developers, sponsors, utilities, independent power producers, pipelines, natural gas distribution companies, technology companies, financial institutions and other traditional and emerging energy industry participants on compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations, cross-border and multijurisdictional transactions and regulatory matters, and advises them on project development, drafting and negotiating complex and bespoke commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, and state regulatory compliance. Serena is a member of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (NI) Board of Advisors. NI conducts and supports actionable research and undertakes sustained engagement with policymakers, businesses, and communities – in addition to delivering transformative educational experiences to empower future leaders. In 2024, Oil & Gas Investor/Hart Energy named Serena one of their prestigious Most Influential Women in Energy, recognizing her as a "multifaceted leader with a career described as a masterclass in leadership, dedication and impact.
Zachary C. Schauf
Partner
Jenner & Block LLP
A strategic counselor and litigator, Zach Schauf leverages his experience as a senior official at the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel and as an acclaimed advocate—equally adept before the Supreme Court, trial courts, and administrative agencies—to help clients navigate their most complex legal challenges, especially in highly regulated areas. Whether the challenge calls for charting a path through a thicket of legal constraints, reimaging regulatory frameworks, or hard-fought litigation, Zach works with clients to identify and deploy the best tools for achieving their business objectives. Zach’s experience is especially deep in the energy sector, administrative and constitutional law, government-facing controversies of all stripes, and Native American law.
In the energy sector, Zach has achieved industry-defining outcomes. His successes include the defense of state programs supporting zero-emissions nuclear power plants and high-stakes litigation involving the Federal Power Act, Administrative Procedure Act, preemption, and the dormant commerce clause. Clients regularly seek his counsel to advance their objectives within existing regulatory frameworks while adapting to the industry's evolution. His work encompasses market design, carbon regulation, and transmission policy before key regulatory bodies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, US Environmental Protection Agency, and state public utility commissions.
Sanem Sergici
Principal
The Brattle Group
Dr. Sergici specializes in matters related to rate design, electrification, grid modernization investments, and alternative ratemaking mechanisms.
She is an energy economist with 20 years of consulting and energy research experience. Her consulting practice is focused on understanding customer adoption of and response to innovative rate designs, distributed energy resources, and emerging technologies. She regularly assists her clients in matters related to rate design, electrification pathways, grid modernization investments, load forecasting, and resource planning.
Dr. Sergici has led numerous studies in these areas that have been instrumental in regulatory approvals of grid modernization investments and smart rate offerings for electricity customers. She has also conducted several studies that explore the impact of electrification on grid investments and investigate the role of distributed energy resources in meeting climate goals. She has been at the forefront of the design and impact analysis of innovative retail pricing, enabling technology, and behavior-based energy efficiency pilots and programs across North America.
Dr. Sergici regularly testifies before regulatory bodies, publishes in academic and industry journals, and presents at industry events.
Dr. Kristoffer Svendsen, Esq.
Assistant Dean for Energy Law
The George Washington University Law School
Dr. Kristoffer Svendsen joined GW Law in June 2024 as the Assistant Dean for the Energy Law Program. He brings 13 years of experience teaching, writing, managing programs, and mentoring students on domestic and international energy law issues in various contexts.
Dean Svendsen has a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from Bond University, Australia, specializing in public and energy law. After Australia, he went on to undertake another Master of Laws in Russian oil and gas law at MGIMO-University. Dean Svendsen worked for a Russian investment bank and a Moscow law firm for several years. Leaving Moscow, he worked for the EU-Russia Centre in Brussels on energy and rule-of-law issues for EU-Russia relations. Dean Svendsen left Belgium to undertake his PhD in law at the Arctic University of Norway, which focused on liability and compensation rules for cross-border oil spills from offshore installations in the Barents Sea.
Before arriving at GW, Dean Svendsen worked as the Assistant Director of the Tulane Center for Energy Law, Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, an associate member of the Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law, Of Counsel of a Moscow law firm, a visiting scholar at Duke University Law School, and volunteered for 2014 Sochi Olympics. He also works periodically as an Arbitrator.
Dean Svendsen has guest lectured globally and published extensively about liability and compensation for offshore oil pollution damage, contractual risk allocation in oil and gas-related contracts, offshore wind, deep sea mining, international oil spill disputes, pure economic loss, and Russian energy and environmental law.
Dean Svendsen is admitted to practice law in New York and New South Wales. Dean Svendsen is originally from Norway and is an avid soccer player and runner.
Francois Tardif
Director, Risk & Regulatory Affairs
Nexus Energy Inc.
Francois Tardif is one of the founding partners at Nexus, where he manages the company’s overall risk profile, maintains relations with regulatory bodies and ensures compliance with all applicable rules and regulations. With 17 years of experience in the field, Francois was instrumental in building Nexus’ physical trading team as Nexus’ first Director of Physical Trading before moving onto his current position in the risk & regulatory department. Prior to joining Nexus, Francois spent a decade working at Ontario Power Generation in the trading and asset management teams, building expertise in power markets across the Northeastern United States and Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University.
Kyrstin M. Wallach
Associate, Energy Regulatory
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Kyrstin Wallach advises on energy-related matters, including federal regulatory proceedings, transactions, enforcement and litigation. Prior to joining Skadden, Ms. Wallach worked at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a legal advisor to a chairman/commissioner and as an attorney-advisor in the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Enforcement.
As an attorney at FERC, Ms. Wallach’s experience included matters involving jurisdictional questions, energy markets and market design, natural gas pipeline and liquefied natural gas infrastructure proceedings, natural gas rates, oil pipeline rates, Federal Power Act Section 203 authorizations, hydropower licensing and rulemakings. Ms. Wallach drafted, reviewed and edited Commission orders, including rehearing orders; assisted with the preparation of separate statements; and advised a chairman/commissioner on litigation memoranda and appellate court filings prepared by FERC’s Solicitor’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Avi Zevin
Partner
Roselle LLP
Avi Zevin is a founding partner of the energy boutique law firm Roselle LLP, where he advises businesses, NGOs, and state governments on a wide range of energy-related legal and policy matters, including federal and state electric regulation, energy tax, and federal financial assistance before federal and state agencies, Congress, and the courts. Prior to forming Roselle, Avi served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Clean Energy Implementation, working to advance policies and programs that facilitate the transition to a carbon-free, reliable, and cost-effective energy system. Avi was also a Biden Administration appointee at the United States Department of Energy, as the Principal Deputy General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy, where he advised the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Energy and the Department's senior leadership on legal and policy matters and helped lead all aspects of the Office of General Counsel. Prior to his recent federal service, Avi worked with a major technology company to help the company develop its federal energy policy strategy to achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy procurement goals, and was a senior attorney and affiliated scholar at the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law. Avi started his legal career as an attorney at the law firm Van Ness Feldman LLP.
Avi holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law, an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A., with high honors, from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and daughter and plays drums in the DC punk rock band Weird Babies.