DEP Quarterly – Summer 2026

April 15, 2025 | 10:00 AM TO 12:00 PM

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REGISTRATION ASSISTANCE
service@pachamber.org | 877.866.8965

Agenda

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Description

DESCRIPTION

Join us for DEP Quarterly as we engage in policy discussions with key regulators and executive staff. The PA Chamber hosts these forums—open to PA Chamber members only—to proactively discuss pressing regulatory issues, legislation, policy decisions and other initiatives that affect your business.

REGISTRATION

 

AGENDA

Coming soon.

DATE

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Time

10:00 a.m. – Noon
*Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

LOCATION

In person:
PA Chamber Office
417 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101

Virtual: Zoom

PRICE

FREE
(Member-only event)

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Louie Krak serves as the first Grants Innovation Officer for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In this role, he is working to optimize DEP’s funding strategy agency wide, focusing on opportunities to strengthen grant program design and implementation. Previously, Louie was the primary architect and leader of the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) Program, for which he secured a $396 million grant and launched a statewide industrial decarbonization grant program funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. He also served as an Infrastructure Coordinator for the Governor’s Office of Critical Investments, working to maximize federal funding opportunities for Pennsylvania after his time in DEP’s Policy Office during which he specialized in climate change, energy, and air policy. As a Lancaster County native, Louie is proud to have begun his career in public service helping to preserve farmland at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. 

Kelly Monaghan is a regulatory executive, attorney, CPA, and educator with more than two decades of experience in public-sector auditing, financial oversight, utility regulation, and policy development. She currently serves as Deputy Executive Director at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, where she provides executive-level oversight across multiple bureaus and offices, supports strategic planning and process improvement, and advises leadership on complex legal, technical, policy, and legislative matters.

Kelly previously directed the PUC’s Bureau of Audits, overseeing major regulatory reviews, internal audits, solvency examinations, performance audits, and strategic initiatives involving cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and utility assessment processes. She is the creator of the AXIS™ Framework, a patent-pending structured data and AI governance model for utility regulation, and has been active nationally through NARUC’s Accounting and Finance Subcommittee. She holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Widener Commonwealth Law School; an MBA in Accounting; and certifications as a CPA, CGFM, CFE, and CISA.

In addition to her regulatory work, Kelly has taught and lectured on accounting, auditing, and utility regulation, including as a guest lecturer for Michigan State University’s Institute of Public Utilities and as a CPA review instructor. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, solo camping, campfire cooking, and stargazing, and she brings the same curiosity and strategic focus to her personal interests that she brings to public service. She is also proud of her Irish heritage and believes strongly in using education, leadership, and good government to serve something larger than herself.

John Ryder serves as the Deputy Secretary for Field Operations for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. John has been with the Department since 2000. Previously John served as the Director of the Department’s Bureau of District Oil and Gas Operations. The Bureau oversaw all permitting, inspection, compliance, and enforcement associated with the Oil and Gas industry across Pennsylvania. He has also served as an Environmental Group Manager and Water Quality Specialist Supervisor with the Eastern District Oil and Gas Office where he managed a diverse team of environmental professionals challenged with regulating unconventional oil and gas related exploration activities. Prior to that, John was an Aquatic Biologist for the Department’s North Central Field Office where he participated in a wide variety of regulatory, permitting, and vector program work.


John received his B.S. degree in Fisheries Biology from Mansfield University and has also done graduate work at Penn State University. He lives in rural Pennsylvania and enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with his family.

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