Richard L. Levitan, President & Principal

Richard L. Levitan has 27 years of diverse experience in the energy industry.  Since founding LAI in 1989, Mr. Levitan has provided utilities and power suppliers with a broad range of commercial advisory services related to fuel procurement, transportation pricing, and market assessment.  He has conducted due diligence for utility mergers and acquisitions, and has advised lenders and investors on valuation fundamentals, earnings quality, and risk factors.  His expertise in wholesale power and natural gas market design, valuation, pricing, and pipeline / storage management has been instrumental in fashioning LAI's services for industry participants.  He has been responsible for pipeline analyses for independent system operators and power suppliers.  Mr. Levitan has testified extensively before regulatory commissions throughout the U.S. and Canada.  He is a frequent speaker on topics covering LNG, the natural gas industry, competition, and resource adequacy.

Prior to forming LAI, Mr. Levitan was a Vice President of Stone &Webster Management Consultants, Inc., and Manager of the Boston office.  Prior to joining Stone & Webster in 1980, Mr. Levitan was a Rate Economist at Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Mr. Levitan holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University and a Masters degree from Harvard University where he specialized in Energy Economics.

John R. Bitler, Vice President & Principal

John R. Bitler has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry encompassing a wide range of fuel, power, and emissions issues.  Mr. Bitler is responsible for LAI's forecasts of fuel prices, including gas supply due diligence and LNG assessments.  He has performed market studies of spark spreads across market areas throughout the U.S.  Mr. Bitler has advised utilities, power generators, and large end-users regarding gas supply and infrastructure developments, fuel market trends, procurement strategies, risk management, and emissions control costs.  Mr. Bitler has submitted expert testimony regarding contract restructuring, fuel supply issues, emissions control costs, and power generation asset valuation.

Prior to joining LAI in 1992, Mr. Bitler was President of Environmental Catalyst Consultants, Inc., where he was responsible for assessments of catalytic emissions control processes.  He worked previously at Stone & Webster Management Consultants as an Executive Consultant and as Director of Commercial Development at InterNorth, Inc.  He also held positions with U.S. Steel Corporation and the U.S. Bureau of Mines.  Mr. Bitler holds a B.S. degree in Mineral Economics from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. degree from The University of Pittsburgh in Mining Engineering.

Seth G. Parker, Vice President & Principal

Seth G. Parker is an economics and financial manager with 27 years of experience in market design, forecasts, and the development, analysis, and financing of international private power and infrastructure projects.  Mr. Parker works with independent system operators, merchant plant developers, power purchasers, and both municipal and investor-owned utilities on a broad variety of issues.  He has conducted due diligence in support of over $6 billion of project debt for commercial lenders, investment banks, the World Bank, and other multilateral agencies.  Mr. Parker has helped overseas government agencies with privatization, and domestic utilities with generating asset valuations, acquisitions, and divestitures.  He has been a frequent speaker on project financing and asset divestiture / acquisition issues, and has provided expert witness testimony before FERC and in state and federal courts.

Prior to joining LAI, Mr. Parker was Vice President of Stone & Webster Management Consultants responsible for due diligence reviews.  He has also worked at two project development firms, J. Makowski Associates and ThermoElectron Energy Systems, and in the Treasurer’s Office at Pacific Gas & Electric.  Mr. Parker received a Sc.B. from Brown University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, and has completed additional coursework in gas turbine technology and in geopolitics at the Kennedy School, Harvard University.

Ellen G. Cool, Ph.D., Vice President & Principal

Ellen G. Cool, Ph.D.,has 22 years of experience in energy and environmental consulting and program management, with expertise in wholesale procurement, auction design, regulatory analysis, and the siting and permitting of generation and transmission.  On behalf of state commissions, utilities, and large end users, she has developed auction strategies and conducted competitive procurements for wholesale power and fuel.  Dr. Cool analyzes the impact of federal and state environmental policy and regulations on power plant operations and energy security.  She advises electric utilities, universities, and industrial clients on both tactical and strategic resource decisions, including development of energy master plans.  Dr. Cool has provided expert testimony on environmental matters as well as wholesale power procurement.

Prior to joining LAI, Dr. Cool was a principal at Harding Lawson Associates, formerly ABB Environmental Services, responsible for the northeast regional offices.  She has also worked in mining and mineral exploration in the western U.S.  She received her A.B. from Harvard University and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.