WREGIS - Key Persons

Branden Sudduth, Vice President of Reliability Planning and Performance Analysis, is responsible for WECC's technical and analysis functions, including Reliability Planning and Assessments, Standards Development, Performance Analysis, Event Analysis, and Situation Awareness. In his previous role as Director of Reliability Risk Management, Branden provided leadership and strategic direction for the Performance Analysis and Event Analysis/Situation Awareness departments and was responsible for supporting several industry stakeholder efforts through WECC's Operating and Market Interface Committees. Branden holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Brigham Young University, a Master of Engineering degree in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho, and an MBA from Weber State University.

Brander, Jennifer

jb..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Committee

Brenda Ambrosi

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee
Chairman - International

Brittany Huggins

bh..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Brown, Duncan

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Cabbell, Dana

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WECC Standards Committee
Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Campbell, Richard

Job Titles:

Member of the Nominating Committee

Cuneo, Anne-Marie

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WREGIS Committee

Evans-Mongeon, Brian

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Felicia Marcus

Job Titles:

Attorney
Member of the Board of Directors

Felicia Marcus is an attorney who has served in leadership and management positions in the government and non-profit sectors. She is currently the Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Water in the West Program and is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Felicia was most recently Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board after having served as Regional Administrator of the U.S. EPA Region IX and as head of the Los Angeles Department of Public Works in addition to leadership in national non-governmental organizations and experience as a private and public interest sector attorney.

Ferreira, Richard

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee
Member of the Nominating Committee

Gary Leidich - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman
Member of Finance and Audit Committee
Member of the Board of Directors
Executive Vice President of FirstEnergy Corporation

Gary Leidich served most recently as Executive Vice President of FirstEnergy Corporation and President of FirstEnergy Generation, where he was responsible for 26,000 MW of generation in four states and FirstEnergy's retail operations. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Operations, which included Transmission and Utility Operations and Dispatching. His 37 years of industry experience also included five years as Executive Vice President with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, where he led nuclear plant evaluations.

Hardy, Dave

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Harward, Matt

Job Titles:

Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Hay, Keith

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Committee

Haymond, Jasmine

jh..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Committee

Hostler, Marty

Job Titles:

Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Ian McKay - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Ian McKay recently served as Executive Director, Electricity and Alternative Energy, with Alberta Energy. Prior to that, he held executive positions with the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro, including experience in utility operations, planning, design, and administration. Ian previously served on the WECC Board as a Class 6 Member Director and represented Alberta on the Western Interstate Energy Board.

Jacobson-Quinn, Linda

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

James Avery

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WECC Standards Committee
Member of the Board of Directors
Chief Development Officer for San Diego Gas & Electric

James Avery served most recently as the Chief Development officer for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), where he was responsible for establishing the long-term vision for the company. At SDG&E, he also served in turn as Senior VP of Power Supply and Senior VP of Electric. Mr. Avery has also worked as a consultant, was the CEO of gas and electric operations at Citizens Utilities Company, and chaired the California Transmission Planning Group. He was a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Jeanine Wilson

jw..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of Human Resources and Compensation Committee
Member of the Nominating Committee

Jillian Lessner

jl..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of Finance and Audit Committee
Member of the Executive Team
Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Jillian Lessner, Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, is responsible for the management of Finance and Accounting, Information Technology, Human Resources, Meetings, Stakeholder Services, and the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS). Jillian served as WECC's Controller from 2008 through 2010 and rejoined WECC in 2012 to serve as Director of Finance and Accounting. Prior to rejoining WECC in 2012, Jillian served as Corporate Technical Accounting Manager at Stanley Black and Decker in New Britain, Connecticut. Jillian began her career in public accounting at a small local firm in New York City and obtained her Certified Public Accountant license in 1994. Jillian has over 20 years of experience in accounting and financial management. Earlier in her career she held accounting management positions at Duke Energy Trading and Marketing in Salt Lake City, Utah and Forrester Research, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jillian holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Joe McArthur

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Directors

Joe McArthur spent 38 years with Portland General Electric, where he had responsibilities for distribution, customer service, and transmission. He was responsible for labor relations and negotiations, NERC/FERC compliance, compliance audit processes, safety programs, succession planning, and management development. Joe contributed to the budget process and strategic planning, serving on the executive management team. He is currently a Board Member for the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon.

John Cornwell

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WREGIS Committee

John Pappas

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Kris Raper

Job Titles:

Vice President of External Affairs

Kris Raper, Vice President of External Affairs, is responsible for the management of External Affairs and International Relations and is a member of WECC's Strategic Engagement team. Before joining WECC, Kris served as an appointed commissioner for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for seven years. While a Commissioner, Kris was involved with the California Independent System Operator Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) and served as a member of the Governance Review Committee that considered governance changes for the EIM, including the anticipated impact of a day-ahead market. Kris has served as chair of the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body and as one of two Western representatives on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Joint Task Force on Electric Transmission. Before being appointed Commissioner, Kris served as deputy attorney general to the Idaho Commission for seven years. She holds an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Boise State University and completed her juris doctor degree at the University of Idaho College of Law.

Kristine Hafner - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman
Member of Human Resources and Compensation Committee
Member of the Board of Directors

Kristine Hafner began her career in information technology marketing and consulting at IBM where she managed large systems accounts and led national consulting engagements in public and private sector organizations. As Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer for the 10-campus University of California system, Kris oversaw shared IT systems and strategic IT investments. She also held the position of IT Division Director and Chief Information Officer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Ms. Hafner served on the California ISO's Board of Governors.

LeVar, Thad

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Longmuir, Shelley

Job Titles:

Member of the Nominating Committee

Malin, Debra

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee
Bonneville Power Administration / Member

Martin, Jennifer

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Melanie Frye - CEO, President

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Board of Directors
Member of the Executive Team
President

Melanie Frye, President and CEO, oversees WECC's mission to effectively and efficiently mitigate risks to the reliability and security of the Western Interconnection's Bulk Power System. Melanie achieves this work through active interactions with members and stakeholders, by managing relationships with regulatory and policy-setting bodies, and ensuring WECC contributes to a positive relationship with NERC and the ERO. Melanie leads WECC and works to strengthen the developing leadership culture. She created the framework for WECC's Invented Future and shaped the transformation within the organization. She has profoundly influenced the development of the internal organizational culture to inspire alignment with the "why" of WECC. Prior to this role, Melanie served as Vice President of Reliability Planning and Performance Analysis, overseeing WECC's technical and analysis functions, including events analysis, situation awareness, reliability planning and assessments, performance assessments, and standards development. Melanie also served as WECC's Vice President of Shared Services, overseeing Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Information Technology, Project Management, and Administrative Services functions and staff. She joined WECC in 2007 as Director of Human Resources. Before joining WECC, Melanie spent several years with PacifiCorp as a Senior Human Resources Consultant where she was responsible for providing advice and counsel to the leadership team of eight thermal and three natural gas power generation facilities in Utah and Wyoming. She provided support to over 2,500 union and non-union employees located across the company's six-state service territory. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and a Utility Executive Course Certificate from the University of Idaho. Melanie Frye oversees WECC's mission to effectively and efficiently mitigate risks to the reliability and security of the Western Interconnection's Bulk Power System. Melanie achieves this work through active interactions with members and stakeholders, by managing relationships with regulatory and policy-setting bodies, and ensuring WECC contributes to a positive relationship with NERC and the ERO. Melanie leads WECC and works to strengthen the developing leadership culture. She created the framework for WECC's Invented Future and shaped the transformation within the organization. She has profoundly influenced the development of the internal organizational culture to inspire alignment with the "why" of WECC.

Musselman, Crystal

Job Titles:

Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Noble, Russell A.

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee

Nolan, Gary

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee
Member of the Nominating Committee
Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Olesky, Karen

Job Titles:

Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Perez, Celina

Job Titles:

Chairman of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Randall, Cherilyn

Job Titles:

Member of the Member Advisory Committee
Bonneville Power Administration

Reinwald, Bill

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Committee
State / Provincial / Voluntary Program Representative

Richard Campbell

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Directors
Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Director of the Utah Division of Public Utilities

Richard Campbell served for 5 years as the Director of the Utah Division of Public Utilities before becoming a Commissioner on the Utah Public Service Commission in 2001 where he served for 11 years. Currently, Ric is the Executive Director for the Utah Medical Education Council. A previous member of the WECC Board of Directors from 2006 to 2012, Ric has also been a member of the State Provincial Steering Committee, the Northern Tier Transmission Group Steering Committee, and on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners board of directors. Prior to Ric's public service in state government, he worked for Shell Oil Company.

Richard Woodward

Job Titles:

Chairman of the Nominating Committee
Member of the Board of Directors
Retired Partner from Deloitte Consulting

Richard Woodward is a retired partner from Deloitte Consulting, where he worked with senior business executives. His professional experience includes investment banking, corporate finance, consulting in the energy industry, and higher education. As policy Vice President for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Richard negotiated a tariff arrangement for pipeline access among stakeholders.

Rueckert, Steve

Job Titles:

Member of the WECC Standards Committee

Shelley Longmuir

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Directors

Shelley Longmuir has served on Corporate boards for over a decade both in the U.S. and Europe. She served on the Board of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) from 2006-2015 where she chaired MISO's Human Resources Committee and served as a member of its Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning Committees. Previously, Shelley was a senior executive of United Airlines/UAL with primary duties for domestic and international regulatory matters worldwide. Thereafter, she served as CEO of the National Business Aircraft Association.

Sierra Pacific

Job Titles:

Member of the WREGIS Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Steve Goodwill

sg..@wecc.org

Job Titles:

Member of the Board of Directors
Member of the Executive Team
Senior Vice President of Strategic Engagement, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Steve Goodwill joined WECC in July 2008 as a Hearing Officer and was promoted to Associate General Counsel the same year. In May 2010, he became WECC's General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. In 2017, Steve assumed executive responsibility for WECC's Enforcement efforts, as well as its international relationships. In January of 2020, Steve was promoted to Senior Vice President, assuming leadership over WECC's Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program (CMEP) efforts, the Corporate Legal Team, and the external affairs and international relations programs. In November 2021, Steve transitioned to full-time responsibility over WECC's Strategic Engagement function which includes External Affairs, Communications and Outreach, and Training. Steve also serves as WECC's Corporate Secretary. Before joining WECC, Steve spent four years as the administrative law judge at the Public Service Commission of Utah. He began his legal career with the United States Air Force in 1997, holding positions of increasing responsibility while on active duty at Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization locations throughout the U.S and Europe. While he was a member of the Air Force Reserve, he advised senior military and civilian leaders while assigned as legal counsel to the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Headquarters, United States Air Force, and Air Force Space Command. Steve earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law in Salt Lake City, Utah, and holds an MA degree in Political Science and a BA in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York.