My degrees are from Little Rock University (B.A.), LSU (M.A.) and Iowa (Ph.D.). After 25 years at the University of Missouri – Rolla, I retired and took up my present position as Director of Economics and Planning for the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff (1994). During my years at the university, I was involved in all aspects of the academy - undergraduate and graduate level teaching, research, grants and administration. Three stints away from the university included visiting professorships (U. of Auckland and National Taiwan U.) and a visiting position at the United States Department of Energy in Washington, DC. Administrative work at the university took place during a growth period and we hired new professors, created new degree programs and established our research and grant prowess. 

I have taught many different courses, including: principles of economics, intermediate micro and macro, economic development, international economics, energy economics, public economics, senior seminar and dissertation direction. Regulation would be a natural course(s) given its growing importance (especially with the new administration in Washington, DC) and my experience, research and contacts at home and abroad. Regulation covers a wide area that includes industrial organization, utilities, energy, environment, safety, economic development, finance and so forth, both domestically and in other countries. An excellent text in this area is Viscusi et al., Economics of Regulation & Antitrust, 4th ed. (MIT Press) 2005.

Publications number over fifty. I continue to write and referee journal articles (thirteen reviews for six journals in last year and one-half). I have been the editor of a research journal. Also, I served on the conference program committees for the Rutgers University Center for Research in Regulated Industries (1998 – 2006). Often invitations are received to present papers, discuss papers and give talks both here and abroad (recent papers at the University of Rome (2003, 2005, 2007), Rutgers University CRRI Conferences (numerous times), Southern Economics Association Conference (numerous times), International Telecommunications Society in Beijing (2006), ITS in Montreal (2008) and before the TPUG of the American Economics Association (2003, 2007, 2008). I have been on the main AEA Program (not ASSA) three previous times. I am on the main AEA program next year in Atlanta (January, 2010) with a paper on broadband economic impact. I have influenced regulatory decisions (utility and accident issues) in several states and countries. My research on telecom demand, safety and energy is well known. Recently, I have been researching the demand for cell phones worldwide and the implications for economic growth. Also, the Internet and broadband have been included. Three articles were published recently and several are in the pipeline. Smoke detector effectiveness articles (1989, 1991, 2007) can relate to estimating the value of a statistical life. A rather surprising result is that smoke detectors have a small impact on the fire death rate. My ability to find funding for research is well established.

At the Public Utilities Staff, I have been involved in many projects. I designed major portions of the price cap plan for BellSouth (now ATT). Also, I directed a team of eleven staff members that produced our Electric Restructuring Plan. From August 1996 to May 2000, I was involved in interrogating witnesses in a number of high profile hearings on the Plan (discounted losses, market power, incentive regulation and so forth). While the Commission has decided that retail competition is not now in the public interest, I continue to monitor restructuring activity around the country. I have been a member of the Staff Committee On Electricity at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners for the past fourteen years. I have testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and I have been heavily involved in a variety of other hearings and stipulations in Mississippi. I have designed return on equity formulas for the electric and gas industry. My comments on various actions have been filed at the FERC. Also, I have given electric industry restructuring presentations before Senate and House Committees of the Mississippi Legislature. I have provided background to the legislature on natural gas pricing. I am the liaison for the Commission to the Independent Coordinator of Transmission for Entergy (SPP). I was the Commission representative on the Economic Dispatch Committee for the South (fourteen states) mandated by Congress in the EPACT legislation of 2005. Currently, I am the lead on investigating the need for the possible Entergy nuclear electricity generating plant and the proposed (2009) Mississippi Power Company IGCC lignite generating plant.

Outside interests include travel, tennis and snooker. Italy is a favorite destination. Since my son and his family have moved to London, we plan to visit often. I am in excellent health and I play tennis at my club (750+ families) against players young and old.