Southwest Power Pool names Lanny Nickell as new president and CEO

Lanny Nickell has been named as the president and CEO of Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional electricity transmission coordinator. Nickell is SPP’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. He will take over in his new role on April 1, 2025.

The SPP board of directors announced the appointment on Tuesday (Dec. 17).

“With more than two decades of exceptional service and having helped lead the evolution of SPP’s strategy, Lanny brings unparalleled experience, deep organizational knowledge and a passion for the organization’s stakeholder culture. His leadership will ensure we continue to deliver on SPP’s mission and successfully navigate the generational challenges confronting our industry, region and organization,” said John Cupparo, chair of SPP’s board of directors.

Nickell replaces Barbara Sugg, who joined SPP in 1997 and was president and CEO since 2020. Sugg announced in August her plans to retire in 2025.

“It’s been an honor to lead this organization through a transformative period of growth and maturation. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity, and I’m thrilled to pass the reins to Lanny, a trusted colleague and partner whose leadership will undoubtedly take the company to new heights,” said Sugg.

Nickell has more than 30 years of transmission planning and operations experience in the electric utility industry. He joined SPP in 1997 as an operations engineer where he helped establish SPP’s reliability coordination and tariff administration functions. He was promoted to the management team in 1998, became vice president of operations in 2008, vice president of engineering in 2011 and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2020.

Prior to joining SPP, he worked in various engineering roles with Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Central and South West Services. Throughout his career, he has served on numerous industry committees developing national and regional electric reliability and energy market policies.

Nickell received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tulsa and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

“I am deeply honored to be selected for this role and for the opportunity to serve the organization I’ve been proud to call home for nearly 28 years. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside Barbara for as long as I have, and I’m grateful for her visionary leadership. SPP’s mission of ensuring reliable electric service for millions of consumers remains my driving passion. I look forward to building on our strong foundation and continuing to work diligently with our stakeholders to meet our future challenges,” said Nickell.