Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

Nick Akins is president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power and a member of AEP’s board of directors. Akins began his nearly 30-year tenure with the company in 1982 as an electrical engineer at Central and South West Corp. (CSW), which merged with AEP in 2000. Prior to being elected president of AEP in December 2010, he served as executive vice president - Generation from 2006-2010, responsible for all of AEP’s approximately 38,000 MW of generation resources. Akins has also served as president and chief operating officer for Southwestern Electric Power Company, as vice president – Energy Marketing Services, and as vice president – Industry Restructuring for AEP. He is vice-chairman of the Board of the Electric Power Research Institute, and a member of the boards of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Wexner Center for the Arts. He also serves on several AEP subsidiary boards. A Louisiana native and holder of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 1982 and 1986, he resides in Dublin, Ohio.

Pete Delaney is Chairman, President and CEO of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp., the parent company of OG&E, an electric utility, and Enogex, a leading midstream natural gas business. 

Prior to joining OGE Energy, Pete completed a 15-year investment banking career on Wall Street.  His last position was Managing Director at UBS, a leading global investment banking and securities firm.  Pete specialized in corporate finance and other advisory services to electric and natural gas utilities and other energy companies in the United States, Europe and South America.

Pete is actively involved in community and industry organizations serving on boards of directors including Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, United Way of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Oklahoma State Fair, Downtown OKC, Integris Health, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Edison Electric Institute.

Pete holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with distinction from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University.

Philip Mezey was appointed president and chief executive officer and named to Itron’s board of directors on January 1, 2013. Mezey has served the company in several capacities during his career at Itron, most recently as chief operating officer for Itron’s global Energy segment, with responsibility for the operations of Itron’s electricity and gas businesses around the world. He also previously served as senior vice president and chief operating officer – Itron North America, group vice president and general manager, as well as senior vice president for Software Solutions. Upon Itron’s acquisition of Silicon Energy in 2003, Mezey joined the company as managing director of Software Development for Itron’s Energy Management Solutions group.

Prior to joining Silicon Energy in 2000 as vice president, Software Development, Mezey was a founding member and served 12 years with Indus, a provider of integrated asset and customer management software. Mezey earned his BA degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rodger E. Smith joined Oracle Corporation in 2011 as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Oracle’s Utilities Global Business Unit.  He is responsible for leading a worldwide team in the sales, services, product development, R&D, industry strategy and marketing for mission-critical applications designed specifically for the utilities industry.

Prior to joining Oracle, Smith was President of the Enterprise Management Solutions division of Black & Veatch, which included B&V Management Consulting and the infraManagement Group, an Operations and Management provider for utility assets. In this position, he was responsible for developing the strategy, services and overseeing the daily execution of both business units. In addition to leading these businesses, Smith served as a member of the Executive Committee of Black & Veatch.

Smith was also President of Black & Veatch’s Global Marketing & Communications division, which focuses on media relations, reputation management, internal and external communications, and company-wide brand and marketing efforts. He also oversaw the company’s Government Affairs unit, which was proactively involved in legislation and policies affecting the infrastructure industry.

Prior to taking the position with Black & Veatch, Smith served as a Director for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest management consulting and professional services firm. As a Director, Smith was responsible for the creation, marketing and delivery of management consulting products and services to the utilities industry.

Prior to his experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Smith was employed in various capacities by Southern Company, Inc., one of the nation’s largest electric utility companies.

Thomas A. “Tom” Fanning is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Southern Company, one of America’s largest producers of electricity. Elected by the board of directors in July 2010, Fanning became president of Southern Company in August 2010 and assumed the additional responsibilities of CEO and chairman in December 2010.

Fanning has worked for Southern Company for more than 30 years and has held 15 different positions in eight different business units, including numerous officer positions with a variety of Southern Company subsidiaries in the areas of finance, strategy, international business development and technology.

Most recently, Fanning served as chief operating officer, where he was responsible for Southern Company’s generation and transmission, engineering and construction services, research and environmental affairs, system planning and the company’s competitive generation business units. Fanning also was responsible for leading Southern Company’s efforts on business strategy and served as a director of Southern Nuclear, Southern Company’s nuclear plant operating company.

Fanning previously was the company’s chief financial officer, where he was responsible for accounting, finance, tax, investor relations, treasury and risk management functions. In this role, he served as the chief risk officer and had responsibility for corporate strategy. Prior to assuming the role of chief financial officer, Fanning was president and CEO of Gulf Power.

While at Gulf Power, Fanning was active in the state arena. He worked closely with Governor Jeb Bush to develop state government policy, served on the Governor’s Transition Policy Team and in 2003 was appointed by Governor Bush to co-chair the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Advisory Committee.

Fanning serves on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech College of Management advisory board, and the board of trustees for the Georgia Tech Foundation. He also is a member of the Business Roundtable and co-chairs the group’s North American Energy Policy Development Committee.

Fanning earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial management from Georgia Tech. His executive education includes programs at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Harvard University School of Business and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

A resident of Atlanta for 40 years, Fanning was born in Morristown, New Jersey. He and his wife, Beverly, are the parents of two sons – Matt and Brad.

Philip Mezey was appointed president and chief executive officer and named to Itron’s board of directors on January 1, 2013. Mezey has served the company in several capacities during his career at Itron, most recently as chief operating officer for Itron’s global Energy segment, with responsibility for the operations of Itron’s electricity and gas businesses around the world. He also previously served as senior vice president and chief operating officer – Itron North America, group vice president and general manager, as well as senior vice president for Software Solutions. Upon Itron’s acquisition of Silicon Energy in 2003, Mezey joined the company as managing director of Software Development for Itron’s Energy Management Solutions group.

Prior to joining Silicon Energy in 2000 as vice president, Software Development, Mezey was a founding member and served 12 years with Indus, a provider of integrated asset and customer management software. Mezey earned his BA degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley.

Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

Linda Jackman is the Group Vice President of Industry Strategy for the Utilities Global Business Unit at Oracle.

An Australian, Linda studied Accounting and Information Systems at Curtin University in Perth, Australia and is undertaking MBA studies at University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia.  She has over 20 years experience in information systems, specializing in capital intensive industries.  After 10 years working in Europe with one of the big six accounting firms, a two year break working for the United Nations in Central America and two years back in Australia leading systems implementations at some of the major mining and utilities companies, she moved to North America in 2001.  In 2005 she joined SPL WorldGroup as Vice President of Product Management for Customer Care & Billing.  She was promoted at the acquisition of SPL by Oracle and today she directs a team of product managers in the mission critical applications for utilities for Oracle.

Commissioner Tony Clark is serving his first term on the Commission, having been nominated by President Obama and sworn in on June 15, 2012. A Republican, he is serving out a five-year term that expires June 30, 2016. 

Commissioner Clark formerly served as a member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission, most recently as Chairman of the Commission. The office is a statewide elective office, and Commissioner Clark was first elected to the PSC in 2000. 

While at the North Dakota Commission, Commissioner Clark held the PSC portfolio on electric generation and transmission and was active in state and regional efforts to develop North Dakota’s vast energy exporting potential and to provide affordable, reliable energy to consumers. In his 12 years at the Commission, he oversaw regulatory proceedings that permitted more than $5.5 billion in new investment in North Dakota through expanded wind, coal and oil and gas infrastructure. At the same time North Dakota maintained its position as one of the lowest cost energy states in the nation, and continued its tradition of excellence in environmental protection. 

In November 2010, Commissioner Clark was elected by his peers across the nation to serve a one-year term as President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and led association efforts on matters of importance to the regulatory community and America’s utility consumers. He is a past Chairman of the NARUC Telecommunications Committee and has testified multiple times before Congress on matters related to telecommunications and energy. 

Prior to his election to the PSC, Commissioner Clark was North Dakota’s Labor Commissioner, serving in the cabinet of former Gov. Ed Schafer. He is a former state legislator, representing Fargo in the state House of Representatives from 1994-97. 

Commissioner Clark is a graduate, with honors, from North Dakota State University and he holds an MPA from the University of North Dakota. 

Having attained the rank of Eagle Scout as a youth, Commissioner Clark has maintained his involvement with and support of the Scouting program. He is a past Chairman of the Frontier Trails District of the BSA and a past Cubmaster of Pack 180 in Bismarck.

Commissioner Clark and his wife, Amy, have three children.

 

Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

John J. Easton, Jr. joined the Edison Electric Institute on April 1, 1994, and serves as Vice President of International Programs. He oversees international member development and programs to benefit domestic members in international business.

From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Easton served in three Presidential appointed positions at the U.S. Department of Energy:

• Assistant Secretary for Domestic and International Energy Policy
• General Counsel
• Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Energy Emergencies

Before coming to Washington, Mr. Easton was in private law practice with the Burlington, Vermont, law firm of Miller, Eggleston and Rosenberg, Ltd., and also was Vice President of Syn Cronamics, Inc., a New Jersey-based international consulting firm.

Mr. Easton was twice elected Attorney General of Vermont and served in that position from 1981 to 1985. In 1984 he was the Republican nominee for Governor.

Prior to his election as Attorney General, Mr. Easton held positions as Director of the Division of Rate Setting for the Agency of Human Services and Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection. He also was in private law practice in Stowe and Montpelier, Vermont.

He attended the University of Colorado (B.S., Accounting), and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D). Mr. Easton served in the U.S. Air Force, resigning with the rank of Captain.

Mr. Easton and his wife Donna currently reside in Timonium, Maryland.

Dr. Casey Delhotal is currently the Director for East Asia in the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the US Department of Energy. She covers DOE's bilateral relationship with Japan, China, Korea, and Mongolia. Previously, Dr. Delhotal held the position of Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Treasury where she focused on energy finance, the UN climate negotiations, and the US-China Ten Year Framework for Energy and Environment Cooperation under Secretary Paulson. Dr. Delhotal also worked as a senior economist for US Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Change Division and as an economist for USAID's Asia Near East Bureau.

Dr. Delhotal has published a series of journal articles and government reports on the economics of reducing greenhouse gases and was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report which won the Nobel Prize in 2007. She has a PhD in public policy from University of Maryland; an MS in environmental sciences from Johns-Hopkins; an MA in economics from Boston University; and a BA in economics from the University of Texas.

In July 2011, Yasushi Akahoshi took up his new post as Minister (Economy, Trade, Industry and Energy) of the Embassy of Japan in the United States of America.

Before taking up his post as Minister, he worked as the Director of the Americas Division, at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of the Government of Japan.  In this position, he was responsible for bilateral and multilateral issues involving countries in North America and in Latin America.  As Director, he contributed to the strengthening of Japan-U.S. economic relations by launching the Japan-U.S. Cooperation on Clean Energy Technologies in November 2009 as well as initiating the U.S.-Japan Dialogue to Promote Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in May 2010.

Prior to assuming his role at the Americas Division, he served as the Regional Representative of METI for Asia, stationed at JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) Singapore Centre (2004-2007).  There, he was in charge of various issues related to the evolving relationships between Asian countries and Japan.

His earlier Ministry experience has been mainly composed of several assignments in the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, such as in his role as Director for Policy Planning, and international trade/investment affairs, including being the Deputy Director of the Multilateral Trade System Department.  He also served as the Director of the Ministry’s Public Relations Office, where he assisted the Minister (2007-2008).

He joined METI in April 1987 after receiving a Bachelor of Law, from Tokyo University.  He also attended the International Career Associates Program at IR/PS (School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) at the University of California, San Diego (1993-1994).

He is married and has two sons.  

Kurt E. Yeager retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in September 2004. Mr. Yeager assumed the Presidency of EPRI in August 1996 after serving as EPRI's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He joined EPRI in 1974, progressing through a series of technical management and executive positions from department director to senior vice president.

After retiring from EPRI, Mr. Yeager created the non-profit Galvin Electricity Initiative with Robert Galvin, the father of the cell phone revolution, and he now is serving as Vice Chairman of the Initiative that is focused on transforming the reliability and value of U.S. electricity service. Mr. Yeager is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has served on several National Academy of Engineering Committees and the Energy Research Advisory Board to the Secretary of Energy. He is now also serving as an Executive Counsel and Convening Lead Author for the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) "Global Energy Assessment" report to the United Nations and the World Bank. Mr. Yeager has authored over 200 technical papers and publications on energy and environmental topics. Most recently, he co-authored with Bob Galvin the 2008 McGraw-Hill published book entitled, "Perfect Power".

Mr. Yeager received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College and completed post-graduate studies in chemistry and physics at Ohio State and the University of California, Davis. He has also completed post-graduate management programs at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance. He is listed in "Who's Who in the World" and was named the 2003 Technology Policy Leader for Energy by Scientific American.

Dave Velazquez is Executive Vice President of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), and leader of its Power Delivery business.  PHI is a regional energy holding company that provides utility service to approximately 2 million customers and the parent company of Potomac Electric Power Company, an electric utility serving Washington, D.C., and suburban Maryland; Delmarva Power, an electric and gas utility serving Delaware and the rest of the Delmarva Peninsula; and Atlantic City Electric, an electric utility serving southern New Jersey.

He joined Delmarva Power in 1981 and advanced through a number of management positions in engineering, operations, and planning. Mr. Velazquez most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Conectiv Energy, PHI’s competitive merchant energy subsidiary.  He previously served as Vice President of Strategic Planning & Chief Risk Officer of PHI.

Mr. Velazquez earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering at Widener University.

He serves on the Boards of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education and the Southeastern Electric Exchange.

Mary C. Doswell is senior vice president–Alternative Energy Solutions.

Her responsibilities include enhancing and expanding Dominion’s focus on “smart grid” technologies, energy efficiency, and alternative energy generation in conjunction with the appropriate business units.

She previously served as senior vice president-Regulation & Integrated Planning, and president and chief executive officer of Dominion Resources Services Inc. 

Doswell joined Dominion’s Virginia Power subsidiary as an economist. She has held leadership positions in several Dominion operating units, including Regulation, Market Research, Forecasting, Market Analysis and Planning, Marketing, Corporate Center Restructuring, Corporate Strategy, Construction and Customer Service, Metering Services, and Billing and Credit. She assumed her current position in April 2009.

She is a governor appointee to the Virginia Offshore Wind Authority and the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority and serves on the boards of directors of Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, St. Catherine’s School Foundation, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering Foundation, and Venture Richmond, of which she is vice chairman. She also is chairman of the board of the Sustainable Transportation Initiative of Richmond and chair for the American Heart Association’s 2013 “Go Red for Women” campaign.

Doswell received her B.A. degree in physics cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She received a master’s degree in Materials Engineering, with a concentration in econometrics, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also attended the Darden Executive Development Program at the University of Virginia Graduate School of Business in 1996.

Michael R. Niggli is president and chief operating officer of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), a regulated public utility that provides service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties.  SDG&E is owned by Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy services holding company.

In his current position, Niggli has helped lead SDG&E to numerous achievements, including launching one of the most ambitious smart grid deployment programs in the nation; completing the Sunrise Powerlink transmission line – the utility’s largest ever infrastructure project; and securing numerous renewable energy contracts to meet California’s clean energy goals.  SDG&E has been recognized as the most reliable utility in the West for seven years in a row by the PA Consulting Group.

In 2006, Niggli was named chief operating officer of SDG&E and Southern California Gas Co., another of Sempra Energy’s regulated California utilities.  Previously, Niggli served as president of Sempra Generation; was chairman and chief executive officer of Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Resources; and was a senior executive with Entergy Corporation. 

Niggli has participated in numerous industry and community initiatives.  He currently serves as Chairman of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Engineering at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB); the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego; the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center; and the Board of the Great Basin National Park Foundation.  He also founded the graduate program in power engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he lectured for five years. 

Niggli holds a bachelor’s degree from CSULB and a master’s degree from SDSU, both in electrical engineering.  He has also participated in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Thierry Godartispresident of the Siemens Smart Grid Division in North America. Prior to this role, he wasvice president and general manager for the Energy Automation and Smart Grid Applications businesses based in Minneapolis, Minn.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the application of information technology to the power industry. Thierry joined Siemens from Nexant, a Smart Grid software and consulting company. He has held several senior management positions at Areva T&D, ABB and General Electric. Within the context of Smart Grids and automation systems, Thierry has managed high-tech and software activities in energy efficiency and demand response, transmission and distribution engineering applications, electricity markets and grid operations, and meters and metering systems.

Thierry earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also earned a Master of Sciences in applied mathematics and a Master of Sciences in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. He is a graduate from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité (SUPELEC) in Paris, France. He has authored 15 articles and papers for the power industry. He is a member of IEEE Power and Energy Society and CIGRE.

Paul Woods is the Energy & Utilities Industry Solutions lead within HP's Exstream communications software organization. Paul is responsible for innovation and solutions development in the Americas for the Exstream sales organization. Paul successfully guides energy and utility organizations toward more effective customer engagement strategies. His career includes 22 years of experience in Sales, Market Development, Channel Management, product development and Solutions Development at HP, Indigo America Inc. and SysCon Consulting Group.

If you have been active in the North American utility IT/automation markets over the last two decades, chances are that you have subscribed to a publication, read a research report, or attended an industry event that was developed, launched, or managed by Mike Smith. Mike is a 23-year veteran of the utility ‘smart grid’/IT/automation, information services and media business, and is currently Vice President, Utility Analytics Institute where he has been responsible for product development, business development, and growth of the division. Prior to his assignment at The Institute, Mike was Vice President of Sierra Energy Group, the research and analysis division of Energy Central. Previously he has led initiatives that he been at the forefront of utility technology developments, including founding the industry’s first publication and leading numerous research and forum initiatives. Mike is a graduate of San Jose State University (BA, Economics) and is a veteran of the US Army (Captain, Infantry).

David Shepheard is a partner at Structure and oversees the firm’s strategy practice.  He joined Structure from Accenture as a founding partner in 1998 and has delivered a wide range of services across Structure’s largest energy and utility clients.  David has over 20 years of experience working in global markets across the entire energy value chain including generation/production, trading, system and market operations, transmission, distribution, and retail.  David’s current areas of strategic focus include realizing value from Smart Grid investments, developing asset-centric trading businesses, enabling the integration of utility scale and distributed renewable resources, monetizing the optionality of demand response initiatives, and evolving the efficiency and transparency of wholesale energy markets.

David graduated from Duke University in 1991 with a BSE in Electrical Engineering and a program concentration in Economics.

John Grosh is a Deputy Associate Director in the Computation Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he oversees the development of new programs in advanced computing for national and economic security. His focus is developing innovative solutions for government and industrial clients using high performance computing, modeling and simulation, and data analytics. Current program areas include the electric grid, carbon capture, building energy efficiency, oil and gas, and cyber security.

Previous assignments at LLNL included serving as the department head for software development / computational science and as the Director for the Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC). Prior to joining LLNL, Mr. Grosh worked in the Department of Defense for twenty year in various roles in Defense Science and Technology. During this time, he initiated and oversaw R&D programs in high performance computing, cyber security, and applications software development. He led the 2003-2004 White House High End Computing Revitalization Task Force, chaired the High-End Computing Interagency Working Group under the OSTP Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program, and developed export control policy for computers and microprocessors.

Michael Quinn is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Oncor Electric Delivery.  He has been charged with setting the company’s course in identifying technologies and deployment strategies to meet the growing and changing needs of the market.    

He joined Texas Utilities, Oncor’s predecessor company, in 1988 and has had assignments in Nuclear Generation, Fossil Generation, System Protection, Asset Management, Transmission Operations and Business Development. Over the last fifteen years, he has held numerous management and leadership positions within these organizations.

Michael is a 1988 graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas.  He is past Chairman and Vice Chairman of the IEEE Power Engineering Society, Ft. Worth Chapter, past member of the Board of Directors for the Utilities Telecom Council, and the North American Transmission Forum.  He is presently the Chair of the Texas Reliability Entity Members Representative Committee and a member of the Texas RE Board of Directors.

Michael and his wife Stephanie live in Flower Mound, Texas with their three children, Lexi, McKenna and Hunter.

Alan T. Crane is Senior Scientist at the National Research Council. Currently he is the study director for a project analyzing light-duty vehicle and fuel technology options for greatly reducing petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He has directed projects that analyzed plug-in hybrid electric and fuel-cell vehicles, the vulnerability of electric power systems to terrorism, and fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks. He has also contributed to other projects on energy R&D, unintended acceleration, and on countering terrorism against energy systems and urban infrastructure. Prior to his current position, Mr. Crane was an independent consultant on energy, environmental, and technology issues for government and private-sector clients. He also had been a Senior Associate at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, where he directed projects on energy policy, international technology transfer, and nuclear proliferation. During sabbaticals from OTA he served as director of energy and environmental studies at the European Institute of Technology, visiting researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and visiting professor at Dartmouth College. His earlier work included engineering and managerial positions in the nuclear power industry. Mr. Crane has a B.S. from Haverford College and an M.S.M.E. from New York University.

Erich Gunther is the Chairman and Chief Technology Officer at EnerNex, an electric power research, engineering, and consulting firm, where he helps clients define their strategic direction in R&D, technology and product development. With over 25 years of experience, Erich’s expertise includes utilizing communications networks and technology to improve the efficiency, operating practices and security of the electric power system. Erich is the Chairman of the Utility Communication Architecture International Users Group, a member and Chairman Emeritus of the DoE Grid Wise Architecture Council, and serves on the IEEE Power and Energy Society Governing Board.

Gerry W. Cauleywas named President and Chief Executive Officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in November 2009 and assumed the role in January 2010.

Mr. Cauley is responsible for overseeing NERC’s mission to ensure the reliability of the North American bulk power system.  As President and CEO, Mr. Cauley leads key programs affecting over 1,900 bulk power system owners, operators, and users, including standards and training, critical infrastructure, risk analysis, compliance monitoring, enforcement, situation awareness, reliability assessment, and government relations.  Mr. Cauley also oversees the operation of eight Regional Entities engaged in implementation of delegated responsibilities.

From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Cauley served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the SERC Reliability Corporation, a reliability region covering 16 states in the southeastern and central United States.  During this time he established new programs for monitoring and enforcing compliance with mandatory standards, developed training and educational programs, and a program to track reliability recommendations.

Prior to his CEO career, Mr. Cauley served as Vice President and Director of Standards at NERC and was instrumental in preparing NERC’s application to become the ERO.  He spearheaded the development of an initial set of standards to ensure the reliability of the bulk power system in North America.  Mr. Cauley was also a lead investigator of the August 2003 Northeast blackout and coordinated the NERC Y2k program, supervising the reporting and readiness of 3,100 electric organizations in the United States and Canada.

Additionally, Mr. Cauley has served in various positions of leadership during his career, including program manager of grid operations and planning at the Electric Power Research Institute, training consultant for electric system operations, nuclear and fossil plant operations, substations, and distribution. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Mr. Cauley has a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree from the University of Maryland in nuclear engineering, and a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola College - Baltimore. Mr. Cauley is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Ken serves as a Principal for Booz Allen Hamilton, where he helps lead programs to extend the value of existing and new Booz Allen technologies, services and skilled professionals into the energy industry, particularly cyber security, data and analytics, and the Smart Grid.  Ken has led several groundbreaking technology initiatives, and is now focused on building new products, solutions and partnerships in the energy industry and driving their adoption by utilities.  He has held numerous executive positions in the energy, telecommunications and digital media technologies industries. 

Ken is an elected charter member of the Board of Governors for the NIST Smart Grip Interoperability Panel, which has a lead role in creating and integrating all standards related to the Smart Grid in the United States, and collaborating on international Smart Grid standards, and an active member of the IEEE working group on Smart Grid.  Ken has also been awarded five US Patents in the areas of energy efficiency automation and remote diagnostics and control of energy assets.

Ken was recently named one of the 75 Pioneers of the SmartGrid by SmartGrid News, and has authored several articles and given many presentations around the world on cybersecurity, the SmartGrid and the role of data and analytics in the utility industry.

Ken holds a BS in Chemistry from West Virginia University and an MBA from the University of Georgia.

Appointed by Governor Gregoire in March 2005, re-appointed in January, 2011 and confirmed unanimously by the State Senate. Commissioner Jones is currently President of NARUC, and serves as chair of its Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. He previously served on the Board of NRRI (National Regulatory Research Institute) and its chair, and co-chaired the Washington Action Program. Commissioner Jones is a member of the International Relations and Telecommunications Committees of NARUC.  Prior to his commission appointment, he served as managing director of Cutter & Buck (Europe), BV in Amsterdam, the Netherlands for five years.

From 1983 – 1988 he served as senior legislative assistant to Senator Daniel J. Evans, the former U.S. Senator from Washington State, and staffed him on energy policy issues before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as well as international trade policy. He was responsible for a broad range of energy issues, including hydroelectric re-licensing, nuclear waste management, energy conservation and renewables, and the Bonneville Power Administration.

Jones is a native of Spokane, Washington. He graduated from Harvard College with honors with a degree in East Asian Studies in 1977.

Martin Rosenberg is Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine. EnergyBiz is a bimonthly business magazine for leaders in the new power industry. EnergyBiz is a controlled circulation publication that reaches more than 20,000 of the most influential managers, executives, legislators, regulators, lawyers and consultants who play critical roles in utilities, government, advisory firms, and supplier companies.

The editorial focus of EnergyBiz is strategic issues -- financial, technological, legal and regulatory -- facing energy executives today. Feature articles will not only cover recent events, new trends and innovative ideas, but also the people behind them.

Alex Laskeyis President and Founder of Opower, the leading energy information software company. Opower enables its utility partners to achieve large-scale reductions in energy usage through a powerful combination of behavioral science, advanced data analytics and marketing expertise. Opower works with more than 80 utilities on 3 continents, and serves over 15 million customers. Since Opower’s platform first launched in 2008, it has cumulatively saved utility customers more than $250M and 2 TWh of energy, enough to power a city of more than a half million people. In the next twelve months, Opower is on track to save another 2 TWh.

In his role as Opower’s President, Alex has been invited to the White House to meet with President Obama to discuss innovation and job creation, and to testify before the US Senate. Alex was featured in Fortune magazine's "40 under 40", has been a Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and serves as a Commissioner on the Alliance National Commission on Energy Efficiency Policy, chaired by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tom King, National Grid USA president. He also serves on the board of the Conservation Lands Foundation. Prior to founding Opower, Alex enjoyed a career in politics and policy, serving as a campaign manager, strategist, and public-opinion analyst. He received his B.A. in the History of Science from Harvard University.

Recovering physicist and energy innovator Amory B. Lovins has advised the energy and other industries for four decades and the Departments of Energy and Defense, and is a member of the National Petroleum Council and an advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations. His work in 50+ countries has been recognized by the “Alternative Nobel,” Blue Planet, Volvo, Zayed, Onassis, Nissan, Shingo, and Mitchell Prizes, MacArthur and Ashoka Fellowships, the Benjamin Franklin and Happold Medals, 11 honorary doctorates, and the Heinz, Lindbergh, National Design, and World Technology Awards. A Harvard and Oxford dropout, former Oxford don, honorary U.S. architect, and Swedish engineering academician, he has briefed 22 heads of state and written over 460 papers and 31 books, including Natural Capitalism, Small Is Profitable, Winning the Oil Endgame, and Reinventing Fire. Cofounder in 1982 of Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org), where he’s Chairman and Chief Scientist, he’s led the superefficient redesigns of scores of buildings, several vehicles, and $30+ billion worth of industrial facilities, and the creation of three of RMI’s five for-profit spinoffs. The latest of his ten visiting chairs were in Stanford’s School of Engineering and (currently) at the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2009, Time named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy, one of the 100 top global thinkers.

Michael R. Niggli is president and chief operating officer of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), a regulated public utility that provides service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties.  SDG&E is owned by Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy services holding company.

In his current position, Niggli has helped lead SDG&E to numerous achievements, including launching one of the most ambitious smart grid deployment programs in the nation; completing the Sunrise Powerlink transmission line – the utility’s largest ever infrastructure project; and securing numerous renewable energy contracts to meet California’s clean energy goals.  SDG&E has been recognized as the most reliable utility in the West for seven years in a row by the PA Consulting Group.

In 2006, Niggli was named chief operating officer of SDG&E and Southern California Gas Co., another of Sempra Energy’s regulated California utilities.  Previously, Niggli served as president of Sempra Generation; was chairman and chief executive officer of Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Resources; and was a senior executive with Entergy Corporation. 

Niggli has participated in numerous industry and community initiatives.  He currently serves as Chairman of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Engineering at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB); the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego; the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center; and the Board of the Great Basin National Park Foundation.  He also founded the graduate program in power engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he lectured for five years. 

Niggli holds a bachelor’s degree from CSULB and a master’s degree from SDSU, both in electrical engineering.  He has also participated in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Ralph Izzo was elected chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) in April 2007. He was named as the company’s president and chief operating officer and a member of the board of directors of PSEG in October 2006. Previously, Mr. Izzo was president and chief operating officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G).

Since joining PSE&G in 1992 Mr. Izzo was elected to several executive positions within PSEG’s family of companies, including PSE&G senior vice president – utility operations, PSE&G vice president – appliance service, PSEG vice president - corporate planning, and PSE&G vice president - electric ventures.  In these capacities he broadened his experience in the areas of general management, strategic planning and finance.

Mr. Izzo is a well-known leader within the utility industry, as well as the public policy arena.  He is frequently asked to testify before Congress and speak to organizations on matters pertaining to national energy policy.

Mr. Izzo’s career began as a research scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, performing numerical simulations of fusion energy experiments.  He has published or presented over 35 papers on magnetohydrodynamic modeling. Mr. Izzo received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in applied physics from Columbia University.  He also received a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in finance from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management. He is listed in numerous editions of Who’s Who and has been the recipient of national fellowships and awards.  Mr. Izzo has received Honorary Degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Doctor of Science), Thomas A. Edison State College (Doctor of Humane Letters), and Bloomfield College (Doctor of Humane Letters).

Mr. Izzo serves as chair of Rutgers University Board of Governors and on the board of directors for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Utilities Association, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), and The Center for Energy Workforce Development.  He is also a member of the Columbia University School of Engineering Board of Visitors and the Princeton University Adlinger Center for Energy and the Environment Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Visiting Committee for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at MIT.