The WIRES organization is a non-profit educational and advocacy coalition led by five individuals serving on the Board of Directors. Each director receives a vote in all business matters relating to WIRES and each serves a minimum of two years.
Their mission is to educate legislative officials and the public as well as to promote awareness about the transmission business and the need for improvement across the nation.
Bert Garvin Vice President - General Counsel and Corporate Secretary American Transmission Company
Robert (Bert) Garvin oversees all operational legal, real estate and regulatory matters relating to ATC. As secretary of the company, he is responsible for matters relating to corporate governance, interactions with the board of directors, compliance and related regulatory matters associated with ATC's status as a legal entity.
Garvin previously served as vice president of regulatory affairs for NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of FPL Group. Before that, he served as a commissioner on the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. He was elected vice president of the Organization of MISO States. Garvin also served on the board of directors of the National Association of State Regulatory Commissioners and chaired its Nuclear Waste Subcommittee.
Earlier in his career, Garvin was manager of legal and government affairs for Wisconsin Public Power Inc., and was an associate attorney for Murphy and Desmond in Madison, WI.
Gary L. Hickey Executive Director, Transmission Development NextEra Energy
At NextEra Energy, Gary Hickey is responsible for leading business growth in transmission opportunities through origination, development and construction of transmission projects, primarily in the Midwest.
He has more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in the electric and gas energy industries. Before joining NextEra Energy in 2007, Hickey Chief Commercial Officer at Horizon Wind Energy and before that served in various positions at Illinois Power/Illinova/Dynergy Corp.
Hickey holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – both from the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Will Kaul Chairman Vice President, Transmission CAPX 2020 Great River Energy
Will Kaul is in charge of the company’s entire transmission system, which includes more than 4,500 miles of line and 100 substations covering 62 percent of the state of Minnesota. Before joining Great River Energy, Kaul spent most of his career with one of the organization’s predecessors, Cooperative Power, where he held many posts. Most recently he served as the director of generation and transmission services responsible for generation engineering, transmission, environmental services and land acquisition.
Kaul earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Minnesota. He is chair of the CapX 2020 project and a member of the executive committee of the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool.
Paul D. McCoy, P.E. President and Chief Operating Officer Trans-Elect, Inc.
Paul D. McCoy directs the overall operation of affiliated operating companies for Trans-Elect, Inc., which specializes in the acquisition, construction and independent operation of transmission systems. Prior to co-founding Trans-Elect in 1999, he spent 27 years at Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), lastly as Executive Vice President of Unicom (ComEd’s holding company), and President of ComEd’s Transmission Group. As an influential contributor to the overall utility business, McCoy has held numerous leadership positions in major industry organizations and helped form the Midwest Independent System Operator.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Illinois. McCoy is also an independent member of the AltaLink Board of Directors, and is chair of its Governance and Compensation Committee.
Teresa Mogensen Director, Transmission Asset Management and Business Relations Xcel Energy
Teresa Mogensen joined Xcel Energy in October 2007 as director of Transmission Asset Management and Business Relations. In this position, she has oversight over transmission planning activities and transmission capital investment decisions for all of Xcel Energy's jurisdictions.
She also manages Xcel Energy Transmission's relationships and contractual obligations and has responsibility for advocating and influencing transmission policy at the state and federal level. Additionally, she manages Xcel Energy Transmission?s membership and interaction with all Regional Transmission Organizations and other regional councils.
Prior to joining Xcel Energy, Mogensen spent seven years at the American Transmission Co. (ATC), Waukesha, Wis., where she helped launch the new company and held director positions overseeing System Operations, Engineering & Construction, and Transmission Planning & Service.
Mogensen earned both a Master's degree in business administration and a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis. She was awarded the Milwaukee Business Journal's "40 under 40" Business Leadership Award in 2002.
Nina Plaushin Vice President, Federal Affairs ITC Holdings Corp.
Nina Plaushin heads the ITC Holdings Washington, DC, office, representing the company before Congress and serving as the company’s primary contact with key regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.
She previously served as Vice President of External Affairs at Wisconsin Public Power Inc. Earlier, she was Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Wisconsin-based American Transmission Company and also served as Manager of Federal Regulatory Affairs at PP&L, Inc., an investor-owned utility headquartered in Allentown, PA.
Before entering the private sector, Plaushin worked for several members of Congress including Sen. Lowell Weicker (R-CT), Sen. Spark Matsunaga (D-HI), and Rep. Thomas McMillen (D-MD).
Plaushin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Drew University in New Jersey.
Autry Warren Senior Director – Transmission & Municipal Relations Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC
Autry Warren’s responsibilities include management of Oncor Electric Delivery’s transmission regulatory activities with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and regulatory administration with municipal authorities. Over the past 29 years, Warren has held numerous management positions for Oncor, including Customer Service Manager for the City of Dallas, General Accounting Manager, and Director of Gas Regulatory.
He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Texas Society of CPAs, and the American Institute of CPAs. Warren received Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of New Mexico.
More information about WIRES can be obtained by contacting:
