Four officers and our General Counsel are responsible for running the business of the WIRES group. Officers serve a one-year term and can serve consecutive terms.
PRESIDENT
Paul D. McCoy, P.E. President and Chief Operating Officer Trans-Elect Development Company, LLC
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.
VICE PRESIDENT
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.
SECRETARY
Secretary Kevin Curtis, P.E Director, Electric Transmission Planning & Marketing Dominion Virginia Power
Kevin Curtis manages long-term planning and marketing for the Electric Transmission group at Dominion. He has extensive experience in electric utility line design, maintenance, operations and construction. Curtis has worked at Dominion for 23 years, holding management positions in planning, reliability, operations and power quality.
Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in both Virginia and North Carolina.
TREASURER 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.
Jim Hoecker
COUNSEL, ADVISOR to WIRES
James John "Jim" Hoecker Partner Hoecker Energy Law and Policy LLC
Jim Hoecker serves as primary counsel and advisor to WIRES. An energy practitioner for nearly 30 years, Jim was a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission beginning in 1993 and Chairman from 1997 until leaving the agency in 2001. His Commission work includes Order No. 888, numerous decisions involving the independent transmission sector, and promotion of regional transmission management under Order No. 2000. While at FERC, Chairman Hoecker was a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and a Founding Board Member of the National Council on Competition in the Electric Industry. He later became Director of Allegheny Energy and now serves a variety of natural gas and electric power clients in private practice.
Hoecker earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northland College in Wisconsin, a Master of Arts and a Doctorate from the University of Kentucky and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Wisconsin Law School. He is a council member for the Section on Environment, Energy and Resources of the American Bar Association and has given many presentations and authored several publications.
More information about WIRES can be obtained by contacting:
