NARUC Professional Development
Track: Electricity
December 15, 16, 17, 2026, 2-4 pm Eastern each day, Live online
Electricity is a key component of the fabric of modern society and safeguarding the reliability and security of the bulk power system is the core mission of the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Enterprise, comprised of NERC and the six Regional Entities. Grid Reliability, Security, and Risk Assessment explores how the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) coordinates with state regulators and regional entities to ensure bulk power reliability, standards, security, inverter-based resources, large load interconnections, risk mitigation, and security and threat sharing. It provides an understanding of the ERO Enterprise model. Attendees will learn about the governance and makeup of the ERO Enterprise, how it develops mandatory reliability standards for entities powering the bulk power system, and its efforts to continually assess the health and reliability of the grid. The course explores how NERC, with oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), is adapting to the large-scale integration of renewables and energy storage into the energy portfolio, the advent of large load interconnections, power plant performance during storm events, and how it is revising its existing reliability standards regime to accommodate those evolving situations.
NARUC State, Associate, and Federal Members: $265
Other State, Federal Government, and International Agencies / NASUCA Members / Academia: $465
All Others: $665
At the end of this course, participants will understand how to:
Day 1: Role, Functions, and Enforcement Power of NERC
Day 2: The Reliability Mission & Grid Risk Assessments
Day 3: Evolving Reliability Needs of Inverter-Based Resources, Large Computational Load Entities, and Key Initiatives
Will McCurry, Manager of State Government & Regulatory Affairs, NERC
Will McCurry is the Manager of State Government & Regulatory Affairs at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). He manages NERC’s outreach efforts with state policymakers and regulators to help them understand NERC’s ongoing mission to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. Prior to joining NERC, Will was a regulatory and policy expert on grid resilience at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
Soo Jin Kim, Vice President of Standards and Registration, NERC
Soo Jin Kim is the vice president of Standards and Registration at NERC, where she is responsible for providing leadership and support for activities in all aspects of NERC’s continent-wide standards and the registration of users, owners, and operators of the bulk power system. Throughout her time at NERC, Ms. Kim has worked on numerous initiatives involving Standards, Engineering, Compliance, and coordination across the ERO Enterprise. Prior to joining NERC, Ms. Kim was an energy attorney and worked on a variety of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency matters.
Lauren Gattone, Director – Security Operations, Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, E-ISAC
As the Director of Security Operations at the E-ISAC, Lauren Gattone leads teams dedicated to safeguarding critical infrastructure by delivering actionable intelligence on emerging threats, adversarial tactics, and trends related to cyber and physical security to key stakeholders. With a background in intelligence collection, operational security, and incident response, Lauren facilitates timely intelligence sharing and industry collaboration aimed at improving security posture across the North American electricity grid.
Charles Cates, MSE, Principal Engineer – Reliability Assessments, NERC
Charles is an engineering leader with over twenty-five years of expertise in power systems, grid reliability, and wholesale market operations. He has directed critical reliability initiatives, including the inaugural $3B SPP Integrated Transmission Plan, the launch of SPP’s Transmission Congestion Rights (TCR) Market, and operational readiness for the Western Resource Adequacy Program. He is currently a principal engineer in the Reliability Assessments department focusing on long-term reliability assessments for North America.
Matt Lewis, Manager of Event Analysis, NERC
Matt joined the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in 2014 and currently serves as the Manager of Event Analysis and previously served as the Manager of Training and Education. A former U.S. Army officer, Matt served in a variety of leadership and staff positions in the fields of operations, special weapons effects and response, technical intelligence, and joint exercises/training.
Latrice Harkness, Director of Engineering, NERC
Latrice Harkness is the NERC Director of Engineering . She has 20 years of experience in engineering, reliability, and standards development. In her current role, Latrice leads critical initiatives supporting the reliability and security of the bulk power system across North America. Prior to her current position, Latrice held several other leadership and technical roles at NERC, including Director of Standards Development, Manager of Standards Development, Senior Standards Developer, and Engineer of Registration and Certification. Her work has spanned regulatory frameworks, industry standards, and system reliability. Before joining NERC, Latrice worked at Georgia Power as a Transmission Analyst in Project Management.
Joined by:
Hon. Marcus Hawkins, Commissioner, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Marcus Hawkins was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to serve as a Commissioner on April 8, 2024. Marcus serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Organization of MISO States (OMS). He also represents state regulators on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Member Representative Committee. Prior to joining the PSC, Marcus was the Executive Director of the Organization of MISO States (OMS), a regional association of state utility commissions, where he represented state interests before the regional grid operator and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Hon. Jehmal Hudson, Commissioner, Virginia State Corporation Commission; First Vice President, NARUC
Judge Hudson is serving in his second term at the Virginia State Corporation Commission. In this role, he is one of three Commissioners regulating utilities, insurance, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising and the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange. Prior to being elected to the Commission, Judge Hudson was Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Hydropower Association. He was a regulatory practitioner for 10 years, managing public policy issues at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he held several roles including Director of Government Affairs.
Hon. Pat O'Connell, Chair, New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission
Chair Patrick O’Connell is serving a six-year appointment to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), his term began on January 1, 2023 (term expires December 31, 2028). In addition to serving as one of New Mexico’s three Commissioners, he sits on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (“NERC”) Member Representative Committee, the Markets + State Committee (MSC), the Western Resource Adequacy Program’s Committee of State Regulators (COSR), and is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Energy Resources and the Environment Committee.