September 10, 2021
We are happy to announce our newest Advisory Board members: Christina Baker, Chairman Kent Chandler, Kristy Hartman, Commissioner Gabriella Passidomo, Kari Gehrke and Matt Rice. Longer bios for these distinguished individuals (and all of our Advisory Board members) are available on the FRI Members page.
Christina Lynn Baker, P.E., J.D., is a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office working on public utility and environmental issues. She serves as lead attorney of the Consumer Utilities Rate Advocacy Division and routinely provides expert testimony regarding positions taken by the Attorney General to protect Arkansas citizens. Christina is licensed to practice law in Arkansas and Missouri. She holds Professional Engineer licenses in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Kent A. Chandler was appointed to the Kentucky Public Service Commission on July 6, 2020 and designated as Chairman on August 3, 2021. His term expires June 30, 2024. Prior to his appointment, he served as Executive Director of the PSC. Previous to becoming Executive Director, he was an advisor to the commissioners, focusing on federal wholesale gas and electricity markets. Before coming to the PSC, Chairman Chandler advocated for Kentucky ratepayers as an attorney in the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Rate Intervention.
Kristy Hartman is the Director of Stakeholder Strategy & Engagement at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). In this role, Kristy manages NEI’s strategy for research and outreach to state utility regulators, third party groups, and other relevant stakeholders. Prior to joining NEI, Kristy spent eight years at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) where she served as the Energy Program Director for the Environment, Energy and Transportation Program.
Gabriella Passidomo was appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission in May 2021 to fill a vacant seat through January 1, 2023. Before her appointment to the Commission, Commissioner Passidomo served in the FPSC’s Office of General Counsel, where she provided analysis and recommendations on issues spanning the Commission’s regulatory jurisdiction.
Kari Gehrke has been with Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), an Alliant Energy company for 15 years. As Lead Regulatory Relations and Policy Consultant on IPL’s regulatory relations team, Ms. Gehrke leads regulatory and policy initiatives for energy efficiency, demand response and distributed generation for the utility. Prior to working on the regulatory team, she was a Senior Product Manager on the energy efficiency implementation team.
Matt Rice is the Director of Indiana Electric Regulatory and Rates for CenterPoint Energy. He has responsibility for CenterPoint Energy Indiana South’s electric regulatory and rate matters before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and for the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Matt has also served as Manager of Resource Planning for the company and the Director of Research and Energy Technologies for Vectren Corporation.
The FRI Advisory Board was established in 1988 as an essential component of the FRI. The Advisory Board offers professional advice, identifies the FRI’s strategic direction, and takes leadership in identifying and organizing topics and speakers for several FRI programs. Advisory Board Members, or the organizations they represent, provide financial support for FRI and enjoy insider access to the FRI staff and member network, as well as discounted registration for FRI events. For more information about the FRI Advisory Board, please contact Sarah Kent at skent@missouri.edu.