David E. Dismukes, Ph.D., Consulting Economist
daviddismukes@acadianconsulting.com
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 academia, consulting, and public service over the past 37 years.
Dr. Dismukes has participated in over 500 regulatory proceedings in 27 states and has prepared expert witness testimony, reports, and affidavits in over 260 proceedings in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia and before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”). Dr. Dismukes has also testified before both houses of the U.S. Congress and various state legislatures.
Michael Deupree, SENIOR Research Consultant
michaeldeupree@acadianconsulting.com
Michael Deupree is an expert in the analysis of economic and public policy issues in regulated industries. He has worked in consulting and public service for more than fifteen years, including several years at the Kansas Corporation Commission (“KCC”) and for more than a decade at Acadian Consulting Group (“ACG”).
Mr. Deupree has provided expert analyses and testimony in proceedings concerning the regulation of ratepayer-financed energy efficiency programs, resource planning, class cost of service and rate design, and net energy metering of distributed resources. Mr. Deupree is well versed in most of the pressing policy issues and proposals in utility regulation that includes those associated with alternative regulation, regulatory lag, cost trackers, performance incentives, and mergers and acquisitions. This also includes extensive experience in conducting embedded class cost of service studies and marginal cost of service analysis, as well as numerous traditional and emerging utility rate design issues such as residential demand-based rates.
bRANDON lOMBARDINO, SENIOR rESEARCH ASSOCiate
bradonlombardino@acadianconsulting.com
Brandon Lombardino specializes in economic analysis and regulatory strategy, with experience spanning electric and gas utility rate cases, rulemaking proceedings, and policy advisory. He has conducted studies, drafted expert testimony, and prepared presentations on topics including class cost of service, rate design, load forecasting, energy affordability, and cost-benefit analysis.
Brandon’s consulting work includes support for utility M&A transactions as well as the evaluation of offshore wind projects, clean energy programs, and system reliability investments. He has also advised clients on how to prepare for and manage the impacts of large-scale data center expansion, including the presentation of research and preparation of expert witness testimony drafts on the topic.
Before joining ACG, Brandon was a Senior Regulatory Analyst at Evergy, where he supported multiple Missouri and Kansas rate case filings. His responsibilities included designing innovative rates, managing class cost of service studies, conducting customer impact analysis, and supporting special contract negotiations for large load customers.
Brandon holds bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Economics from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Washington State University. He is a member of the Energy Bar Association, the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, and the International Association for Energy Economics.
Nicolas Alvarez, Senior Research Analyst
nicolasalvarez@acadianconsulting.com
Nicolas Alvarez is a skilled research analyst with extensive experience in financial analysis, econometric modeling, and data science. He has contributed with preparation and analysis of economic impact studies, affordability studies, cost-benefit analysis, cost-of-service studies, and rate designs in a range of regulatory proceedings.
Mr. Alvarez is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research, having worked as a graduate research assistant at Louisiana State University and interned at Kansas State University. Additionally, Mr. Alvarez’s has experience working on regulatory, economic, financial, statistical, and public policy issues related to regulated industries, including electricity, natural gas, solar, water and offshore wind.
Mr. Alvarez specializes in conducting economic impact analysis, using tools such as Excel, Stata, IMPLAN, and QGIS. He has developed economic impact studies for both regulatory proceedings and private-sector clients. Mr. Alvarez contributed to the regulatory approval process for the acquisition of Entergy’s natural gas distribution systems in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, as well as CenterPoint Energy’s systems across Louisiana and Mississippi—an acquisition that created the third-largest investor-owned natural gas distribution business in the southeastern United States.
His recent research focuses on the growing electricity demand from data centers, driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.
Mr. Alvarez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management from Zamorano University and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University.
Taylor Deshotels, senior Research Analyst
taylordeshotels@acadianconsulting.com
Taylor Deshotels has seven years of experience working in energy and regulatory matters. Over the past seven years, Mr. Deshotels has participated in a wide variety of regulatory proceedings as well as having conducted general energy and environmental research.
Mr. Deshotels has assisted in the examination of several natural gas policy issues including tracker mechanisms for new technology implementation and for infrastructure replacement. Mr. Deshotels regularly prepares ACG-developed surveys on retail electricity and natural gas price benchmarking. He also conducts research on cost benchmarking for utilities located throughout the U.S. Mr. Deshotels has also prepared benchmarking and cost analysis of alternative regulation relating to electric and natural gas rates.
Mr. Deshotels assisted in the development and estimation of the Louisiana GHG inventory which was used by the Governor’s Climate Change Task Force and assisted in the analysis of onshore infrastructure supporting offshore oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico region and along the Atlantic Seaboard for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”). Mr. Deshotels regularly assists Dr. Dismukes in the examination of natural gas market trends and industrial development along the GOM, including those associated with energy transition activities. Mr. Deshotels also aids in research efforts supporting ACG testimony and written reports.
Mr. Deshotels is a graduate of LSU with a B.S. degree in International Trade and Finance with a minor in Energy.
RYAN GREMILLION, senior Research Analyst
ryangremillion@acadianconsulting.com
Ryan Gremillion is a Senior Research Analyst with experience in economic analysis, utility regulation, and litigation support. He has contributed to expert testimony and regulatory filings across multiple electric utility proceedings, with recent work focused on alternative forms of regulation. Currently, he supports Acadian Consulting Group’s testimony and reports through research, data analysis, and policy evaluation.
Mr. Gremillion brings experience in both qualitative and quantitative research, with a background in economic modeling, cost analysis, and market structure evaluation. He has worked on projects involving rate mitigation strategies, cost recovery mechanisms, and competitive assessments across regulated and deregulated markets.
Mr. Gremillion holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with Cum Laude honors from Louisiana State University and is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration from LSU Shreveport.
Tyler French, Research Analyst
tylerfrench@acadianconsulting.com
Mr. French supports regulatory proceedings involving electric and natural gas utilities across multiple jurisdictions. His work focuses on the examination of rate design proposals, revenue decoupling mechanisms, weather normalization adjustments, and other complex ratemaking and regulatory issues.
Mr. French plays a key role in the development of expert testimony, including conducting discovery reviews, performing data analyses, drafting regulatory arguments, and preparing hearing exhibits. He has contributed to the development of rate impact studies related to proposed utility acquisitions and has supported regulatory evaluations of revenue decoupling mechanisms for both municipal and investor-owned utilities. He also assists regularly in drafting testimony, policy reports, and regulatory research initiatives.
Prior to joining ACG, Mr. French worked in the Accounting Services department at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he managed merchant services operations and advised university departments on Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance matters.
Mr. French holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University.
MARCELO González, RESEARCH ANALYST
marcelogonzalez@acadianconsulting.com
Marcelo González is a Research Analyst at Acadian Consulting Group, where he supports expert testimony, regulatory filings, and litigation in utility and energy matters. His responsibilities include developing hearing materials, preparing and validating workpapers, and conducting research on regulatory, financial, and policy issues.
Marcelo has contributed to multiple research efforts, including leading a study on net metering policies affecting the outdoor hospitality industry. Previously, he interned in fintech, investment banking, and trading, gaining experience in financial modeling, investment research, and portfolio analysis.
Marcelo holds a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Legal Studies in Business from Tulane University, with a focus on forecasting, data analysis, and regulatory policy interpretation.
CARLOS SANDOVAL, research aNALYST
carlossandoval@acadianconsulting.com
Carlos Sandoval is a Research Analyst at ACG, where he assists in the preparation of expert testimony, litigation exhibits, and regulatory filings for clients across the energy and utility sectors. His work spans both quantitative and qualitative analysis, with a focus on affordability, reliability, and regulatory design. Mr. Sandoval regularly supports econometric modeling, utility rate benchmarking, capital stock estimation, and forecast error diagnostics, as well as assistance in preparation of hearing materials, policy critiques, and regulatory commentaries.
Mr. Sandoval has assisted in the analysis of a wide range of electric and gas rate cases across multiple jurisdictions, including general rate cases, and alternative regulation fillings. He regularly supports the development of workpapers, and empirical research used to support expert witness testimony and assists in strategic research for litigation support.
Mr. Sandoval joined ACG full-time in early 2025 after previously interning as a Technical Assistant. Prior to that, he assisted in commodity derivatives research as an undergraduate researcher in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Louisiana State University (LSU). He presented original research at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting and, in 2025, returned to LSU as a guest lecturer in Environmental Economics. He has also contributed to a forthcoming publication on commodity market dynamics following a geopolitical shock.
Mr. Sandoval holds a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Econometrics and a minor in Data Analytics from LSU. During his time at LSU, he served as a Global Ambassador, was a member of the university’s national championship Economic Quiz Bowl team, and was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics.
EMILY STARSZAK, research aNALYST
emilystarszak@acadianconsulting.com
Emily Starszak is a Research Analyst at ACG, where she contributes to the preparation of expert testimony, reports, and litigation support for clients. Her responsibilities include developing hearing preparation materials, such as hearing books, and preparing and reviewing ACG workpapers.
Before joining ACG in her current role, Emily interned as a Technical Assistant at the company throughout her entire undergraduate studies. In that position, she supported various rate cases, including a research project for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Emily holds a B.S in Economics with a concentration in Econometrics and a minor in Data Analytics from LSU. Her academic background provided her with strong skills in Econometrics, Mathematical Modeling, Statistics, and Forecasting.