Staff Spotlight: Ryan Tran, Economist
Posted on August 20, 2024 by Cassie Allen
Tags, Energy, General Interest
It’s been a while since we’ve spotlighted one of CUB’s hard-working staff. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Ryan Tran, CUB’s Economist.
Have you ever wondered what an economist does? Ryan’s days usually involve a lot of research and data. On any given day, you can find Ryan making data requests impacting rate increase cases, reviewing utility customers’ energy usage over time, and analyzing spreadsheets using code he developed for CUB.
A Day in the Life of an Economist: Data Meets Policy
CUB’s mission is to advocate for utility policies that prioritize the needs and interests of customers. Ryan takes his role in the advocacy process very seriously. He uses his economic expertise to inform and support data-backed utility policies centering customers throughout the utility regulation process. His research into economic trends, collection of utility usage data, and creation of models to predict future trends in utility regulation are crucial to shaping customer-centric policies.
The job of an economist can often be complex and not very transparent. To help shine a light on his work, let’s look at a day in Ryan’s life at CUB.
Recently, Ryan requested a data set on customers from a major utility. He used that data to analyze customers’ energy usage over a year. Specifically, Ryan wanted to compare energy consumption in manufactured homes vs residential homes. His overall goal was to analyze the data to determine the best policies to support customers in manufactured homes based on their energy usage. Ryan’s data requests and analyses go into building rate cases with Claire, CUB’s Staff Attorney.
Ryan’s Journey to CUB
Ryan came to CUB at the end of 2023. He stood out among many qualified candidates for the Economist position because of his economic background, research in electrification, and belief in CUB’s mission. Since then, he’s been honored to lend a hand in advocating for Oregon’s utility customers.
Luckily for CUB, Ryan started his career in finance and accounting. He holds a Bachelors in Finance & Mathematics from the University of Houston and a Masters in Economics from the University of Oregon.
His love of numbers comes in handy when looking at utility files, recommending equitable financial policies, and getting up to speed with the many rate cases he helps build.
His motivation to keep learning more and sharpening his skills as an Economist comes from his drive to help society decarbonize. He’s always wanted to be a part of the professionals working towards decarbonization while ensuring that customers’ bills remain affordable and equitable.
The Hobbies of an Economist
Before becoming an Economist, Ryan loved basketball. He spent most of his life watching and playing but never came close to making the NBA. Thankfully, working at CUB has lessened the sting of that particular disappointment, and he still enjoys watching basketball in his free time.
Ryan is also an avid runner. He felt inspired by watching Olympic runners train in Eugene while he studied for his master’s degree. After a recent injury, Ryan turned to biking to get his exercise fix.
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08/22/24 | 0 Comments | Staff Spotlight: Ryan Tran, Economist