The Team

The Grid Strategies Team

Rob Gramlich is President of Grid Strategies LLC, a Washington DC-based consultancy focused on transmission and power markets for a reliable, affordable, and sustainable power system.  He co-founded  Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT Coalition), Advancing Modern Powerlines, the Macro Grid Initiative, and the Future Power Markets Forum. Rob has been invited to testify by both parties before Congress, FERC, and state agencies. He has earned awards from FERC as Exemplar of Public Service, the Energy Systems Integration Group for contributions to market design and transmission planning, The Hill Magazine for lobbying, and the American Wind Energy Association for Technical Achievement.

Rob previously oversaw transmission and power market policy for the American Wind Energy Association as SVP and Interim CEO, served as Economic Advisor to FERC Chairman Pat Wood III, and was Senior Economist at PJM Interconnection.

Rob has a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from UC Berkeley and a BA with Honors in Economics from Colby College.

For the last decade he held multiple positions at the American Wind Energy Association, including Electric Industry Analyst, Manager of Transmission Policy, and Senior Director of Research. Prior to that he served as a research analyst covering solar, geothermal, and storage technologies for a DOE consulting firm, a renewable policy analyst for the state Public Interest Research Groups, and as the clean energy intern for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

In these roles, Michael has:

• Written nearly one hundred filings to FERC, mostly on technical matters related to clean energy integration, transmission, and electricity markets.
• Been elected to the NERC Planning, Operating, and Standards Committees, including ongoing membership on the Planning Committee.
• Testified before state Public Utility Commissions more than a dozen times, mostly for transmission lines to deliver clean energy.
• Worked closely with regional organizations across the country to promote integration and transmission solutions, including serving on the Board of the Southeastern Wind Coalition.
• Served as a technical reviewer for over a dozen national laboratory reports, academic articles, and utility wind integration studies.
• Been quoted in hundreds of press articles and had dozens of letters to the editor published, including in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
• Co-authored Green Power Superhighways report for AWEA and SEIA.
• Published academic articles and conference presentations on wind integration, electricity markets, and policy.

Michael holds a BA with Honors in Social Studies from Harvard University.

Julia Selker is the Director of Policy and Strategy and Chief Operating Officer for Grid Strategies. In this role, she facilitates new business and coordinates the Future Power Markets Forum. Julia also serves as the Executive Director of the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT) Coalition, leading policy advocacy and education on Grid Enhancing Technologies. She previously worked in communications for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and technology startups, interned with Congressman Peter DeFazio focused on energy and climate policy, and worked on the launch of Monterey Bay Community Power through the public relations agency Miller Maxfield, Inc. She has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Reed College.

Richard Seide is Vice President at Grid Strategies. Richard is a specialist in transmission and generator interconnection policy. His background includes work in electric market structure, tariff rules/processes, and regulatory proceedings involving state and federal agencies. Prior to Grid Strategies, Richard was Director of Transmission Policy and Strategy at Apex Clean Energy. In that role Richard provided in depth market analysis, in addition to internal support for renewable generation development.

Richard’s wholesale market experience spans 30-years and includes positions with Cinergy Services (Duke/Midwest), PSEG, and FPL Energy (NextEra). Richard has also worked as an independent consultant to wind power development companies with commercial interests in MISO, PJM, SPP and WECC. Areas of interest include institutional barriers to grid participation, mitigation of energy outlet constraints, queue process reform initiatives, and integration of renewable energy technologies in organized market environments.

Richard lives with his wife and family in Falls Church, VA.

Richard held several positions at the Midcontinent RTO (MISO) leading design, implementation and operations of MISO markets and reliability functions (2002-2022).  Most recently, he served as MISO Executive Vice President of Market and Grid Strategies, where he led the evaluation of emerging industry trends and the creation of a strategic roadmap to enhance MISO’s markets and reliability operations to facilitate power sector de-carbonization. Prior to joining MISO, he was Director of Strategy and New Initiatives at PG&E National Energy Group (1997-2002), and a Project Manager at ICF Resources (1993-1997).  He has been a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of the NERC Midwest Reliability Organization, and an advisory board member for the Indiana University, Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy.

Richard has a Master of Public Policy degree from The University of Minnesota, and a BA in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.

With 16 years of experience on utility regulation, John understands and elevates the perspective of clients including consumer advocates (residential, low-income, and small business), commission staff, clean energy trade associations, and environmental advocacy organizations. He also brings career experience that spans a range of environmental and transportation issues, working at the local, state and federal levels – in the government, private and non-profit sectors.

John has testified on electric and gas utility regulatory issues in over 50 proceedings in 9 US states and 1 Canadian province, as well as advising clients in several other US states. Prior to joining Grid Strategies, his work experience includes working as a consultant at Resource Insight, deputy director for regulatory policy at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and senior legislative analyst in the Florida Legislature. His resume/CV is available here.

Houtan Moaveni is a seasoned leader and expert in the energy sector, with a proven track record of launching and implementing transformative energy initiatives. As Vice President at Grid Strategies, Mr. Moaveni draws on his deep expertise in strategic visioning, policy development, program execution, and stakeholder engagement to deliver innovative solutions that help clients navigate complex policy and regulatory challenges.

Before joining Grid Strategies, Mr. Moaveni served as the founding Executive Director of the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), where he established the nation’s first state agency dedicated solely to the siting of major renewable energy and transmission projects. Under his leadership, ORES implemented an efficient, streamlined permitting process that set new records for project approvals in New York State. Previously, Mr. Moaveni was the Director of Facility Certification and Compliance at the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS), where he oversaw the certification and compliance of all electric generation and transmission facilities across New York State. His leadership at DPS was instrumental in advancing numerous large-scale energy and transmission projects. Prior to DPS, Mr. Moaveni served as Senior Advisor to the CEO and President of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), where he co-led the state’s $1 billion solar initiative, positioning New York as a national leader in community and distributed solar deployment. His career also includes significant roles at the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), further enhancing his expertise in renewable energy and power systems.

Mr. Moaveni holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Energy Management and Policies. His career has been marked by numerous awards and honors recognizing his leadership and contributions to advancing an equitable clean energy transition.

Jay Caspary is a Principal at TransGrid Advisors, LLC where he helps clients and partners address opportunities associated with transmission planning reforms with a focus on advanced transmission technologies.  From September 2022 through May 2024, Jay was a Sr Consultant for the U.S. DOE Grid Deployment Office and was instrumental in standing up new programs like the Transmission Facilitation Program.  Prior to DOE, Jay was Vice President at Grid Strategies LLC for 2 years where he provided analysis and strategic guidance on transmission grid planning and operations to support a clean energy portfolio. Jay has over 40 years of experience in transmission planning, engineering, management, tariffs, transmission services, and retail marketing. Prior to joining Grid Strategies LLC, Jay oversaw Research, Development & Tariff Services for the Southwest Power Pool. In his career at SPP, Jay served as the head of Transmission Development and led robust transmission expansion in the footprint.  In 2012-2013, Jay served as Senior Policy Advisor for the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) with a focus on grid modernization.  Prior to SPP, he served in several staff and managerial roles at Illinois Power. Over his career, Jay has worked closely with regional organizations, national labs and affected parties to evaluate and promote the integration of renewables with effective transmission solutions, deployment of research pilots and case studies to identify the merits of new technologies or approaches to utility operations.  Jay has served in leadership roles for industry-utility collaboratives such as the ESIG, EPRI, PSERC and GRAPES, as well as several industry advisory boards.

Zach Zimmerman is the Research and Policy Manager for Grid Strategies focused on economic and regulatory analysis related to power markets and transmission. His work includes writing reports and responding to government policy proposals for Grid Strategies clients as well as facilitating the Advancing Modern Powerlines (AMP) Coalition to support the deployment of High-Performance Conductors on the grid. He also supports the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT) Coalition’s policy and advocacy work. Zach previously worked as a Committee Legislative Assistant for the Minnesota House Energy and Climate Committee. He has a Master of Public Policy from the University of California Berkeley Goldman School, where his thesis focused on transmission planning in the Pacific Northwest. Zach graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from Goshen College.  

Sophie Meyer is the Director of Power Systems at Grid Strategies. She specializes in power system planning topics, including load growth forecasting methodologies, and provides expertise and analysis across a range of utility regulation issues. Before joining Grid Strategies, Sophie worked for Form Energy, a long-duration energy storage company, as their Policy Advisor for the U.S. West, and on interconnection, reliability, and smart grid issues for the California Public Utilities Commission.

Sophie holds a MS in Materials Science and Engineering and a BS in Engineering Physics, both from Stanford University.

Nathan Shreve is a Senior Associate at Grid Strategies on secondment from RMI as a Transmission Fellow. He supports the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT) Coalition, working on policy and advocacy efforts to advance the deployment of Grid Enhancing Technologies. He previously worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company where he served renewables developers and grid operators, and as an engineer at NASA where he designed satellite power systems. Nathan has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.