CRA Sessions

Hosted by Charles River Associates

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Jun 2026

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About the show

CRA Sessions is the official podcast of Charles River Associates, a leading global consulting firm. Each episode features experts from across our multidisciplinary practices discussing current trends, emerging topics, casework insights, and industry news. With deep expertise in economic, financial, and strategic consulting, CRA brings rigorous analysis and proven experience to help clients navigate their most complex challenges. Tune in for thought-provoking conversations that blend cutting-edge research with practical perspectives.

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13 recent

June 16, 202635 min

Always on: Reliability in focus – Navigating evolving threats and building grid resilience

In this episode of Always On: Reliability and Focus, CRA’s Andy Dressel speaks with Scott Aronson, former senior vice president at the Edison Electric Institute, about how the electric power sector is navigating a rapidly evolving risk landscape.After decades of relatively flat demand, the grid is entering a new growth era driven by data centers, electrification, and advanced manufacturing, while also facing increased cyber threats, physical security risks, and climate-related disruptions.Scott and Andy explore how the industry’s longstanding focus on resilience through redundancy, coordination, and planning is enabling utilities to respond effectively to these challenges, even as the pace of change accelerates.They also discuss the role of emerging technologies such as AI, which can both strengthen defenses and introduce new risks, and highlight the growing importance of physical security, including the evolving threat posed by low-cost, widely accessible tools like drones.By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why resilience, not just prevention, is central to the future of the grid, and why building it into new infrastructure today is critical to ensuring reliable, secure power in an increasingly complex operating environment.

April 14, 202634 min

Always on: Reliability in focus – Regulatory alignment in the era of data centers and rapid load growth

In this episode of Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andy Dressel speaks with Willie Phillips, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), about the implications of unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by data centers and other large loads. After decades of relatively flat demand, the pace and scale of new load are challenging planning frameworks, regulatory processes, and infrastructure development timelines across the US electric system. Willie, now a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, and Andy discuss recent federal actions aimed at accelerating interconnection and transmission development. Though progress is being made, both speakers emphasize the importance of flexibility, regional differences, and coordination between federal and state regulators as jurisdictional lines blur. By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why greater alignment across regulators, markets, and infrastructure sectors is critical to ensuring the grid can support long-term economic growth while maintaining dependable, resilient service.

December 5, 202543 min

Always on: Reliability in focus – Utility wildfire risk, are we turning a corner?

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andrew Dressel talks with Dr. Michael Wara, a leading authority on wildfire and energy policy. Dr. Wara is the Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Senior Director of Policy and Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.  Together they discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing the energy sector today: the growing threat of utility-caused wildfires and the sweeping changes required to mitigate them. The conversation dives into critical topics such as aging infrastructure, wildfire mitigation plans, the trade-offs between reliability and safety, and why solving this issue demands a whole-of-society approach and not just utility action. Listeners will gain insight into the technologies, policies, and cultural shifts, shaping the future of grid resilience in an era of climate-driven challenges. 

November 19, 202535 min

Always on: Reliability in focus – Emerging risks to grid reliability

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA Principal and host Matt Moore interviews Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), to discuss the emerging risks and challenges facing the reliability of the North American electric grid. Topics include resource adequacy, grid transformation, extreme weather, AI data center characteristics and large loads, and security.As the head of NERC, Robb emphasizes the importance of grid security exercises, including NERC’s biannual GridEx exercises, and describes load growth due to AI data centers as “the issue of our time.” The conversation highlights risks to the grid, a recent Department of Energy Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on large load interconnections, and improvements to NERC’s Reliability Standards Development Plan. With respect to the NOPR and large load characteristics specific to AI uses, there is a comparison to the standards and reliability oversight processes of inverter-based resources and the balance of establishing standards and practices that foster reliability without forcing significant changes on legacy equipment. 

October 6, 20258 min

CRA Careers: From PhD to energy consulting

In this episode of CRA Sessions, Associate Principal Oliver Stover shares his career journey with Vice President and Practice Leader of Energy Jim McMahon. From studying mechanical engineering at Cornell University to working at ExxonMobil, then pursuing a PhD at Vanderbilt University, to now a consultant in CRA’s Energy Practice, Oliver talks about how his passion for data, modeling, and real-world impact led him to CRA. He highlights the collaborative environment, the excitement of working on cutting-edge energy projects, and the satisfaction of mentoring junior colleagues.  For students interested in combining technical skills with strategic thinking, Oliver’s story offers a compelling look at what a career at CRA can offer.

September 23, 202519 min

Readily ascertainable? AI’s role in redefining trade secrets

In this compelling continuation of CRA Sessions, intellectual property expert and host David Duski (CRA) joins Brian Nolan (Mayer Brown), to further explore the evolving intersection of AI and trade secret law. This episode focuses on the threat artificial intelligence (AI) poses to trade secret protection—particularly whether AI makes trade secrets “readily ascertainable,” potentially disqualifying them from legal protection – and how AI may play a role in assessing an accused misappropriator’s unjust enrichment. The conversation examines how generative AI may challenge the definition of a trade secret by making proprietary information more easily discoverable, and what that means for legal protections, damages calculations, and competitive strategies.  Drawing from real-world legal cases and the complexities of assessing damages in the age of AI, this episode offers sharp insights for professionals navigating the future of innovation and intellectual property protection. 

September 15, 202516 min

Electricity planning: Shifting from peak demand to peak stress

In this episode of the CRA Sessions podcast, CRA’s Jim McMahon and Oliver Stover discuss the evolving challenges of resource adequacy in today’s energy landscape.  Their conversation explores how traditional models are no longer enough, why winter reliability is becoming as urgent as summer, and how CRA’s AI-enabled tool, AdequacyX, is helping utilities to make smarter, forward-looking decisions. From complex grid modeling to regulatory strategy, this conversation unpacks how cutting-edge analytics are reshaping our plans for the future of electricity. 

August 4, 202524 min

AI, inventorship, and the case for trade secrets

In this CRA Sessions episode, CRA IP consultant and host David Duski talks with Brian Nolan, a partner at Mayer Brown, to discuss the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and trade secret law.  They explore why companies are increasingly turning to trade secrets to protect AI-generated innovations, the advantages trade secrets offer over patents, and the growing impact of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). With real-world examples and expert analysis, they unpack complex issues like unjust enrichment, avoided costs, and the balance between monetary damages and injunctive relief.  Whether you're in legal, tech, or IP strategy, this conversation offers a compelling look at how AI is reshaping the landscape of intellectual property protection. 

May 30, 202528 min

Always on: Reliability in focus – Resilience and the Western US electric system

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA Vice President and host Andrew Dressel interviews Rob Kondziolka, Governing Body Member of the Western Energy Imbalance Market, to discuss the evolving challenges and strategies related to the reliability and resiliency of the Western US electric system.Drawing on decades of industry experience, Kondziolka emphasizes the critical distinction between reliability—everyday service delivery—and resiliency—the ability to withstand and recover from extreme, low-frequency events like wildfires, storms, and cyber threats.The conversation highlights tools like the Transmission Resiliency Maturity Model (TRMM), the importance of continuous improvement, and the role of emerging technologies such as smart inverters, dynamic line ratings, and AI in enhancing grid performance. The episode emphasizes the urgency of proactive planning and innovation in the face of climate change and increasing system complexity.

July 8, 202442 min

Ethics of artificial intelligence in the life sciences industry

This podcast is part of the Life Sciences 2030 initiative that explores ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) in the life sciences industry. Moderated by Kristen Backor with panelists Michelle Guo, Travis Ruch, and Artes Haderi, the discussion highlights AI's potential to revolutionize drug development, patient care, and healthcare efficiency while emphasizing the ethical challenges such as biases in AI models, regulatory considerations, and the impact on health disparities. The conversation also addresses the role of policymakers in ensuring ethical AI implementation in healthcare and discusses real-world examples, potential future applications, and the importance of using real-world evidence to improve clinical trials and patient outcomes.