The North American Electric Reliability Corporation Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of James (Jim) B. Robb as NERC’s new president and chief executive officer. Robb, who will take over duties on April 9, currently serves as the CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, a NERC Regional Entity. He assumed the WECC position in 2014.
Robb has more than 30 years of experience in the energy sector as an engineer, a consultant and a senior executive. Prior to becoming WECC’s CEO, he served in key leadership roles including 14 years as a top management consultant to the power and gas sector, and 11 years as a senior executive in two major utilities. He has worked closely with prominent electric power companies in California, western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain states, as well as with some of the area’s largest energy consumers. As the head of WECC, Robb led the ERO’s largest Region where he improved member relations, strengthened the management team, and expanded collaboration with NERC and other Regional Entities.
Robb has a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University – both degrees awarded with honors.
Board Chair Roy Thilly also recognized the extraordinary efforts of NERC’s Interim CEO Charles Berardesco and themanagement team during this transition. Berardesco returns to General Counsel duties and will assist with the transition.
“Charlie and NERC’s management team have done an outstanding job of ensuring NERC’s work on the reliability of our bulk power system continued uninterrupted during our search for a new CEO,” Thilly said. “I am confident that Jim and the management team will work together seamlessly to address future reliability issues facing the grid.”
