Instructors and Speakers

Marian Abdou
Commissioner Emeritus, NJ Board of Public Utilities

Marian Abdou brings a combined legal, regulatory, and energy-industry background spanning utility regulation, corporate energy law, and business development. She served as a Commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) from June 2023 to August 2025, where she participated in regulatory decisions affecting the state's electric, gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications utilities during a period marked by significant energy affordability pressures and clean energy policy initiatives.

Prior to joining the Board, Commissioner Abdou served as Managing Senior Counsel at NRG Energy, where she provided legal support for asset management, energy services, and business development operations. She also previously served as in-house counsel for other energy companies and practiced law at several private law firms

Zenon Christodoulou
Commissioner, NJ Board of Public Utilities

Zenon Christodoulou has built a distinguished career in business, academia, public service, and philanthropy. He has provided management consulting services across multiple industries, owned successful businesses in manufacturing, hospitality, and media, and taught undergraduate and graduate business courses for more than 25 years. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Raritan Valley Community College.

As a Commissioner, Dr. Christodoulou serves as Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee on Consumer and Public Interest and served on several national energy and utility policy advisory groups. He is also active in civic and cultural organizations, including serving as Founding Chair of the NJ State Hellenic-American Heritage Commission and Global Vice President of AHEPA.

Dr. Christodoulou earned degrees from Pace University, Fordham University, and Rutgers University.

Jeffrey E. Grant
Owner Energy Plus Solutions, Member, NAIOP New Jersey Energy Working Group

Jeff Grant has more than 20 years of experience in utilities management, sustainability, and energy efficiency for commercial and multifamily facility portfolios. His expertise includes utility portfolio management, ESG utility metrics and reporting, energy procurement, tenant utility revenue optimization, and facility energy efficiency improvements.

Jeff began his career with Mack-Cali in 1999 after working in consulting engineering, where he specialized in utility reliability and utility rate risk mitigation through strategic central plant and utility services design. Earlier in his career, he managed a “design-build” mechanical contracting company and worked with Exxon Research and Engineering Company.

Jeff earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University and an MBA from Rutgers University. He is a licensed engineer, Certified Energy Manager, Certified Energy Procurement Professional, certified NJ BPU Benchmarking expert, and registered NJ BPU Energy Agent and Energy Consultant.

Jason Lemme
Managing Director, Hartree Partners

Jason Lemme is a Managing Director at Hartree Partners LP and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee, where he manages Hartree’s North American Power and Gas business. He has more than 21 years of experience in power and gas trading, origination, and energy investment, having held a variety of leadership roles since joining the company in 2002.

Jason also serves on the Board of the New York Energy Forum and is a guest lecturer at New York University School of Professional Studies. He earned a B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Rutgers University and an M.Sc. in Global Market Economics from the London School of Economics.

Teresa Reed
Vice President, Finance and Regulatory, First Energy

Teresa Reed is the Vice President of Finance and Regulatory for JCP&L, the largest electric distribution utility by service area in New Jersey. She manages the company's financial strategy, capital budgeting, corporate forecasting, rate design, and state regulatory relationships before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Known for balancing utility reliability investments with long-term customer affordability, she serves on the Executive Committee as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Utilities Association (NJUA).

Before joining FirstEnergy/JCP&L, Reed built a 15-year career at Duke Energy Corporation, where she most recently served as Director of Rates and Regulatory Planning. In that capacity, she designed complex customer demand-management initiatives, electric vehicle charging product lines, and multi-state pricing structures. She launched her career at Railinc Corporation, rising from initial financial auditing and compliance tracks to become the organization's Corporate Controller. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from California State University.

Richard S. Mroz
Former Commissioner, NJ Board of Public Utilities

Richard S.Mroz is a nationally recognized leader in energy policy, utility regulation, and critical infrastructure resilience. As the former President and Commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, he directed the state's energy regulatory agenda and helped shape policies related to grid modernization, energy markets, and infrastructure security. Throughout his career, he has combined experience in public service, law, and strategic advisory roles to address complex regulatory and energy challenges.

Following his public service, Mroz has continued to advise organizations on regulatory strategy, energy policy, and infrastructure development through leadership roles in the private sector. He has also contributed to national energy initiatives by serving on advisory committees and industry organizations focused on grid reliability, cybersecurity, and the evolving electric system. His broad expertise continues to influence discussions on the future of energy policy and utility regulation

Jason Stephenson
Vice President, Regulatory Policy & Affairs American Water

Jason Stephenson is Vice President, Regulatory Policy & Affairs at American Water, where he helps shape the company's regulatory policy and supports strategic engagement on legislative and regulatory issues affecting water and wastewater utilities. In this role, he works with stakeholders across the utility sector to advance policies that promote reliable, safe, and sustainable water service while addressing evolving regulatory and industry challenges.

Before joining American Water, Stephenson held senior legal and regulatory leadership positions with CenterPoint Energy and Vectren, advising utilities on rate proceedings, regulatory compliance, infrastructure investment, and corporate transactions. Earlier in his career, he practiced utility law in private practice, representing electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater utilities before state regulatory commissions. His extensive experience in utility regulation and public policy makes him a respected voice on regulatory issues affecting the utility industry

Brian O. Lipman
Director, New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel

Brian O. Lipman serves as Director of the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, the independent state agency responsible for representing the interests of utility consumers in matters involving electric, natural gas, water, telecommunications, cable, and insurance services. Since assuming the role in 2021, he has led the Division's efforts to promote fair utility rates, reliable service, and consumer-focused regulatory policies while representing New Jersey ratepayers in proceedings before state and federal regulatory agencies.

Lipman has extensive experience in utility regulation and public sector law. Before becoming Director, he served as Litigation Manager for the Division of Rate Counsel and spent a decade as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, including as Assistant Section Chief of the Public Utility Section, where he represented the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in regulatory and judicial proceedings. His career reflects a longstanding commitment to consumer advocacy, public service, and the development of balanced, effective utility and energy policy.

Jay L. Kooper
Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Middlesex Water Company

Jay L. Kooper serves as Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at Middlesex Water Company, acting as the company's chief legal officer and advising on corporate governance, regulatory affairs, compliance, risk management, and infrastructure investment. Since joining Middlesex Water in 2014, he has played a key role supporting the company's regulated utility operations and long-term growth strategy while navigating the shifting legal and regulatory landscape of the water sector. 

With more than 25 years in utility law, Kooper has represented clients across the electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, telecommunications, and cable industries before state and federal regulators. Before Middlesex Water, he held senior legal and regulatory positions in both the public and private sectors, gaining broad experience in utility regulation and energy policy. A recognized leader in the utility legal community, he has held leadership roles with professional organizations focused on public utility law and the water industry, earning multiple honors for legal and governance excellence.

Richard Henning
President & Chief Executive Officer
New Jersey Utilities Association

Richard Henning served as President and CEO of the New Jersey Utilities Association. In this position he is responsible for setting public policy and strategic planning for the utilities industry in New Jersey.

Richard joined NJUA in January 2023, after working for 34 years at Veolia, Suez, United Water and Hackensack Water. During his tenure, he assisted in transforming the company from a regional utility into a leading national environmental services company.

Henning holds a degree in communications from Rutgers University, where he has also taught media relations and communications as an adjunct professor.

Stacy Peterson
Acting Director, Division of Revenue and Rates
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Stacy Peterson is Deputy Executive Director of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), where she oversees the agency's technical and operational divisions, including Energy, Clean Energy, Water, Reliability and Security, State Energy Services, Audits, and Cable Television and Telecommunications. Since joining the NJBPU in 2003, she has developed extensive expertise in utility ratemaking, regulatory policy, rate design, and utility oversight, while helping implement key energy and infrastructure initiatives across New Jersey.

Before becoming Deputy Executive Director, Peterson served as Director of the Energy Division, leading regulatory proceedings involving utility rate cases, mergers, and statewide energy efficiency programs. She also played a key role in establishing New Jersey's Utility Regulation Ratemaking Professional Certificate Program in partnership with Rutgers University to strengthen professional education in utility regulation. A frequent instructor and speaker at industry conferences, Peterson is recognized for her practical expertise in public utility regulation and energy policy.

Pankaj Lal
Director, CESAC
Professor, Energy Economics and Sustainability

Pankaj Lal, PhD, is the founding director of Montclair State University’s Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center (CESAC), and Professor Energy, Economics, and Sustainability. Dr. Lal was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Obama, an award that embodies the high priority placed by the government on maintaining the leadership position of the United States in science by producing outstanding scientists and engineers. He has received the prestigious CAREER Award from National Science Foundation and served as advisory board member for Rockefeller Foundation’s initiative on “Valuing the Resilience Dividend”. A trusted expert, he served as a reviewer for the National Academies’ Fourth National Climate Assessment under the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Professor Lal has conducted original and applied research in the areas of energy and environmental economics and policy, global climate change, economic and energy modeling, industrial ecology, sustainable development, natural capital accounting, and participatory resource conservation and management. He earned his doctorate from the University of Florida.

Prior to his PhD, he worked with Winrock International India and PricewaterhouseCoopers India in the government reforms and infrastructure development practice. He is 2019 Lead NJ Fellow and has long standing research support and engagement in practice with multilateral institutions and received more than $22 million in grants and contracts for his research as PI or co-PI, including funding from international institutions, federal and state agencies, foundations, and industry. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, technical reports and book chapters.

Jason Stanek
Executive Director, PJM Interconnection – Governmental Services

Jason Stanek is Executive Director of Governmental Services at PJM Interconnection, where he leads engagement with state and federal policymakers on issues affecting the nation's largest wholesale electricity market. With more than two decades of experience in energy regulation and public policy, he has extensive expertise in wholesale electricity markets, transmission planning, grid reliability, utility regulation, and energy policy.

Before joining PJM, Stanek served as Chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission, overseeing initiatives involving grid modernization, electric vehicle infrastructure, energy storage, retail competition, and utility ratemaking. Earlier in his career, he spent 16 years at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in senior legal and policy roles and also advised the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on national energy policy. Stanek is a frequent speaker on electricity markets, energy regulation, and grid policy.

Upendra Chivukula
Senior Advisor, CESAC
Commissioner, Emeritus, Board of Public Utilities

Dr. Upendra Chivukula serves as senior advisor at CESAC and is a New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner emeritus. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and a Doctor of Business Administration. He was nominated to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in 2014, where he served as a commissioner for 8 years.

Dr. Chivukula served in the General Assembly for 12 years and was Deputy Speaker from 2007 to 2014. He served as chair of the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee and as Vice Chair of Homeland Security and State Preparedness, Commerce and Economic Development, and Environment and Solid Waste. In the Assembly, he advocated clean energy, including promoting offshore wind and supporting solar development. He was a Franklin Township council member and mayor and has served township and county boards and committees.

Stefanie Brand
Former Director, New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel

Stefanie A. Brand is an attorney with more than three decades of public-interest experience in New Jersey, best known for serving as the state’s Director of the Division of Rate Counsel from 2007 to 2021. In that role, she was New Jersey’s chief advocate for residential, small business, and industrial utility customers, overseeing cases and policy matters across electric, gas, water, wastewater, telecom, cable, and insurance. She also represented consumers in statewide energy and telecommunications policy proceedings and served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA). 

Brand began her career as a Deputy Attorney General and later Assistant Attorney General, leading major civil litigation for the state. She previously clerked for Justice Gary Stein of the New Jersey Supreme Court and is a graduate of Barnard College and Columbia Law School. Since 2018, Brand has served as an Adjunct Professor at Delaware Valley University, teaching in areas connected to law, policy, and public administration. 

Brand was widely recognized for her rigorous, data-driven advocacy in rate cases, infrastructure proceedings, and energy policy debates—often serving as one of the most influential consumer voices in New Jersey’s regulatory landscape.

Joseph Bowring
President, Monitoring Analytics, LLC
Independent Market Monitor for PJM Interconnection

Dr. Joseph Bowring is President of Monitoring Analytics and has served as the Independent Market Monitor for PJM Interconnection since 1999, overseeing market monitoring for the nation's largest wholesale electricity market. An economist with more than three decades of experience, he is widely recognized for his expertise in electricity markets, market design, regulatory economics, and utility policy, advising regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders on competitive energy markets.

Before joining Monitoring Analytics, Dr. Bowring served as Senior Staff Economist for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and Chief Economist for the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate's Division of Rate Counsel. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts and has taught economics at Bucknell University and Villanova University.

Thomas N. Walker
Project Manager, HNTB
Former Director, Division of State Energy Services, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Thomas Walker is the former Director of the Division of State Energy Services at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, where he led statewide energy planning, resilience initiatives, and interagency coordination on major energy programs. He oversaw policy development and implementation across clean energy, emergency preparedness, and infrastructure reliability, bringing a practical, operations-focused perspective to New Jersey’s evolving energy landscape.

Thomas Walker is a Project Manager at HNTB now, where he leads complex infrastructure projects involving utility coordination, transportation planning, and stakeholder engagement across state and regional agencies. His work focuses on advancing major capital programs through disciplined project controls, regulatory compliance, and collaborative problem-solving with utilities, municipalities, and transportation authorities.

Walker manages multidisciplinary teams responsible for design development, permitting, right-of-way coordination, and construction-phase support. He is known for his ability to navigate the intersection of engineering, regulatory requirements, and public-sector decision-making — ensuring that projects remain on schedule, within scope, and aligned with state and federal standards.

Lillian Federico
Research Director, Energy, S&P Global

Lillian Federico is Executive Director, Research at Halcyon, where she brings more than 40 years of experience in utility regulation, regulatory research, and energy policy to support innovation across the energy sector. She has built a distinguished career analyzing the electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater industries, with expertise in regulatory risk assessment, utility ratemaking, public policy, and emerging trends affecting utilities. Her work has informed utilities, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders across more than 20 state regulatory jurisdictions and at the federal level.

Before joining Halcyon, Federico spent most of her career with Regulatory Research Associates (RRA), later serving in senior leadership roles following its integration into SNL Financial and S&P Global, including as President of RRA and Research Director. She led the expansion of research on federal utility regulation, water utility policy, and the impacts of data centers on the energy sector, while producing influential analyses of regulatory, financial, and public policy developments shaping the utility industry.

Steven Goldenberg
Chair of Giordano’s Energy, Climate Change and Public Utilities Practice Group

Steven Goldenberg serves as Chair of the Energy, Climate Change & Public Utilities Practice Group at his firm, focusing on public utility law and energy regulatory matters. Since 1996, he has played a leading role in the restructuring of New Jersey’s electric and natural gas industries, utility rate and merger proceedings, energy infrastructure projects, and the development of state energy policy.

Steven has represented large commercial and industrial customers, independent power producers, renewable energy companies, and energy service providers. He has also been actively involved in shaping New Jersey’s energy policies, including authoring energy legislation and assisting governors in the development of statewide Energy Master Plans.

Cynthia L.M. Holland
Associate General Counsel, Exelon

Cynthia Holland is a senior regulatory executive at Exelon, where she leads strategy, case management, and policy development across the company’s multi-state electric and gas distribution utilities. Her work centers on aligning Exelon’s regulatory filings, infrastructure investments, and customer-focused initiatives with the expectations of state commissions, legislative bodies, and regional energy stakeholders.

Before joining Exelon, Holland served in several senior roles at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), including Director of the Division of Energy. In that capacity, she oversaw statewide energy policy, major utility petitions, clean-energy program implementation, and long-term resource planning. She played a key role in rate cases, infrastructure modernization proceedings, and the development of policies supporting reliability, affordability, and the state’s clean-energy transition.

Across both government and industry, Holland is recognized for her ability to translate complex regulatory issues into clear strategies, build constructive relationships with regulators and advocates, and guide utilities through evolving expectations around grid resilience, customer equity, and decarbonization. Her experience gives Rate School participants a practical window into how utilities prepare cases, respond to commission directives, and navigate the regulatory landscape.

Andrew J. McNally
Senior Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs
South Jersey Industries

Andrew McNally currently serves as Director of Government Relations at South Jersey Industries. Prior to joining SJI, he served as Assistant General Counsel at a New Jersey electric public utility.

From 2013 to 2018, Andrew held several leadership roles in New Jersey State Government, including Senior Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor, where he advised on legislative and regulatory matters. He also served as Chief Counsel for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, overseeing legal and legislative affairs for the agency responsible for regulating public utilities. Earlier in his career, he practiced law in New Jersey, focusing on litigation and environmental matters.

Andrew currently serves on the New Jersey Clean Air Council, is a trustee of Raritan Valley Community College, and serves on the Bernards Township Planning Board and the Garden State Preservation Trust. He earned his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Boston College.

Lora Billings
Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
Montclair State University

Lora Billings is Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. She is an applied mathematician with specialization in the analysis of dynamical systems and chaos theory.

She is a full professor and currently the editor-in-chief of the SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems. From 2014-2017, she served as a program director in the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Science Foundation.

In 2018, she was appointed Dean of the College, the first woman to hold that position. Dr. Billings strives to create a community of support and mentoring to increase a sense of belonging and student success.

She received the Association for Women in Science Mentoring Zenith Award in 2024. Dr. Billings holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a B.S. in Mathematics from Lafayette College. She was awarded the Montclair State Distinguished Research Award in 2008.

Ram Dubey
Professor, Economics,
Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University

Dr. Ram Sewak Dubey is Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Finance & Real Estate at the Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University. His research spans microeconomic theory, social choice, welfare economics, and growth theory, with a particular focus on intergenerational equity. Dr. Dubey has authored more than 35peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Economic Theory, Social Choice and Welfare, Journal of Mathematical Economics, and Mathematical Social Sciences.

His work explores equitable social welfare functions, Ramsey equilibrium, and the representation of social welfare over infinite utility streams, while also extending to applied topics such as the racial wage gap, income inequality, and online price dispersion. An award-winning educator, he received Cornell University’s Anindya (Bappu) Majumder Memorial Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2009. Dr. Dubey has presented his research at leading national and international institutions and conferences and serves as a referee for several prestigious economics journals.

Joseph F. Accardo Jr.
Senior Vice President, State Regulatory Affairs and Centralized Services
PSE&G

Joseph F. Accardo Jr. is Senior Vice President, State Regulatory Affairs and Centralized Services at Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), where he leads the company's regulatory strategy before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. He oversees state regulatory affairs, environmental regulation, and gas and electric regulatory functions, while also managing utility-wide centralized services, including materials, logistics, fleet operations, and safety and technical training. Since joining PSEG in 2005, he has held several leadership positions spanning legal, regulatory, and corporate strategy.

Accardo previously served as PSEG's Vice President – Regulatory and Deputy General Counsel, where he directed major utility rate cases and regulatory proceedings. Before joining PSEG, he practiced law in New Jersey for over a decade, developing extensive experience in litigation, regulatory affairs, and public utility law that continues to support New Jersey's evolving energy landscape

Pradip Chattopadhyay
Commissioner, New Hampshire Public Utility Commission

Pradip K. Chattopadhyay is a Commissioner of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC), where he oversees the regulation of electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications utilities. An economist with more than 22 years of experience in utility regulation and energy policy, he specializes in utility ratemaking, cost of capital, regulatory economics, and regional electricity markets. He has represented the NHPUC in ISO New England (ISO-NE), NEPOOL, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings, contributing to key regional energy policy discussions.

Before his appointment as Commissioner, Dr. Chattopadhyay served in several regulatory and consumer advocacy roles, including Senior Advisor and Utility Analyst at the NHPUC and Assistant Consumer Advocate for the New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate. He has also worked with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Liberty Utilities, and the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission in India. In addition, he has taught economics as an Adjunct Faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University since 2005.

Yang Deng
Associate Director, CESAC
Professor, Earth & Environmental Studies

Yang Deng, PhD, PE, BCEE, is Professor of Environmental Engineering. His research focuses on environmental systems and processes with an emphasis on sustainability and resilience. He has strong research interests in advanced treatment technologies and innovative engineering strategies to address water and other environmental challenges. He has authored and co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed articles on water treatment and reuse, emerging contaminants, stormwater management, and climate adaptation, with citation exceeding 18,000 times. Dr. Deng has received several awards, including 2024 Educator of the Year from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – New Jersey, 2023 Camp Applied Research Award from the Water Environment Federation (WEF), 2022 Project Innovation Award from the International Water Association (IWA), 2019 Superior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES), amongst many others.

 

Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud
Director, Distribution Planning, Con Edison

Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud is Director of Distribution Planning at Con Edison, where she leads initiatives that support grid modernization and the evolving energy needs of New York's electric system. Her expertise spans electric transportation, distribution planning, utility regulation, distributed energy resources, and large-scale program implementation. She has built and led high-performing teams responsible for developing electric vehicle infrastructure programs, regulatory strategy, stakeholder engagement, and enterprise technology platforms that support utility operations and customer programs.

Throughout her career at Con Edison, Reichborn-Kjennerud has directed first-of-their-kind projects in battery storage, non-wires solutions, and clean transportation, translating regulatory policy into practical utility programs. Earlier, she conducted astrophysics research at Columbia University as a NASA Graduate Research Assistant and National Science Foundation Fellow, leading multidisciplinary technology projects before transitioning to the energy sector. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in Astronomy from Yale University.

 

 

Christine Guhl-Sadovy
President, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)

Christine Guhl-Sadovy is the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), directing the state's regulation of electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, telecommunications, and cable utilities. She oversees one of the nation's most ambitious clean energy portfolios, including utility-scale renewable energy deployment, grid modernization, transportation electrification, and long-term infrastructure planning. Her work focuses on aligning regulatory policy with affordability, reliability, and New Jersey's statutory clean energy objectives.

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 was Chief of Staff to President Joe Fiordaliso Guhl-Sadovy held roles at the national Sierra Club.

 

 

Abe Silverman
Research Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI)

Abe Silverman specializes in electricity markets, utility regulation, and energy policy, with extensive experience advising government agencies, utilities, research institutions, and private industry on the legal and regulatory issues shaping the evolving power sector. His work focuses on transmission planning, wholesale electricity markets, grid reliability, clean energy integration, market design, and regulatory reform. At the Ralph O'Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University, he leads initiatives that bring together regulators, policymakers, utilities, and industry leaders to address emerging energy challenges and strengthen regional electric systems.

Mr. Silverman's career spans public service, academia, and the private sector. He previously served as General Counsel and Executive Policy Counsel at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and has held leadership positions at NRG Energy, Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, providing a broad perspective on today's energy industry.

Christine V. Bator
Of Counsel, Pearlman & Miranda,LLC
Christine Bator served in the administration of four New Jersey Governors in various capacities. She is also the former New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner and Former New Jersey Highway Authority Commissioner.

Christine was also a member of the NARUC Gas and Critical Infrastructure Committees and a member of the advisory committee of the Gas Technology Institute.

She currently teaches a high-level writing intensive course on Energy Law at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey and is of Counsel to Pearlman Miranda in Newark, NJ

 

 

Steve Swetz
Sr. Director, Corporate Rates and Revenue Requirements, PSE&G

Stephen Swetz has more than 35 years of experience in utility ratemaking, revenue requirements, pricing strategy, and corporate finance within the electric and natural gas industry. As Senior Director of Corporate Rates & Revenue Requirements at PSEG, he leads the development of revenue requirements, cost-of-service studies, rate design, tariff development, pricing strategies, and regulatory filings that support major infrastructure and utility investments. His expertise spans utility finance, regulatory economics, and the design of equitable and financially sustainable rate structures. Throughout his career at PSEG, Mr. Swetz has held leadership positions in corporate rates, regulation, pricing and analysis, and power finance, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of the financial and regulatory operations of a modern utility. His extensive experience before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has made him a respected authority on utility ratemaking, revenue recovery, and regulatory policy.