Richard Mroz "Rick" is the founder and Managing Director of Resolute Strategies, LLC and also Senior Director for Strategic & Regulatory Affairs at Archer Public Affairs in Trenton, NJ. He stepped down from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to start his firm. He has a long and distinguished career in law, government, and public service and a leading advocate in securing and making the grid more resilient from both cyber and physical attacks. He is a regular adviser to industry and frequent commentator on energy and security issues. He is the immediate past President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Governor Chris Christie nominated him for this position on September 18, 2014; the nomination was unanimously approved by the New Jersey Senate on September 22, 2014. Due to his position, Mroz was a member of the Governor's Cabinet. His experiences are as a regulator, lawyer, lobbyist, banker, consultant and thought leader on issues including energy markets & technologies, cybersecurity, water & wastewater policy, and infrastructure development & financing in various industries. In July 2018 Richard Mroz was appointed by United StateDepartment of Energy Secretary Rick Perry as a member of the USDOE Electric Advisory Committee which provides advice to the Department programs and priorities on issues of the evolving grid, distributed energy resources, and reliability of the electric system. He serves on the Advisory Board to the ClearPath Foundation a Washington, DC based policy organization advocating for policies advancing cleaner energy generation with hydropower, carbon capture, and new nuclear technologies. Richard Mroz is also Senior Adviser to Protect Our Power a national non-industry non-profit advocacy organization supporting best practices and investments in cybersecurity for the energy, utility and critical infrastructure industries. Continuing his focus on resilience, he is a Distinguished Corporate Fellow advising the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University, Boston, MA on protection and investments necessary to enhance and protect critical infrastructure.
Biography
Richard Mroz grew up in Camden where he attended St. Joseph's High School, graduating with the school's final graduating class in 1979. He received a bachelor's degree at the University of Delaware. After attending the Villanova University School of Law, Mroz clerked for Judge I.V. DiMartino in Camden County Superior Court. He went on to become Camden County counsel from 1992 to 1994 before joining the Administration of Governor Christie Todd Whitman, first as Director of the Authorities Unit and then as Chief Counsel. Mroz served as counsel to President George W. Bush's New Jersey campaign in 2004, and as the state campaign coordinator for U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential bid in 2008. He was a policy advisor on Christie's 2009 campaign. Mroz is a former Commissioner of the Delaware River and Bay Authority and he currently sits on the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York board. While Mroz was President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the BPU has published a microgrid report, updated the Energy Master Plan for the State of NJ, and NJ hit a significant milestone in surpassing 2 gigawatts of installed solar energy capacity]. Mroz is a member of NARUC where he is the Chairman of the Committee on Critical Infrastructure, established after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack by NARUC]. With President Mroz's leadership the committee is building a foundation for the industry to combat cyber as well as in NJ as the President of the BPU. At the latest meeting of NARUC Mroz was interviewed about cyber security with respects of how to combat this growing threat. He is also a Board Member on Committee Chairs. Richard Mroz was also the NARUC liaison to the Electric Sector Coordinating Council which leads national efforts in the event of widespread threats or disruptions to the electric system. He was President of the Organization of PJM States, Inc which represents the interests of 13 states and the District of Columbia on electric generation and transmission issues to the regional grid operator. Mroz is also a member of the New Mexico State University Center for Public Utilities Advisory Council. Here as well as at NARUC the focus of Cyber security and the Cyber Security Workforce has been brought to light. Richard Mroz was elected as the President of OPSI, which is the Organization of PJM States Inc. This organization is an inter-governmental organization of utility regulatory agencies of 13 states and the District of Columbia. The States included in OPSI are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. Rich Mroz is currently a senior advisor to Protect our Power, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the U.S. power grid.
