All bios for 4.17.15 Roundtable
Jonathan Black
· Jonathan Black is Lead Engineer of System Planning, at ISO New England where he directs efforts to efficiently and reliably integrate solar photovoltaic and other distributed generation resources into the regional power system.
· Upon joining ISO in 2010, Jon worked on the New England Wind Integration Study (NEWIS) and helped develop wind plant data requirements for ISO’s centralized wind power forecasting system.
· He received his MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is an active member of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Utility Variable Generation Integration Group (UVIG).
Dr. Francis O’Sullivan
· Dr. Francis O’Sullivan is Director of Research and Analysis for the MIT Energy Initiative, and is a Senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
· His work spans a range of topics related to energy technologies, policy and economics. He has presented at the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the US Energy Information Administration, and the US EPA, among other venues.
· Prior to joining MIT, Frank was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked on investment analysis and risk management, strategic planning, and operations in the private equity, oil and gas, electric utility, and renewable energy sectors.
· Frank received his Ph.D., E.E., and S.M. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his B.E. degree from the National University of Ireland, all in electrical engineering.
Karl Rábago
· Karl R. Rábago is the Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, at the Pace University School of Law in White Plains, New York and co-director of the Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition.
· Other past positions include Commissioner, Texas Public Utility Commission; Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Energy; Vice President of Distributed Energy Services at Austin Energy; Director of Regulatory Affairs for the AES Corporation and AES Wind; and Managing Director & Principal of the Rocky Mountain Institute.
· Karl holds a BA in Business Management from Texas A&M and a law degree from the University of Texas with post-doctorate degrees in environmental and military law. He served 12 years in the US Army.
Ashley Brown
· Ashley Brown is the Executive Director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group (HEPG) at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
· He is counsel to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP.
· Previously, he served as Commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, coordinator and counsel for the Montgomery County [Ohio] Fair Housing Center, managing attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Dayton, Inc. and legal advisor to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, also in Dayton.
· He has also served as an advisor on infrastructure regulatory issues to governments in Brazil, Tanzania, India, Ukraine, Russia, Philippines, Zambia, Namibia, Argentina, Costa Rica and Hungary.
Janet Gail Besser
· Janet Gail Besser is Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs for the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC), a clean energy business, policy and innovation organization.
· Previously, she was Vice President, Regulatory Strategy and Policy at National Grid, and Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.
· Janet has been an expert consultant at Analysis Group and Lexecon, and held senior staff roles at the Massachusetts Energy Office and New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.
· She earned a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard and a B.A from Williams College.
Thierry Vandal
· Thierry Vandal is President and CEO of Hydro-Québec.
· He serves as Chairman of the Boards of the Société d’énergie de la Baie James, Hydro-Québec International, and BioFuelNet Canada. He is a board member of the Université de Montréal and McGill University and a past Chairman of the Conference Board of Canada.
· In 2012, Thierry was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. The same year he was awarded the Canadian Energy Person of the Year by the Canadian Energy Council and received an honorary doctorate from the Institut national des sciences appliqués (INSA) in Lyon, France.
· Thierry holds an engineering degree and an MBA from the Université de Montréal.
Matt Kearns
· Matt Kearns is Vice President North America Development for Sun Edison’s Utility & Global Wind business unit, where he leads a team of wind and solar developers located in key markets throughout the U.S.
· This team is developing 3 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity over the next two years.
· Prior to the acquisition, Matt served as VP of development for the eastern region at First Wind where he and his team developed eight wind projects totaling approximately 564 MW (in ME, VT, and NY) and four solar projects in Massachusetts.
· Matt received a B.A. in English and Environmental Studies from Colby College.
Edward Krapels
· Ed Krapels is the founder of Anbaric, a company that develops both transmission and microgrid projects.
· Anbaric has three portfolios of projects in the transmission area. “Anbaric Transmission 1” consists of two fully developed high voltage direct current (HVDC) projects between PJM and NYISO. “Anbaric Transmission 2” consists of three HVDC projects that are under development. “Anbaric Transmission 3” consists of the next generation of HVDC projects constituting $5 billion of capital deployment in this sector.
· In the microgrid arena, Anbaric is developing a portfolio of large microgrids in partnership with Exelon in New York.
· Ed holds a PhD in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University an MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Robin McAdam
· Robin McAdam is Vice President, Major Developments at Emera Inc., an energy and services company with investments in Atlantic Canada, New England and the Caribbean.
· Prior to his current role, Robin was Executive Vice President, Strategic Business and Customer Service at Emera’s largest affiliate, Nova Scotia Power. He previously served as President of Emera Brunswick Pipeline, and was Project Manager for the Northeast Reliability Interconnect – a cross-border 345 Kv transmission line that connects the Maritimes and New England electricity markets.
· Prior to joining Emera, Robin was principal in charge of KPMG's Atlantic Canadian Business Strategy Consulting Practice.