Richard Kessel

Richard M. Kessel (born c. 1950) is a power industry executive who was formerly President and chief executive officer of the New York Power Authority, the largest state-owned public utility company in the United States. Kessel started as a consumer advocate who led the opposition to the construction and operation of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant constructed by the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). He was appointed as chief executive and later chairman of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which oversaw the public takeover of LILCO in 1998 and the decommissioning of the Shoreham plant. Kessel has been variously described by The New York Times as someone who started out as a "constant noodge, attacking perceived wrongs and demanding changes" who later became an "exuberant executive with a hands-on approach".

He was able to achieve reductions in what had been some of the highest rates for electric power in the country.

On January 24, 2007, then-Governor Eliot Spitzer announced that Kevin Law would replace Kessel as Chairman of LIPA until the fall when a new chairman would be named and Law would become chief executive officer of LIPA.

In September 2008, Kessel was selected to become the President and chief executive officer of the New York Power Authority, which operated 18 power-generating facilities across New York State. Kessel succeeded Roger B. Kelley, who had been forced out by Governor David Paterson in June 2008, and took office on October 14, 2008.

While lauded for his frequent visits upstate, State Senators Joseph Griffo and George D. Maziarz have criticized Kessel's costly travel on the Power Authority's private plane. Griffo has called on the State Inspector General to investigate the propriety of Kessel's travel.

One of Kessel's first acts at the Power Authority was to remove or eliminate most of the positions that provided oversight of the Executive Offices. Throughout his tenure, and during a hiring freeze for state agencies, Kessel installed friends, neighbors, and political allies into positions throughout the Authority. Often, these positions were newly created or had been recently vacated at the urging of Kessel's staff. Several regional newspapers and websites made these events regular news fodder.

Kessel resigned from the New York Power Authority effective Sept. 6, 2011, an event facilitated by the election of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Kessel has been a resident of Merrick, in Nassau County, New York.

In October 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul named Kessel Chair of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.