ReliabilityFirst (RF) is pleased to congratulate Larry Irving on being elected to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Board of Directors. To serve the industry in this new role, he will step down from his current position on RF’s Board of Directors.

Irving is one of the founding RF Directors having joined at the organization’s inception in 2006. His exemplary leadership and commitment to RF’s mission of ensuring a safe and reliable electric grid are appreciated by all who have the privilege of working with him. As a member of the NERC Board, the ERO Enterprise and industry overall will benefit further from Irving’s expertise and knowledge, and the RF team looks forward to continued collaboration with him.

“I can think of no higher praise to bestow on anyone than my thoughts about Larry: you are a better person after spending time with him,” said Tim Gallagher, RF president and CEO. “He is one of those very rare people who makes a positive and lasting impression on everyone he meets, and his leadership has been instrumental in making our organization what it is today. The entire RF team will miss him terribly, but we are so very humbled and proud to lose him to a great organization like NERC.”

Among his many impressive accomplishments, Irving was the first African-American inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for his tireless efforts and groundbreaking research to address the digital divide – a term he is widely credited with coining. He continues his important advocacy work today and is a strong voice for students lacking the internet access needed for virtual education during the pandemic.

He is currently the president and CEO of the Irving Group, an international telecommunications and information technology consulting firm, and his career spans executive roles in the private sector, as well as government positions. Irving served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In addition to his work on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues, he was one of the principal architects and advocates of the Clinton Administration's successful efforts to reform US telecommunications laws, which resulted in passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Irving also serves on the boards of directors of Education Networks of America, the American Australian Council and the Texas Tribune. He is president of Northwestern University's Alumni Association and is a member of Northwestern's Board of Trustees. Additionally, he is a member of the Boards of Visitors of Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Stanford Law School.