Southwest Power Pool CEO Nick Brown to retire in 2020
by July 30, 2019 8:45 am 948 views
Nick Brown, the longtime leader of Southwest Power Pool, announced he will retire in April 2020, according to a company statement.
Brown made the announcement at a Monday, July 29 board meeting. SPP has engaged Russell Reynolds to perform a comprehensive search for his replacement.
“Nick is a tremendous leader,” said Larry Altenbaumer, chair of SPP’s board of directors. “He’s made an indelible mark on this organization and will leave it with momentum carrying us toward a successful future. It’s nearly unprecedented, the degree of success and evolution SPP has experienced on his watch. Whoever is selected to succeed him will have big shoes to fill but will find the organization in great shape on day one.”
“It’s been a great privilege to spend the last 34 years devoted to such a worthwhile mission, and to do that work with the caliber of people I’ve gotten to call my colleagues is a phenomenal blessing,” said Brown. “SPP has been a large part of my heart, mind and soul, making this a bit of an emotional time. However, I very much look forward to passing the torch with anticipation to see how it continues to flourish under leadership of the next president and CEO.”
Southwest Power Pool is an Arkansas-based non-profit that helps coordinate the transmission of electricity across the nation’s power grid.
Brown joined SPP as an engineer in 1985 and was elected president and CEO in 2003. Under his leadership, the organization earned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) regional transmission organization designation in 2004; launched an energy imbalance service market in 2007; built a new corporate campus in 2012; launched its wholesale, day-ahead Integrated Marketplace in 2014; has directed nearly $10 billion in transmission upgrades; and has grown its service territory from eight to 14 states.
Brown will depart soon after SPP launches its new reliability coordination service in the west and as it seeks to further expand its Western Energy Services offerings in the Western Interconnection.