Southwest Power Pool President and CEO Nick Brown to retire after more than three decades of leadership
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — At Southwest Power Pool’s Board of Directors and Members Committee meeting on July 29, President and CEO Nick Brown announced his retirement to be effective in April 2020. The board has engaged Russell Reynolds to perform a comprehensive search for his replacement.
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; was named the Best Place to Work in Arkansas; and has grown its service territory from eight to 14 states.
“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.”
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.
About SPP: Southwest Power Pool, Inc. manages the electric grid and wholesale energy market for the central United States. As a regional transmission organization, the nonprofit corporation is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices. Southwest Power Pool and its diverse group of member companies coordinate the flow of electricity across 66,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states. The company’s headquarters are in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at www.spp.org.