William & Mary Law School has appointed Mark C. Christie, former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as the Lowance Fellow and Visiting Professor of the Practice of Law. He will also serve as the founding director of the Law School’s new Center for Energy Law & Policy.

Christie brings decades of experience in energy law, government service and the military. He most recently served as chair of FERC, where he oversaw major regulatory issues in the nation’s energy sector. Before that, he was the chairman of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, regulating utilities, insurance and banking, on which he served for 17 years. He has also held leadership roles nationally and regionally, including serving as president of the Organization of PJM States, Inc. and the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners.

Dean and Trustee Professor A. Benjamin Spencer said Christie’s arrival comes at a pivotal time.

“We are excited to welcome Former Chairman Christie to our faculty,” Spencer said. “His leadership experience in energy regulation and his strong commitment to teaching make him uniquely qualified to launch and direct our new center, and he will strengthen William & Mary’s role in national and global energy conversations as we continue to promote sustainability and responsible environmental stewardship.”

The Center for Energy Law & Policy will serve as a hub for convening policymakers, scholars and students to address critical issues shaping the future of energy regulation. Christie said the Center’s purpose is to create a space for rigorous and balanced dialogue at the intersection of environmental advocacy, industry needs and public interests. “Energy issues touch every aspect of our lives,” he noted. “Although energy may account for only seven percent of GDP, it’s the foundational seven percent — everything else in our economy and lifestyle flows from it.”

Among the challenges Christie highlighted are reliability and cost. He pointed to the rapid growth of data centers, especially those powering artificial intelligence, which has driven up demand and created pressure on energy reliability. At the same time, rising costs are straining consumers and contributing to inflation.

“How do we meet the increasing power demands of data centers? And just as importantly, how do we fairly allocate the costs? These are the kinds of questions the center can and should explore,” he said.

The center’s first major public activity will be a spring  2026 conference focused on how Virginia and the United States can meet the needs of both data centers and everyday consumers. It will also host webinars on timely energy issues, sponsor research projects by William & Mary faculty and students and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration across the university, including opportunities for business and policy students.

Christie, who will begin teaching an Energy Law course in spring 2026, said his goal is to provide students with practical insights grounded in his regulatory experience.

“I teach from a very practical standpoint because I have been both a regulator and teacher,” he explained.

Christie has taught at the University of Virginia School of Law, Virginia Commonwealth University and previously at William & Mary, and his experience also includes international teaching through the Fulbright program.

A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Wake Forest University, Christie worked as an underground coal miner during summers to help pay for college. He also served as a Marine Corps officer. Those experiences, combined with decades of public service, shape his approach as he builds the Center for Energy Law & Policy into a place where complex issues of energy law and regulation can be addressed with balance, rigor and vision.