Wayne P. Olson
Senior Consultant
Education
MA in economics and BS in business administration, with concentrations in economics and accounting, University of North Dakota
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder
Experience
Mr. Olson focuses on economic, finance, accounting, and public policy issues in the electric utility, gas distribution, oil and gas pipeline, and telecommunications industries.
Prior to joining NERA, he was Director of Finance of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, where he was involved in electric restructuring and telecommunications activities as well as the full gamut of rate case and other regulatory issues. He has also served as a Manager at Palmer Bellevue Corporation, an International Banking Officer at Westpac Banking Corporation, and a Financial Analyst in the Economics and Rates Department of the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Mr. Olson holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Certified Public Accountant. He earned his BSBA and MA degrees from the University of North Dakota.
Mr. Olson's articles have appeared in Public Utilities Fortnightly and The Electricity Journal. Mr. Olson's most recent Electricity Journal article is entitled "At a Crossroads: Modernizing Utility Infrastructure in a Tough Credit Environment." The subjects of his previous Electricity Journal articles include fuel adjustment mechanisms, the sharing of merger savings, secrecy/transparency in the regulatory process, efficient electric restructuring, branding and standards of conduct, incentive ratemaking, and lessons of the New Institutional Economics, among others.
Among other activities while at NERA, Mr. Olson has worked on merger-related regulatory issues in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New York, and Oregon; fuel adjustment clause issues in Hawaii, Missouri, Oregon, and Utah; and cost of capital issues in Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico, among others. Recent international work includes assignments in Barbados, Ireland, and South Africa, among others.
