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COLUMBIA, MO (September 23, 2026) – The Financial Research Institute (FRI) today announced that Greg R. White, a veteran utility regulator and administrator with more than 40 years in energy, utility regulation and public policy, is the 2026 recipient of the policy institute’s Crystal Award, which recognizes individuals for lifetime contributions to public utility regulatory policy. The awarding of the Crystal, established in 2013, was part of FRI’s Annual Public Utility Symposium held each September at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
“Greg White contributions to energy policy and public utility regulation over the course of his tremendous career, including his support and outreach to educational institutions like FRI, have been outstanding,” said Dr. Michael Sykuta, FRI Executive Director. “With his decades of leadership and nationally recognized expertise in public utility regulation, he is exactly the kind of individual that the Crystal Award seeks to honor.”
The FRI Crystal Award for Distinguished Contribution recognizes an individual who has made recent outstanding and significant contributions to the design, implementation or analysis of public utility regulatory policy. The award provides an opportunity to recognize excellence and achievement across regulated industries and further promotes the mission and purpose of the FRI – to serve as a neutral environment for the comprehensive examination of sound regulatory policy. Nominees can include (but are not limited to) former commissioners, regulatory staff, energy executives, consultants and academics, with at least 10 years’ experience related to the regulated industry.
White recently retired as Executive Director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) after leading the organization from 2015-2024, while also serving as Executive Director of the National Regulatory Research Institute (2017-2023). While leading NARUC, he was instrumental in significantly expanding NARUC’s training and education programs, both domestically and internationally, while also strengthening NARUC’s relationship with educational institutions such as FRI. Prior leadership also included serving as a Commissioner on the Michigan Public Service Commission (2009-2015).
Nationally respected for his authority on energy issues, White has provided expert testimony several times before the U.S. Congress, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and State Legislatures on matters such as energy markets and utility regulation, transmission policy, and nuclear waste management and disposal.
White has served on several boards and national committees, notably as President of the Board of Directors of the Organization of PJM States, Inc.; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Regulatory Research Institute; as a member of the Steering Committee of the International Confederation of Energy Regulators, the North American Energy Standard Board, and the Keystone Policy Center Energy Board. He currently serves on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition.
Currently, White also provides advice and consulting services on utility and regulatory policy matters, while volunteering on numerous projects and initiatives. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University.
Established in 1992, the Annual Public Utility Symposium is FRI’s hallmark program. Held in September each year, the Symposium draws over 150 state utility commissioners, consumer advocates, industry executives, consultants, and academics to have open, balanced discussions about current issues affecting regulation in the water, electricity, and natural gas industries.
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About FRI
The Financial Research Institute (FRI), established in 1988 at the University of Missouri, serves as a forum for advancing research, education and collaboration in the public utility community. Through its public utility division, the FRI provides a neutral environment for stakeholders in regulated public utility industries to come together to examine, understand, and debate current issues relating to public utility policy. FRI hosts forums for consumers, regulators, industry and educators throughout the year, facilitating innovation, understanding, and education in public utility policy issues.