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.
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.
“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.”