Board of Directors
Christopher Sherman (NECA President) Mr. Sherman previously worked for Mirant and Energy Management, Inc., in all phases of project development and management, including land acquisition; permitting; contracts management; the trading and scheduling of natural gas, fuel oil, and electricity; and community relations. During the restructuring of the electricity markets, Mr. Sherman was involved in the shaping of regional energy policy; he frequently testifies in front of legislative and regulatory bodies on various issues pertaining to the competitive energy markets. Mr. Sherman’s project development efforts involved numerous natural gas facilities, peaking generators, and both large scale and distributed renewable energy installations. Mr. Sherman has a bachelor’s of science in business administration from the University of Central Florida and a Juris Doctorate from the Southern New England School of Law, and he is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Paul N. Belval (NECA V.P. Policy)
Partner Day Pitney LLP email: pnbelval@daypitney.com Paul Belval is a partner at Day Pitney LLP and chairs the firm’s Renewable Energy and Energy Project Development and Finance groups. Paul has represented developers, investors, equipment suppliers and power purchasers involved in a variety of renewable power and fossil fuel facilities, including the development, financing and restructuring of those facilities. Paul drafted the contracts and operating rules for the NEPOOL Generation Information System and has counseled the operators of the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS) and the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (MRETS) in the development of those systems. Paul has negotiated and documented power and renewable energy credit purchase contracts around the country and regularly helps clients with state renewable portfolio standards and with a variety of state and federal incentive programs related to renewable power. Paul is the Assistant Secretary of the NEPOOL Participants Committee and assists NEPOOL with the financial aspects of its operations.
Tina Bennett (NECA VP Administration)
Tina Bennett is President of Conservation Services Group (CSG), the leading provider of residential energy efficiency programs in North America, providing proven expertise for nearly 30 years to utilities, state agencies, trade allies and homeowners looking not only to save money but also to improve home durability, safety and comfort. Ms. Bennett also serves on the Board of Directors of PowerOptions, one of the largest energy buying consortiums in Massachusetts.
Ms. Bennett has over 20 years of experience with energy and utility firms, serving most recently as vice president of asset management and information technology at International Power where she was responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the company’s joint venture power plant investments and the delivery of critical business systems and information technology. Before that, Tina held various director level positions at PG&E National Energy Group and at EnergyVision, LLC. She began her career at New England Electric System (now National Grid). Ms. Bennett holds a B.S. in economics and finance from Bentley University and a master’s degree from Northeastern University. Joe Dalton (NECA VP Ext. Comm.) Director - Government and Regulatory Affairs GDF SUEZ Energy North America, Inc.
email: joe.dalton@gdfsuezna.com
Joseph W. (Joe) Dalton is the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for IPR - GDF SUEZ North America (IPGSNA), a business unit of International Power, a division of GDF SUEZ and a global energy and services business. Its core business is electricity and gas, including the generation of electricity, trading, transport, and distribution of electricity and gas, and sale of electricity. In New England, IPGSNA supplies 20% of our region’s natural gas consumption through its Distrigas of Massachusetts LNG import terminal, and through a recent acquisition of assets, IPGSNA is now the fourth largest energy generator in the region.
Joe represents IPGSNA in New England and Washington, DC. Prior to joining the company in 2007, Joe worked on the staff of US Representative Edward J. Markey as District Director and Legislative Assistant in Massachusetts and Washington, DC from 1993-2007. A 1991 graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT with a BA in Government, he is member of the New England Council Board of Directors, a Corporator at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club, can occasionally be found on stage in a Reagle Players production in Waltham, and can frequently be found next to his wife Cara on the sidelines, in the stands, and among the audience at swim meets, soccer and baseball fields, dance recitals and Cub Scout meetings cheering on their two children. The family resides in Arlington, MA.
Dale Raczynski (NECA Treasurer)
Principal Epsilon Associates, Inc. email: draczyns@epsilonassociates.com
Dale T. Raczynski, P.E. is a Principal with the environmental consulting firm, Epsilon Associates. He heads a group of seasoned chemical and mechanical engineers specializing in combustion processes, air emissions and controls and air permitting as well as project management for multi-disciplinary licensing and permitting of power and industrial facilities. He is currently in the midst of permitting two biomass power projects: the 38 MW Palmer Renewable Energy project in Springfield, MA and the 45 MW Pioneer Renewable Energy project in Greenfield, MA. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from WPI.
Eric J. Krathwohl (NECA Secretary) Eric J. Krathwohl, a Managing Director of the firm of Rich May, PC, concentrates on energy, telecommunications and regulatory matters, including corporate and finance work for energy and telecommunication companies and customers and electric, gas and water utility companies. He is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut and has a law degree from Cornell Law School and is a member of the academic honorary societies, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. For twenty-five years, Mr. Krathwohl has counseled clients on all aspects of energy law and has had an active practice before the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy, having represented energy and telecommunications companies and customers and industry associations in numerous of adjudicatory and rulemaking proceedings. Also, his practice has included representation of clients in commercial transactions (including on-site energy and power plant development, permitting and financing and power purchase and sal es and transportation contracts) and regulatory proceedings before the state utility commissions throughout the northeastern United States . He has been active in matters relating to restructuring of the electric, gas and telecommunications industries, increasing competition in those industries. Mr. Krathwohl has represented clients in several matters before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and has often been a panelist with top industry and government officials at conferences on energy and telecommunications matters.
He served as the Chairman of the Boston Bar Association Energy and Telecommunications Committee from 1995 to 1998 and is a member of several other energy and bar associations. Mr. Krathwohl co-authored the portion of an administrative law treatise dealing with public utility regulation and has co-authored several articles concerning energy matters in energy trade journals.
Mark Kalpin (NECA President Emeritus) Partner
WilmerHale email: mark.kalpin@wilmerhale.com Mark Kalpin is a partner in the Environmental Department, and is the Co-chair of the Energy Group, of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Mark advises manufacturing and energy industry clients on project development activities; environmental permitting and compliance requirements; the remediation of contaminated properties; the negotiation of energy supply agreements, facility operating agreement, and facility construction contracts; and the defense of environmental enforcement actions. He has successfully represented clients in federal and state environmental enforcement actions, administrative appeals and permitting proceedings arising under the Clean Water Act, RCRA and NEPA. He also represents energy industry clients in administrative proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state public utility commissions. Mark currently represents clients proposing to construct and operate energy projects in the New England region – including the first proposed offshore wind project in the US, proposed on-shore and deepwater liquefied natural gas marine import terminals, and a proposed regional water desalination projects – on strategic permitting and policy issues. Before joining WilmerHale, Mark was a senior environmental project manager with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mark currently is the Chairman of The New England Council’s Energy and Environment Committee, and the Chair of the ABA’s Energy Facilities and Siting Committee.
Sandi Hennequin (NECA President Emeritus) Sandi Hennequin is a Vice President for the New England Power Generators Association, Inc. (NEPGA), the largest trade association representing competitive electric generating companies in New England. In this capacity, she is responsible for NEPGA’s legislative affairs in the New England states, as well as its education/communication efforts targeted at key policy makers. With over 15 years of experience in the energy industry, Sandi has focused primarily on electric restructuring, all aspects of generation asset transactions and advocating for fair wholesale electric market structures in New England. Sandi recently completed terms serving as the Vice Chair of the NEPOOL Markets Committee and as President of the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association (“NECA”). She has served on the NECA Board since 2005, and has chaired the External Communication and Legislative/Regulatory Committees, as well as serving as Secretary. Prior professional positions include serving as Vice President, Energy Policy for Constellation Energy Resources, and consulting positions, most recently as a Managing Director for Sigma Consultants.
Sandi is also very engaged in civic activities, currently serving as President of the Prescott Park Arts Festival Board of Directors and recently serving on Portsmouth, NH’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Sustainable Practices. Her mix of professional and civic leadership led to her being selected by the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association and the Union Leader as one of 2007's top "forty under 40" leaders in New Hampshire. She holds a B.A. in Political Communication from the George Washington University and a Masters of Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School. Sandi lives with her husband Steve Marchand, two young daughters and beloved Corgi in Portsmouth, NH.
President Energy Market Decisions, Inc. email: cjmeeske@emdec.net C. John Meeske is President of Energy Market Decisions, Inc., a company he founded in 1992. He has broad experience in market and business development including the start-up, turn around, and profit and loss "bottom line" management of businesses. He has over thirty years of extensive "hands on" experience contracting natural gas, LNG, natural gas transportation and storage services. Mr. Meeske specializes in market development, market requirements, fuel supply planning, and development of new power plant, pipeline, storage, and LNG projects.
Previously, Mr. Meeske was employed by Cabot Corporation for thirteen years where, in various executive positions, he managed the marketing, supply, and transportation functions for many of its various subsidiary companies, including Distrigas of Massachusetts Corporation. In addition, Mr. Meeske was Director, Business Development for Texas Eastern, Director, Market Planning for Michigan Consolidated Gas, and Assistant Professor in the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University.
Mr. Meeske is President Emeritus, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association (NECA), and past chairman of NECA's Natural Gas Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES). In addition, he maintains memberships in the Northeast Gas Association, the Environmental Business Council, NFPA, the New England Chapter of IAEE, NECBC, and NESA. His educational background includes a BA (economics) from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the University of Detroit, and completion of Ph.D. course work in logistics/physical distribution systems at Michigan State University.
William C. "Jack" Sheehan (NECA President Emeritus) Managing Director William C. "Jack" Sheehan, is President, Managing Director of Financial Management Group, a private investment banking, finance, and development advisory firm; He has worked as an investment banker and financial executive for over 25 years, also served as a project developer, treasurer, chief financial officer, and investment banker. Through representation of clients and with NECA he has been a key participant in the deregulation and restructuring of the electric utility market in multiple Northeastern states, including the NEPOOL Congestion Management System Committee, Regional Transmission Planning Committee, Advisory Board Commonwealth of Massachusetts DOER Renewables Portfolio Standards Advisory Board, Massachusetts Renewables Collaborative for Deregulation Legislation, Negotiation of Settlement Agreements with New England Electric Companies, Eastern Utilities Associates and Boston Edison Company, and provided advise on configuration or finance of 3,750 Mw merchant facilities. His firm currently advises on market intelligence for status of Merchant Plants in Development in 12 States including the areas of New England, New York and PJM. He has been involved throughout the US in the financial restructuring of major electric utilities, domestic and international debt and equity financings, joint venture arrangements, purchases and sales of electric generation properties, valuation of viable and troubled projects and portfolios and merchant generation facilities. He has had roles in the siting and the permitting processes of combined-cycle and peaking generation, waste-to-energy, negotiation of 3rd party operating agreements, power purchase contracts, and business partnership arrangements. He has served as advisor and expert witness for electric generators, developers, investment funds, and banks for project related litigation, troubled project, and bankruptcy financial issues. Mr. Sheehan serves on the Board of Directors of Atlantic Orient Corporation, a wind turbine manufacturing company, and on the Board of Directors and President of Emeritus of the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association - a 300 member, 80 corporation energy and environmental association of developers, T&D utilities, energy marketers, end-user, consultant, and generation firms. Mr. Sheehan graduated from the CaliforniaStateUniversity system with a minor in biological science, and holds a B. A. in Management and a Masters of Business Administration.
Peter W. Brown (NECA President Emeritus) Mr. Brown has represented developers and lending institutions in numerous large energy project financings, related contractual and business matters and administrative proceedings throughout the country. The firm currently participates in the development of wholesale power markets operated by ISO-NE, NYISO, PJM and the Midwest ISO through market committee and FERC proceedings. In the past, Mr. Brown has served as Director of the Energy Law Institute, Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission and First Deputy Attorney General for the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Brown graduated cum laude from Bowdoin College with an A.B. and received his L.L.B. from Columbia Law School.
Scott Mueller (NECA President Emeritus) Partner Holland & Knight LLP email: scott.mueller@hklaw.com SCOTT MUELLER - Partner, Holland & Knight. Mr. Mueller has 25 years of experience representing utilities and a wide variety of clients in energy transactions, proceedings and litigation. He routinely represents utilities on regulatory and rate matters before the state utility commissions and appellate courts in New York and New England, as well as before the FERC. Typical clients include electric utilities, independent power producers, natural gas-distribution companies, financial institutions, investors, energy marketers, interstate pipelines, municipalities and large consumers of energy. He provides clients with regulatory and strategic advice regarding the state regulation of utilities and energy suppliers, the introduction of competition in regulated markets, renewable energy incentives, the purchase and sale of gas and electricity, the financing and development of energy projects, and the state law aspects of public utility financings, mergers and acquisitions. Complete Board Listing Pentti Aalto has been on the board of NECA for many years. His focus has been on the development of markets that would be suitable for smaller participants, both users and producers. His current concerns are that the developing shape of the restructured industry will not be conducive to competition that will benefit the smaller participants. He would like to work to improve both market and rate structures by simplifying them to provide easier access.
Daniel Allegretti Daniel Allegretti is a Vice President for Energy Policy with Constellation Energy where he is responsible for legislative and regulatory matters across the Eastern Seaboard. Dan has twenty years experience in the electric power industry as an advocate of competitive electricity markets. Throughout his career Dan has appeared and testified as an expert before numerous state, provincial and federal legislative and regulatory bodies. He has served in a variety of industry leadership positions, including Chairman of the New England Power Pool, Vice Chairman of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council, Director on the Boards of the Independent Power Producers of New York, the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association, the Electric Power Generators Association of Pennsylvania and the Electricity Markets Investment Group of Ontario, Member Representative on the New York ISO Management Committee and on the Ontario IMO Markets Advisory Council and was named by Governor John Baldacci in 2007 to serve on the Maine Energy Council. Outside Constellation Energy, Dan has worked as an Independent transmission project developer and as a practicing attorney. Dan holds a J.D. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Colby College and currently resides with his family in Bow, New Hampshire. Michael Anderson
Senior Principal Scientist
TRC Companies, Inc. email: manderson@trcsolutions.com Michael K. Anderson, QEP, is a Principal Consulting Scientist and Project Manager at TRC’s office in Windsor, Connecticut. Mr. Anderson develops strategic plans, performs technical analyses, provides public hearing testimony and manages projects involving a broad range of environmental disciplines and permits. He has 37 years of experience and is a Qualified Environmental Professional who has managed multi-media environmental permitting for several thousand megawatts of operating or under-construction power generation within the past 16 years. He has also managed air permitting projects for many other operating or under-construction power generation, cogeneration and resource recovery facilities during the past 26 years, primarily in the Northeast, as well as elsewhere in the U.S.
Mr. Anderson is an active participant in the NECA Environmental Committee and a Board Member in the Northeast Section of the Air and Waste Management Association.
Prior to joining TRC in 1980, Mr. Anderson was employed as a Principal Air Pollution Control Engineer at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, where he developed the State’s dispersion modeling guidelines.
Mr. Anderson holds a B.S. in Meteorology from Belknap College in Center Harbor, New Hampshire and a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut.
Stephen Bryant
President
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts email: sbryant@nisource.com Since October, 2003, Stephen H. Bryant has been President of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts (formerly Bay State Gas Company).
Bryant has extensive experience in the natural gas industry and has served in top positions with three New England utilities over the past 25 years. Prior to his election as President, Bryant served as Vice President of External Affairs -- leading the company's regulatory and government policy initiatives, including the company’s interaction with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission and the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
Bryant previously served as Vice President of Marketing Services for Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation, where he coordinated all regulatory matters before the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control. In addition, Bryant worked for Commonwealth Gas Company (now NSTAR Gas) in a number of roles, including Vice President of Marketing and Customer Relations. Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University. Michael Ernst
Director- Energy Affairs, Energy Program Tetra Tech email: michael.ernst@tetratech.com Michael Ernst has 25+ years of energy experience as an environmental attorney for state agencies, a law firm, an independent transmission development company, and an environmental consulting firm. At Tetra Tech EC, Inc., Mr. Ernst is supervising the siting and permitting of various power plants and their transmission interconnections for from coast to coast, including onshore and offshore wind farms, and a 50-mile submarine and onshore cable in Hawaii. Mr. Ernst supervises interconnection studies and participates in negotiations with utilities and independent transmission system operators. Mr. Ernst has supported the development and permitting of AC and DC transmission lines, submarine cables, conventional power plants, energy storage facilities, and wind farms in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Hawaii and Canada.
As Vice President of Permitting and Siting for TransEnergie U.S. Ltd, Mr. Ernst helped permit a 25-mile submarine transmission cable across Long Island Sound and managed the initial development of a 75-mile submarine cable across Lake Erie through filing of the NEPA Environmental Report and a Presidential Permit application. He also supported permitting of three gas-fired power plants and interconnections in Massachusetts and New York with Rubin & Rudman LLP in Boston. Mr. Ernst served as General Counsel and Legislative Director of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy during the restructuring of the electric industry in Massachusetts. Prior to that, he was a Hearing Officer for the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board and Counsel to the Joint Committee on Energy of the Massachusetts Legislature.
Mr. Ernst graduated from Davidson College with a Bachelor of Sciences degree and from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston with a Juris Doctor in 1980.
Robert Fraser
Partner ERM email: robert.fraser@erm.com Bob Fraser currently serves on the NECA Board of Directors and is immediate past Co-Chair of the NECA Environmental Committee representing Environmental Resources Management inc. (ERM). Bob is a Partner in ERM’s Boston, MA office, helping to lead its Power Sector practice. Bob brings over 33 years of experience as a Senior Air Quality /Combustion Systems Engineer specializing in power generation (design, project development, permitting, and due diligence), combined heat and power, and air pollution control system design. He previously spent 23 years with AECOM Environment in Westford, MA as Senior Technical Director of Power Generation and Air Quality Engineering services focusing on pre- and post-combustion air pollution control systems.
Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Applied Management, and has authored over 30 published papers and national conference presentations on Clean Air Act Implementation issues. Mary Beth Gentleman
Partner
Foley Hoag LLP email: mgentleman@foleyhoag.com Mary Beth Gentleman chairs the Energy & Regulated Industries Practice Group at Foley Hoag LLP. For the past 60 years, Foley Hoag has advised energy companies regarding regulatory, corporate, tax, environmental, employment, and litigation matters. The Energy Practice Group is currently very active in the areas of renewable energy finance and permitting, renewable energy credit title and sales, back-up rates and standby charges, 18.4 procedures, proposed mercury regulations, D.T.E. zoning exemptions, municipalization and PPA contract litigation. The firm also advises developing countries regarding privatization of electricity service infrastructure. Ms. Gentleman was first elected to the Board of NECA in 1989 and served this year as Vice President for Policy. In prior years, she has served as Board Secretary and Chair of the Environmental Committee. This year Foley was actively involved in planning a panel at the Annual Conference and the Wholesale Power Markets Conference in November.
Anne George
Vice President - External Affairs and Communication
ISO New England
email: ageorge@iso-ne.com
Anne C. George joined ISO New England Inc. as its Vice President for External Affairs and Corporate Communications in November, 2008. In this role, she directs ISO New England's outreach to and communications with public officials, stakeholders and the media. ISO New England is the independent system operator for New England. In addition to operating the bulk electricity system for the region, ISO New England administers the wholesale electricity marketplace, as well as the Open Access Transmission Tariff on behalf of the New England Power Pool. ISO New England is based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Ms. George received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland and a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Robert Grace
President Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC email: bgrace@seadvantage.com Bob Grace is President of Sustainable Energy Advantage, a consulting and advisory firm specializing in technical and policy analysis of renewable energy markets. In this role, he has provided analysis, strategy and implementation support to over 75 public, private and non-profit sector clients. Trained as an interdisciplinary analyst in energy and environment, he has accumulated a diverse experience base over 26 years in the electricity industry, the last 12 exclusively focusing on renewable energy. Bob is a frequent public speaker, committee participant, and author on topics shaping the renewable energy landscape. Bob is past co-chair of the Northeast Energy & Commerce Association (NECA) Renewable Energy/Distributed Generation Committee, and serves on NECA’s Board of Directors.
Previously, Bob founded and served as Director of ReGen, the green power division of AllEnergy Marketing Company, which launched the first renewable energy-based competitive retail offering in the eastern US. At New England Power Company, he served as a principal analyst in wholesale power supply planning, marketing and electric industry restructuring. His career started in energy-sector analysis, electric supply optimization and regulatory economics at LaCapra Associates.
Bob holds a M.S. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Energy Studies from Brown University.
Bennet Heart
Partner
Noble & Wickersham LLP
email: bh@noblewickersham.com
Bennet Heart is a partner at Noble & Wickersham LLP where he specializes in environmental and land use law, with a particular orientation towards clean energy related work, as well as design and construction law for in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bennet joined the firm in 2007 after serving as General Counsel of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and prior to that as Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Before serving in state government, Bennet was a Senior Attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) in Boston, where he directed CLF’s Smart Growth program. His work at CLF focused on land use law, permitting, housing development and transportation issues. While at CLF, Bennet edited and co-authored the publication Community Rules: A New England Guide to Smart Growth Strategies. Bennet is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and Wesleyan University.
Kevin Hennessy
Director of State & Local Affairs for New England
Dominion Resources, Inc.
email: kevin.r.hennessy@dom.com
Kevin Hennessy is the Director of Regional Federal, State & Local Affairs – New England for Dominion Resources, Inc. He handles all manners of legislative and regulatory matters for Dominion. Hennessy is also responsible for overseeing the Dominion Foundation’s Community Investment Board for the Northeast.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. Dominion practices environmental stewardship and contributes more than $20 million annually to the environment, education, arts and culture, and health and human services.
Prior to joining Dominion, Hennessy was assistant counsel for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), the state’s largest business organization with over 10,000 members. There, Hennessy was the energy policy expert.
He chairs Rhode Island’s Good Neighbor Energy Fund board and serves on the Connecticut Power & Energy Society and the Northeast Energy & Commerce Association’s (NECA) boards of directors. He also served on the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board (CEAB), the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) boards of directors. He was also appointed to Governor-Elect Malloy’s Transition Team’s Energy Policy Working Group, Governor Rell’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, Speaker Donovan’s Electricity Rate Relief Working Group and the coordinating committee of ISO-NE’s Consumer Liaison Group.
Hennessy has also worked at Connecticut and New York area law firms. He earned his J.D. degree from Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Mass., and a B.A. degree in political science from Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
He currently lives in West Hartford, CT with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children.
Shawn Konary
Director, Environmental Policy and Regulatory Affairs
NRG Energy, Inc.
email: shawn.konary@nrgenergy.com Mr. Konary has over 20 years of experience in the electric power and steam cogeneration industry. He is the Director of Environmental Policy and Regulatory Affairs and is responsible for Environmental Policy matters at NRG Energy, Inc., which includes electric and steam generating and cogeneration stations in Florida, Massachusetts Mississippi, and New York.
Previously, Mr. Konary worked for Commonwealth Energy, Commonwealth Electric Company, Commonwealth Gas Company and Cambridge Electric Light Company (now NSTAR), overseeing environmental policy and environmental compliance initiatives and activities. His career experience includes facility permitting, agency interaction, permit negotiations, environmental advocacy group participation, and testifying and sponsoring exhibits for various regulatory or legislative proceedings relative to environmental issues for electric generation and power supply projects. Mr. Konary is active in the New England Power Generator Association, the Independent Power Producers of New York, and the Energy and Environmental Alliance of New York.
Mr. Konary earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University. Paul McCary
Partner Murtha Cullina LLP email: pmccary@murthalaw.com Mr. McCary has twenty-two years of experience as an energy attorney at Murtha Cullina LLP, often representing cogenerators and merchant power plant developers. He has also represented end users and gas utilities with respect to firm and interruptible gas purchase and transportation agreements. On behalf of large electricity users, he has negotiated energy purchase and interconnection agreements. He was an active participant in the Connecticut electric industry restructuring effort on behalf of a power marketer. Mr. McCary has frequently spoken and published articles on energy issues. A former President and Board Member of the Connecticut Power and Energy Society, he graduated cum laude from Western New England School of Law in 1979 served as Connecticut Supreme Court law clerk.
Lysa Modica
Senior Consultant
AMEC
email: lysa.modica@amec.com
Lysa Modica is a Senior Project Manager in the Permitting Group at AMEC Environment and Infrastructure with over 25 years of experience conducting air quality permitting under federal and state New Source Review (NSR) programs. Her experience encompasses multimedia major source licensing and permitting for over 10,000 MW of simple-cycle and combined-cycle power generation sources and pipelines throughout the United States. Lysa Modica also has experience conducting multimedia environmental due diligence efforts for power plants located throughout the U.S.
Carolyn O'Connor
Director, External Affairs and Communications
HQUS
email: oconnor.carolyn@hydro.qc.ca
Carolyn O'Connor was named Director of External Affairs and communications for HQUS earlier this year. HQUS is the US subsidiary of Hydro Quebec responsible for establishing business development opportunities and executing structrued commercial transactions in US energy markets and for providing information about HQ resources and initiatives to customers and stakeholders. In this newly created position, Carolyn is responsible for enhancing awareness of HQ and HQUS with industry and state regulatory and legislative stakeholders.Matthew J. Picardi
Vice President Shell Energy North America (U.S.), L.P. email: matthew.picardi@shell.com Matthew J. Picardi started his career with Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation as a regulatory and commercial transactions attorney. In that capacity, he tried many cases before the New York State Public Service Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC’), including rate cases and proceedings determining appropriate payments to be made to independent power producers under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. In June of 1996, he was appointed General Counsel of Niagara Mohawk Energy, the natural gas and power marketing affiliate of Niagara Mohawk. Also, he was a co-founder and served as Chair of the National Energy Marketers Association. Mr. Picardi became Dynegy’s lead regulatory counsel for the Northeast United States in 2000. While in that position, he was extremely active in market design issues for electricity markets administered by the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) and was a member of NYISO’s Management Committee and served as Chair of NYISO’s Installed Capacity Working Group.
In December of 2002, Mr. Picardi joined Shell Trading Gas and Power Company to lead its natural gas and power regulatory activity for the North Region. For Shell Trading, this covers corporate affiliates, such as Coral Energy Canada Inc. and Coral Power, L.L.C. that market and sell power in Canada and the regions covered by PJM Interconnection, Inc., NYISO, ISO-New England and Midwest ISO. He serves as the Vice Chair of NYISO’s Management Committee, and will become its Chairman as of December 2006, and on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator Board of Directors. Recently, Mr. Picardi was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association.
Mr. Picardi holds a B.A from HobartCollege and J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. He lives in the Albany, New York area with his wife and three children.
Tim Roughan
Director of Energy and Environmental Policy National Grid USA email: timothy.roughan@us.ngrid.com Tim Roughan is the Director of Distributed Resources for the National Grid companies which serve 6.8 million electric and gas customers in NE and NY. His prior positions include Director of Product Management, Business Services Vice President, and the Manager of Power Quality Services. He has been with the company or it’s predecessors for 29 years.
In his role, Tim works in the regulatory arena to promote balanced approaches to distributed generation issues (e.g. net metering, integration of renewables with the transmission and distribution (T&D) system, interconnection issues, etc.), non-wires alternatives to standard T&D investments, and certainty and consistency of these policies throughout the Company’s service territory.
Melissa Whitten
Consultant
La Capra Associates, Inc.
Melissa Whitten joined La Capra Associates in 2009 with more than 25 years of professional experience focused primarily in energy management and consulting. Prior to joining La Capra, she worked for six years for a fast-growing natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest, holding the position of Director of Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage, which followed positions with a major electric utility and an independent power project development both headquartered in Boston, Mass. Her expertise includes contract management, procurement, supplier negotiations, portfolio optimization, project feasibility, merger & acquisition analysis, and utility regulatory policy. Prior to joining the energy sector, she worked as a consultant in the corporate finance sector, as well as in software development.
Ms. Whitten has an MBA in Finance and Information Systems from the University of Rochester (NY), and a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts. |
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