| ReliabilityFirst welcomes Vice President of Entity Engagement and Corporate Services Diane Holder | | https://rfirst.org/reliabilityfirst-welcomes-vice-president-of-entity-engagement-and-corporate-services-diane-holder | ReliabilityFirst welcomes Vice President of Entity Engagement and Corporate Services Diane Holder | | <p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">ReliabilityFirst (RF) is excited to announce that Diane Holder will be the organization's new Vice President of Entity Engagement and Corporate Services.</span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">In this role, Holder will provide executive leadership and oversee RF's outreach to utilities, government officials and the general public as well as internal corporate services for RF employees, including human resources, finance and information technology. She will also originate and cultivate from staff (and outside resources) new ideas that will enhance RF's ability to be a positive influence on the reliability, security and resiliency of the electric grid.</span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">“I couldn't be more honored to join the talented team at ReliabilityFirst, an organization I have long admired in its mission to preserve and enhance the reliability and security of the bulk power system, and I'm thrilled to take part in this critical work," Holder said.</span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">Holder joins RF from Pennsylvania American Water, where she was the organization's Vice President of Operations, working to ensure the safe, reliable delivery of clean drinking water for customers. She oversaw operations at more than 25 facilities in western Pennsylvania, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing operations budgets and providing top-notch customer service. </span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">Holder also brings nearly 30 years of experience working in the electric industry at Allegheny Power, FirstEnergy and Duquesne Light Company. Her roles and experience include engineering, external affairs, operations, distribution and working as a chief of staff.</span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">Holder earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. </span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">She joins Vice President and General Counsel Niki Schaefer, Vice President of Reliability and Risk Jeff Craigo and Chief Security Officer Marcus Noel as the top leaders of the organization under President and CEO Tim Gallagher.</span></p><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-1">“Diane brings tremendous experience, expertise and leadership to the RF team. We are excited to have her join RF and will immediately begin deploying her talents to help the industry and policy makers navigate the challenges the bulk electric system faces today and in the future," Gallagher said.</span><br></p><p><br></p> | aspx | 0x010100C568DB52D9D0A14D9B2FDCC96666E9F2007948130EC3DB064584E219954237AF3900242457EFB8B24247815D688C526CD44D0093A70D41E916EA45B5172B8FDD4B3EFA00F578CE634144CA46817471FA34146B93 | | | 2022-07-12T04:00:00.0000000Z |
| ReliabilityFirst Honors Former NERC CEO Michehl R. Gent | | https://rfirst.org/reliabilityfirst-honors-former-nerc-ceo-michehl-r-gent | ReliabilityFirst Honors Former NERC CEO Michehl R. Gent | | <font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style="background:white;color:black;">The RF team mourns
the passing of Michehl R. Gent on February 1, 2022. He was the longest
tenured CEO of NERC, serving the organization and industry from 1980-2005, and he
initiated the important shift from a voluntary reliability organization to one
with mandatory standards and enforcement. </span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style="background:white;color:black;"> </span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style="background:white;color:black;">Gent had the
foresight to establish the Electric Sector Information Sharing and Analysis
Center, and, under his leadership, NERC began its strong focus on cyber and
critical infrastructure protection. NERC changed the center’s name to the
Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center in 2015. In addition to his
dedication to building NERC into the successful organization it is today, he also
served on the Board of Directors for Electric Reliability Council of Texas
(ERCOT) for many years.</span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1"><font color="#000000">“Mike was an outstanding
and visionary advocate for electric system reliability throughout his career,”
said Tim Gallagher, RF President and CEO. “He also was a strong leader, friend
and mentor to me when I was fortunate enough to work for him on the NERC staff.
I learned so much from Mike and owe the successes I have enjoyed during my
career in large part to him. The industry has lost a great friend.”</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font> | aspx | 0x010100C568DB52D9D0A14D9B2FDCC96666E9F2007948130EC3DB064584E219954237AF3900242457EFB8B24247815D688C526CD44D0093A70D41E916EA45B5172B8FDD4B3EFA00F578CE634144CA46817471FA34146B93 | | | 2022-02-03T05:00:00.0000000Z |
| Larry Bugh Retires from RF | | https://rfirst.org/larry-bugh-retires-from-rf | Larry Bugh Retires from RF | | <font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000">The RF team would like to extend our
heartfelt congratulations to Larry Bugh on his retirement! After 15 years at RF
and nearly 50 in our industry, Larry is retiring as the Chief Security Officer,
and his steadfast leadership has made him a valuable pillar of our executive
team.</font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000"> </font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1"><font color="#000000"><span style="">Larry has held various positions at RF
and also has the important role of staff liaison for the RF Critical
Infrastructure Protection Committee (CIPC). Larry has been a key contributor </span><span style="">and planner for each of the
industry-wide GridEx exercises. He is routinely sought out by NERC for guidance
on security matters, the latest being asked to help author the ERO-wide Crisis
Action Response Plan. </span><span style="">Additionally,
Larry has led RF’s Pandemic Response Team (PRT) since March 2020 to ensure the
health and safety of staff, ERO and Entity personnel and our stakeholders
remains a top priority. </span></font></font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000"> </font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000">One of the many notable aspects of his
career is his role in the first-ever approved NERC Reliability Standard. Larry
was the chairperson for the Standard Drafting Team for Version 1 of the Cyber
Security Standards (CIP-002 thru CIP-009), the Version 1 Violation Severity
Levels, Version 2 Violation Severity levels and Violation Risk Factors, and the
Order 706B Implementation plan. He also participated in drafting the Urgent
Action Cyber Security Standard (1200).</font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000"> </font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000">“Larry has been an outstanding and
steadfast contributor to the reliability and security of our industry his
entire career,” said Tim Gallagher, RF President and CEO. “His quest to learn, ability
to stay current, energy level and work ethic are so very impressive, and he
served our country with honor and distinction as a member of our armed forces.
Larry, thank you for all you have done for me and RF, our industry and our
country. RF and our industry are losing a true friend. My very best wishes to
you in retirement.”</font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style=""><font color="#000000"> </font></span></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;"><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" style="">Larry began his career in the planning
department for Ohio Edison, and prior to RF, he served as Manager, Information
Technology for ECAR. He holds an Associate degree in Electrical Engineering
from Kent State University and a BA in Business Management from Malone College.
He is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy and </span><span style=""><span class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1">served our country for many
years with distinction in the Army National Guard</span>.</span></font></font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font> | aspx | 0x010100C568DB52D9D0A14D9B2FDCC96666E9F2007948130EC3DB064584E219954237AF3900242457EFB8B24247815D688C526CD44D0093A70D41E916EA45B5172B8FDD4B3EFA00F578CE634144CA46817471FA34146B93 | | | 2021-12-15T05:00:00.0000000Z |
| RF Welcomes Chief Security Officer Marcus Noel | | https://rfirst.org/rf-welcomes-chief-security-officer-marcus-noel | RF Welcomes Chief Security Officer Marcus Noel | | <font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">As an integral part of ReliabilityFirst’s (RF) continued
dedication to security, the organization is pleased to welcome Marcus Noel as
the new Chief Security Officer (CSO). In this role, he is responsible for establishing
and maintaining the organization’s cybersecurity and physical security
management program to ensure that information and physical assets are
adequately protected. Additionally, he will manage the critical task of
elevating industry relationships to understand, address and communicate emerging
threats and security trends.</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">Previously, Noel spent 10 years at FirstEnergy Corp. where
he worked on the Cybersecurity Governance Team, the Security Operations Center,
Security Technologies, and ultimately served as Manager of the Cybersecurity
Organization. Prior to FirstEnergy, he worked in cybersecurity at PNC Bank and
Cuyahoga Community College.</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">“We are thrilled for Marcus to join the RF team,” said
president & CEO, Tim Gallagher. “The CSO role is more important now than
ever due to the rapidly and constantly evolving threat landscape in the
electric utility sector. I’m confident his leadership in strategic and tactical
matters will allow us to successfully maintain and improve our security posture
and framework.”</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">Noel is a graduate of Bryant & Stratton College with an
associate degree in Accounting, Baldwin-Wallace University with a bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration, and Cleveland State University with a master’s
in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate in Law. He has held the
Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification since 2009.</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">He will succeed current CSO, Larry Bugh, who will retire at
the end of this year.</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font> | aspx | 0x010100C568DB52D9D0A14D9B2FDCC96666E9F2007948130EC3DB064584E219954237AF3900242457EFB8B24247815D688C526CD44D0093A70D41E916EA45B5172B8FDD4B3EFA00F578CE634144CA46817471FA34146B93 | | | 2021-11-22T05:00:00.0000000Z |
| RF Welcomes New Independent Board Directors | | https://rfirst.org/rf-welcomes-new-independent-board-directors | RF Welcomes New Independent Board Directors | | <p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">ReliabilityFirst (RF) is pleased to welcome Joanna Burkey
and Courtney Geduldig to its Board of Directors. Burkey, Chief Information
Security Officer (CISO) at HP, Inc., and Geduldig, Chief Public &
Government Affairs Officer at S&P Global, will begin their Independent
Director service at the upcoming ReliabilityFirst board meeting June 16-17.</font></font><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">“We are excited to welcome Joanna and Courtney to the Board,”
said RF Board Chair, Simon Whitelocke. “Joanna’s impressive cybersecurity
background and Courtney’s broad and deep government and policy experience bring
additional expertise to the Board in two critical areas. This expertise
combined with the unique perspectives they bring as dynamic and accomplished
leaders in industries outside the utility sector will help RF continue to grow
and improve as an organization, as well as achieve its mission of preserving
and enhancing the reliability and security of the bulk power system.”</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">Burkey currently leads global cybersecurity efforts for HP,
Inc. where she is responsible for the organization’s cybersecurity program,
including IT infrastructure, technology platforms and business units. Burkey returned
to HP in April 2020 after several years in Germany with Siemens AG where she
was most recently the Global Head for Cyber Defense responsible for
cybersecurity defense across IT/OT infrastructure, as well as products,
solutions and services. She is a publicly recognized thought leader and speaker
who is passionate about growing diversity throughout technology roles.</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">Geduldig currently leads Public Affairs as a strategic
advisor for S&P Global, a global
data, analytics and intelligence provider to the capital and commodities
markets. She has led
communications, public relations, media, corporate responsibility, and brand
marketing for the company. She has served on the Enterprise Risk Management
Committee and Chaired the S&P Global Foundation and the S&P Global PAC
during her time with the company. As a former staffer for Senator Bob Corker,
and previously a Bush appointee in the U.S. Treasury, Geduldig has spent
significant time in the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal
government.</font></p><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;"><font class="ms-rteFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-1" color="#000000">The Carter Baldwin Executive Search firm, led by Chris Guiney,
assisted RF in finding a diverse slate of senior executives from outside the utility
industry to consider for these critical Independent Director roles.</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font> | aspx | 0x010100C568DB52D9D0A14D9B2FDCC96666E9F2007948130EC3DB064584E219954237AF3900242457EFB8B24247815D688C526CD44D0093A70D41E916EA45B5172B8FDD4B3EFA00F578CE634144CA46817471FA34146B93 | | | 2021-05-20T04:00:00.0000000Z |