FRI
David Owens is the retired executive vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, and is presently a board member at Xcel Energy and co-chair of the transformation advisory council at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Public Utilities Fortnightly celebrated his illustrious career with our first Owen Young Award, PUF’s highest honor, in 2018.
Public utility regulatory policy brings PUF readers to PUF, so it follows that the Financial Research Institute's Crystal Award for Distinguished Contribution is meaningful to you. For it recognizes an individual who has made outstanding and significant contributions to the design, implementation or analysis of public utility regulatory policy.
This award acknowledges excellence and achievement across regulated industries. It promotes the mission and purpose of FRI to serve as a neutral environment for comprehensive examination of sound regulatory policy.
This all leads to David Owens, the recipient of the 2021 Crystal Award for Distinguished Contribution. Many readers remember him from time well spent at the Edison Electric Institute. Many know him now for his time rebuilding the grid in Puerto Rico. FRI celebrates David Owens, as does PUF, here providing the opportunity to get to know him, and his remarkable career, better. Listen in.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Talk about FRI, why this award exists and why you decided this year to give it to David Owens.
FRI Executive Director Mike Sykuta: The Financial Research Institute at the University of Missouri was founded over thirty years ago with the idea of better educating, informing, and connecting people on the regulatory side and the industry side of public utility space.