
Alan was born and raised in the Erie Canal town of Pittsford, a suburb of Rochester, New York. After high school graduation, Alan spent a year as an exchange student in Germany where he experienced the fall of the Iron Curtain and sledgehammered the Berlin Wall. He completed his undergraduate studies at Siena College, and continued on to Syracuse University where he earned his Master’s Degree in Political Science and his Juris Doctor. He is married to Victoria Michaels, and they have two boys, Xander and Tyler. Alan is presently the Director of Regulatory Affairs at the New York Power Authority. He was previously a criminal prosecutor, a private litigator, and an environmental enforcement attorney, before joining the energy sector.
At NYPA, Alan assists the Power Authority through regulatory activities, both federal and state. Much of his work focuses on advocating for the recognition of the value of hydropower. Efforts are made before the State Commission in dockets involving the Clean Energy Standard, increasing flexibility on the grid, and long-term planning to achieve State renewable resource and emissions policy goals. Additionally, Alan’s work encourages the continued development of necessary transmission to bring NYPA’s clean hydropower to load.
Alan is committed to his local community and volunteered for a number of youth programs. He was the scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop. Alan coached an Odyssey of the Mind team that competed the world finals three times. He helped organize and coach youth sports, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, and travel soccer. Alan is the founder and served as advisor for the local chapter of Youth and Government.
To clear his mind, Alan runs long distance. He has completed 13 marathons, never repeating the same race. When no one can hear, Alan strums his ukulele and may even sing. While he enjoys creative writing. He would much prefer to chat in person and hear about your stories. By holding such conversations, Alan is constantly inspired to learn about what is in our world to explore.