Staff

David E. Dismukes is an expert in the analysis of economic, statistical, and public policy issues in energy and regulated industries. He has worked in academic, consulting, and public service. Dr. Dismukes’ regulatory experience includes serving as a staff economist and forecaster/statistical analyst for the Florida Public Service Commission.

Over the past 23 years, Dr. Dismukes has participated in over 200 regulatory proceedings, in 20 different states, and prepared pre-filed expert witness testimony, reports, and affidavits in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Dr. Dismukes has also testified before both houses of the U.S. Congress and various state legislatures. 

In addition to his position as a consultant and partner at ACG, Dr. Dismukes also serves as a full professor, Associate Executive Director, and Director of Policy Analysis at the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Department of Economics in the E.J. Ourso College of Business Administration, the co-director of the Coastal Marine Institute in the School of the Coast and the Environment, and a member of the graduate research faculty at LSU.

Dr. Dismukes has given more than 200 energy-related presentations to civic, professional, and trade organizations over the past decade. His opinions on energy industry trends and issues have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, as well as a host of other regional and local newspapers and trade newsletters.

Dr. Dismukes has extensive experience in all aspects of the natural gas industry from upstream production (offshore and onshore), to midstream processing, storage, and pipeline issues, to downstream natural gas distribution.  His downstream gas industry experience includes a market structure review of a proposed joint venture between a major energy marketer and natural gas pipeline company.  He has also conducted a number of analyses of natural gas procurement practices of local distribution companies (“LDCs”) in the course of purchased gas adjustments (“PGA”) proceedings.  He has also examined a number of natural gas procurement and transportation issues associated with electric utility fuel adjustment clause (“FAC”) investigations.  His most recent work includes the examination of demand-side management (“DSM”) and energy efficiency issues and revenue decoupling proposals.

Dr. Dismukes is also an expert at the examination of many traditional regulatory issues including the analysis of certain revenue requirement issues, class cost of service studies, revenue distribution, and rate design. Dr. Dismukes is trained in a variety of statistical methodologies and is well-versed in natural gas demand modeling and analyses including weather normalization. He has examined a number of other incentive and performance-based regulation issues in natural gas utility regulation.

Dr. Dismukes has prepared over 150 publications and conference papers on energy and regulated industries that have appeared in such journals as Resource and Energy Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Energy Policy, Utilities Policy, Energy Journal, Studies in Economic and Finance, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, NRRI Journal of Applied Regulation, Natural Resources Forum, Journal of Business Valuation and Economic Loss Analysis, Journal of Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues, International Energy Law and Taxation Review, Public Resources Law Digest, Electricity Journal, Oil, Gas, and Energy Quarterly, Natural Gas Journal, Oil and Gas Journal, Natural Gas Outlook, Public Utilities Fortnightly, Financial Times-Energy, and the American Oil and Gas Reporter.

His conference papers have been published in proceedings sponsored by the Society of Mechanical Engineers (“SME”), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (“SPE”), the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”), the International Energy Foundation (“IEF”), the International Association of Energy Economics (“IAEE”), the International Association of Science and Technology for Development (“IASTED”), the Southwest Academy of Management, and the Academy of Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues.  He has contributed a number of chapters to books on energy and regulatory issues and is the co-author of a book on electric power restructuring and competition for CRC Press entitled: Power Systems Operations and Electricity Markets.

Dr. Dismukes received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the Florida State University.  He is a member of numerous professional associations including the American Economic Association, American Statistical Association, Econometric Society, Southern Economic Association, Western Economic Association, and the International Association for Energy Economics.
daviddismukes@acadianconsulting.com

Kimberly Dismukes is the managing partner and lead consultant with ACG. She has participated in more than 200 formal regulatory proceedings over the past 30 years, involving natural gas, electric power, telecommunications, and water and wastewater utilities.

Throughout her career, Ms. Dismukes has testified in more than 55 proceedings, thereby forming a broad and in-depth understanding of regulatory issues. These issues range from those in traditional revenue requirement, rate design, and rate of return cases to highly specialized concerns including fuel audits, water conservation programs, and incentive regulation plans. Ms. Dismukes has pre-filed testimony and/or testified in Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, California, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Kansas, Utah, and Washington.

In the electric power and natural gas industries, Ms. Dismukes' investigations have included issues concerning affiliate transactions, decoupling, demand side management, capital trackers, performance-based regulation, retail wheeling and competition, stranded investment, electric restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, synergy cost savings, fuel projections, fuel adjustment and gas adjustment clauses, alternative coal technologies, production costing, avoided costs, off-system and unit power arrangements, economy energy transactions, excess capacity, prudence of large construction projects, rate design and class cost of service studies, customer charges and inverted block rates.

Ms. Dismukes recently completed, or is currently engaged as the lead consultant and project manager of fuel audits of three gas utilities and one electric utility. These audits involved an examination of the reasonableness of the fuel costs included in adjustment clauses, the utility's compliance with the regulators' fuel adjustment orders, affiliate transactions, the prudence of fuel purchasing practices, take-or-pay considerations, nuclear fuel, inventory practices, and compliance with commissions' refunding requirements.

Ms. Dismukes' gas industry experience also includes examination of natural gas procurement and transportation issues associated with gas adjustment clause investigations. She has also examined LDC proposals to implement revenue neutrality and revenue decoupling proposals. Ms. Dismukes has also examined issues related to the development and implementation of natural gas energy efficiency and demand-side management ("DSM") programs and rate design matters including customer charges and inverted block rates. She has extensive experience in examining infrastructure replacement riders, production cost riders, as well as fuel riders, Ms. Dismukes has developed models to evaluate the royalty fee for salt cavern leasing and assisted with the negotiation of the terms and conditions for the lease.

Ms. Dismukes has examined and/or testified on numerous revenue requirement and financial issues, including but not limited to affiliate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory treatment of acquisition adjustments, financial integrity, revenue adjustments, directory revenue, tax effect of interest, working capital, federal, state, local, and property taxes, proforma adjustments, projected test year, advertising expenses; charitable contributions; salaries and wages; depreciation; cost allocations, jurisdictional separations/allocations, capital structure, cost of debt and preferred stock, and risk return relationships.

Ms. Dismukes has developed financial models to evaluate the impact of various scenarios on the financial integrity of utilities, addressing such issues as potential bond downgrades and capital attraction. Her financial modeling includes analysis of the impact of load loss and customer growth and the related implication of proposed decoupling mechanisms. Ms. Dismukes has experience examining large offshore wind power transmission and generation projects. Her work includes modeling project financial profiles, capital costs, regulatory treatment and taxes.

Ms. Dismukes has worked on the behalf of attorney generals, public counsels, public service commissions, and other public and private organizations in 29 different states. She holds a B.S. (Finance) and M.B.A. (Finance) from the Florida State University and has published articles on affiliate transactions and mergers and acquisitions in Public Utilities Fortnightly.
kimdismukes@acadianconsulting.com

Ms. Ippolito has participated in over 50 regulatory proceedings over the last 20 years. She has an extensive accounting and financial background and assists in analyzing case issues.

Michelle Ippolito has participated in more than 50 regulatory proceedings involving natural gas, electric power, or telecommunications throughout the United States. Over the past 20 years, Ms. Ippolito has served as project manager and lead investigator in many projects. This experience includes her previous employment as a telecommunications specialist at the Nevada Public Service Commission and as a costing specialist at Sprint Corporation.

Ms. Ippolito’s electric power and natural gas experience includes fuel adjustment and gas adjustment clauses, alternative coal technologies, production costing, avoided costs, excess capacity, mergers and acquisitions, avoided costs and fuel projections. Ms. Ippolito recently assisted with audits of three gas and one electric company’s fuel practices and conformance with the regulator’s orders on fuel adjustment clauses. She has also examined rate design issues including customer charges and declining block rates.

In addition, Ms. Ippolito has an extensive accounting and financial background. She has analyzed numerous cases with issues concerning: affiliate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financial integrity, taxes, working capital, taxes, cross-subsidies, pro forma adjustments, depreciation, cost allocations, cost of equity, capital structure, double leverage, cost of debt and preferred stock, and risk return relationships.

Ms. Ippolito received her B.A. from New College in Sarasota, Florida, and her M.B.A. from New York University.
michelleippolito@acadianconsulting.com

Ms. Oleks has been involved in an extensive number of projects in the natural gas and electric power industries over the past 15 years. Her experience includes providing support for various regulatory and government institutions, as well as private and public companies, on energy and regulatory matters. Ms. Oleks has worked extensively throughout the U.S., Mexico, and South America. Her consulting experience includes the examination of regulatory frameworks and tariff structures for both government entities and private companies in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, and Australia.

Ms. Oleks' natural gas industry experience includes the development of numerous financial models for the purpose of rate design and asset valuation within the context of rate reviews, privatizations, and greenfield development. She has assisted in the analysis of market competition for the provision of natural gas transportation services as well as the review of a proposed joint venture between a major energy marketer and natural gas pipeline company. She has examined fuel procurement issues and assisted in PGA audits for local distribution companies and has been involved in a number of cases analyzing the competitive nature of natural gas transportation (interstate, intrastate and LDC) and gathering markets. More recently, she has been involved in the examination of a number of LDC proposals to implement revenue neutrality and revenue decoupling. In addition, she has examined a number of issues related to the development of natural gas energy efficiency and demand side management programs.

Ms. Oleks has analyzed the infrastructure and service industries that support the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. She has estimated the potential economic benefits resulting from proposed LNG developments in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico and has evaluated the potential impacts of royalty relief on state oil and gas production.

Ms. Oleks holds her B.A. in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
betholeks@acadianconsulting.com

Dr. Quintanar has several years of experience in applied economics research, particularly dealing with issues related to public policy and law. Dr. Quintanar assists with statistical and econometric analyses in connection with utility matters.

Dr. Quintanar received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from Louisiana State University. She is a member of professional associations including the American Economic Association, Southern Economic Association, the economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon, and the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP).
sarahquintanar@acadianconsulting.com

Ms. Ash assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony and reports. Ms. Ash has assisted with analyses associated with the natural gas, electric, telecommunications, and water and wastewater industries.

Ms. Ash has assisted with the preparation of both gas and electric utility fuel audits including the analysis of utility fuel purchases, purchase allocations, and affiliate issues. She has assisted in the analysis of a number of class cost of service studies and rate design issues including the development of customer charges.

Her regulatory research experience includes a comparative analysis of state ratemaking treatment of emissions and environmental investment cost recovery. She has also assisted in the research and cost-effectiveness analysis of energy efficiency programs in the natural gas industry.

Ms. Ash has assisted with analyses concerning revenue requirements, accounting, affiliate, and capital expenditure issues including the development of a revenue requirement model for 87 water/wastewater systems in Florida.

Ms. Ash has over 10 years of experience in financial analysis and modeling. In addition, she has extensive experience in analyzing corporate financial statements, budgets and forecasts, stock and portfolio performances, and corporate strategy. During her tenure in the retail brokerage industry, she obtained several NASD licenses, including the Series 24, 7, 63, and 65. She is well-versed in compliance matters, having served as the Director of Compliance for a regional financial planning firm, where she conducted regularly-scheduled audits of the firm's policies and procedures.

Ms. Ash holds an M.B.A. (Finance) from Louisiana State University and a B.S. degree in Management from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
sallyash@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. Upton has several years of experience examining a number of public policy issues. His particular expertise is in the examination of empirical analyses supporting public policy research. Over the past year, Mr. Upton has been engaged in an analysis of the number of "green jobs" created by ARRA ("stimulus") funding and examining empirical questions and modeling in connection with offshore wind farms.

Mr. Upton holds a B.S. degree in Economics with a concentration in empirical analysis from Louisiana State University. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in economics at LSU and is a member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society for Economists.
gregupton@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. Deupree has over three years of experience working for the Kansas Corporation Commission. He provided expert analyses in proceedings concerning regulation of ratepayer-finance energy efficiency programs and compliance with EPA environmental regulations. Mr. Deupree also conducted analyses on topics relating to energy and the economy for the Kansas Energy Council.

Mr. Deupree holds an MA in Economics from the University of Kansas and a BA in Economics from Buena Vista University in Iowa.
michaeldeupree@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. Peters assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers, and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony and research. Mr. Peters has assisted in the analysis of a number of issues in the natural gas and electric utility industries.

Mr. Peters has assisted in the analysis of oil and gas well drilling, commodity trading, and oil and gas well abandonment, as well participating in an economic impact analysis of the Port of Venice in Venice, Louisiana. He has assisted in the analysis of regulatory, economic, and public policy issues associated with the development of both salt cavern and reservoir-based natural gas storage projects. His statistical analysis includes the development of natural gas demand models and weather normalization analysis.

Mr. Peters has also assisted in general regulatory and economic research on issues related to cost of service modeling and rate design. He has researched issues related to traditional and incentive regulation, including prudence disallowances.

Mr. Peters holds a B.S. degree in Economics, with a concentration in empirical economic analysis, from Louisiana State University. He is currently working on his M.S. in Applied Statistics from LSU. He is a member of the U.S. and International Associations for Energy Economics.
cpeters@acadianconsulting.com

Ms. Lewis assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers, and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony and research. Ms. Lewis has participated in several electric and natural rate cases. Her research has included benchmarking natural gas utility peak performance trends and regulatory and policy issues related to infrastructure replacement riders.

Ms. Lewis also assists in ACG's renewable energy research activities. She assisted in the preparation of comments on a large offshore wind power transmission project before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") and has assisted in the examination of a variety of regulatory, financial, and economic issues associated with the development of offshore wind generation projects.

Ms. Lewis has a B.S. in mathematics. Additionally, she has over 30 hours of engineering course work and experience working in an engineering environment. She also has experience teaching at a community college and assisting marketers in trading natural gas.
allisonlewis@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. Roppolo assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers, and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony. He also has extensive experience in maintenance of our comprehensive discovery databases. Mr. Roppolo recently graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in International Trade and Finance.
mattroppolo@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. Aguila assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers, and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony and research. He provides organizational management, including the management of case documents and the maintenance of the discovery databases. 

Mr. Aguila also assists with the preparation of spreadsheets and schedules concerning electric, gas, and water and wastewater utilities. He has conducted research and analysis on targeted infrastructure replacement riders and also quality of service issues. Mr. Aguila holds a B.S. degree in Marketing from Louisiana State University.
alexaguila@acadianconsulting.com

Ms. Lawson provides administrative support, including the maintenance of our comprehensive discovery databases.  Ms. Lawson is responsible for processing the firm’s documents and ensures that responses to discovery are distributed to the appropriate members of the firm.
marlenelawson@acadianconsulting.com

Mr. McCarble assists with the preparation of discovery, workpapers, and schedules in support of ACG's expert testimony and research. He also assists with the preparation of spreadsheets and schedules concerning electric, gas, and water and wastewater utilities. He has conducted research and analysis on targeted infrastructure replacement riders, affiliate transactions, salaries and wages, and management performance incentives. Mr. McCarble currently attends Louisiana State University.
jonmccarble@acadianconsulting.com

Our Technical Assistants provide maintenance of our comprehensive discovery databases, updating them on an ongoing basis. They also assist with the preparation of spreadsheets and schedules concerning electric, gas, and water and wastewater utilities. All of our Technical Assistants currently attend Louisiana State University.