The nFront Business Team

Patty Cruz has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. She supports the nFront Team in transmission congestion and curtailment analysis, including security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED) analysis in projects located in various regional transmission organizations such as PJM, MISO Energy, Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).

Before joining nFront Consulting, Ms. Cruz’s specialty was in utility organizational effectiveness. She helped clients achieve higher levels of performance and business transformation by evaluating the alignment of the organization against its strategic plan, leadership, corporate structure and culture. She worked with utilities to define their strategic direction and implement action plans to achieve their vision.

Ms. Cruz also worked with utility executives to enhance leadership skills and develop teams to lead the organization through with workforce issues, face industry challenges, conduct process redesign efforts to adapt to new technologies, and develop effective internal and external communication strategies. She is certified in the Birkman Method and Cultural Transformation Tools.

Ms. Cruz is fluent in both English and Spanish and has participated as a client interface, facilitator, and translator on multiple domestic and international Spanish language assignments.

Natali Durick supports the day-to-day operations at nFront Consulting, drawing on a background in education, small business management, and team coordination. Before joining nFront, she spent over a decade as an educator and instructional leader, building strengths in organization, communication, and problem-solving. In addition to her work in education, she has managed multiple small business ventures, gaining hands-on experience in operations, workflow management, client service, and logistics.

At nFront, Ms. Durick assists with internal processes, administrative functions, and cross-department coordination to help ensure smooth and timely execution of firm activities. She brings a calm, solutions-focused approach and is known for her reliability, adaptability, and attention to detail.

She holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Technology and a B.A. in Secondary Education, Mathematics.

Ms. Kupetz is the nFront Business Manager. She manages matters pertaining to benefits programs, employee onboarding, corporate records, business planning, project set-up and records maintenance, invoicing, accounts receivables, and some client analytical assignments.

Ms. Kupetz’s over 35 years of business experience includes a wide variety of organizational, financial, and analytical work. Prior to joining nFront Consulting, she served as an intelligence officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, as a financial analyst for Neiman Marcus, scheduling coordinator for US Senator John Warner, and owner of a successful piano studio. Ms. Kupetz earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University.

Riley Sloan has over a decade of experience in the energy industry with a specialty in information systems and industrial communications & infrastructure. He actively supports analytical processes associated with projects by leveraging geographic information systems and business intelligence tools to conduct market research and build industry insights. He aids in developing information management capabilities, reports, diagrams, and other key products.

Before joining nFront Consulting, Mr. Sloan spent eight years with bp at its Cherry Point Refinery consulting on content management systems and later training and leading a team of service engineers in the infrastructure technology discipline. During that time, he managed digital applications and products with global teams and developed digital mobility strategies for plant operators in the field.

Mr. Sloan earned his B.A. in Decision Sciences, Management Information Systems from Western Washington University.