Officer and Counsel Bios
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 Jolly Hayden joined EIAA, a Texas-based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) trading in U.S. electricity and gas transmission and distribution projects, in 2011. Prior to that, he had served as Vice President of Transmission Development at NextEra Energy Resources, where he directed growth in transmission investment opportunities for the competitive energy supplier operating in 26 U.S. states and Canada. He has served in a senior role at Calpine Corporation, overseeing transmission origination, system analysis and market integration. He has also served as Vice President of Power Delivery for Dynegy Marketing and Trade and, before that, as Dynegy’s Director of Operations and Trading. Hayden holds a Master of Science degree in industrial technology from Eastern Kentucky University and is a registered professional engineer in Kentucky. |
PRESIDENT-ELECT Don Clevenger is responsible for Oncor’s legislative and regulatory affairs, including interacting with state and federal lawmakers and the Public Utility Commission of Texas and other regulatory agencies. He previously served as the company’s Vice President and Corporate Secretary, leading the internal legal group and overseeing the strategic and day-to-day legal needs of Oncor Electric Delivery. Clevenger also was a partner in the law firm of Hunton & Williams. He is a member of both the Texas Bar Association and the Dallas Bar Association and serves on the board of directors of the Association of Electric Companies of Texas. Clevenger is a graduate of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and also holds a bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University. |
VICE PRESIDENT Phillip Grigsby leads Duke Energy’s commercial transmission group, which includes Pioneer Transmission, a joint venture between Duke Energy and American Electric Power to build and operate extra-high-voltage transmission lines and related facilities in Indiana. He previously served as senior vice president of Duke’s Midwest generation portfolio and has held various positions related to transmission and commercial power since joining Duke in 1988. Prior to joining the company, he worked at Exxon Company USA in the production geology department. Grigsby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Houston Baptist University and a master of business administration degree from the University of Houston. |
SECRETARY Gerald Deaver manages regional transmission organization membership and participation for the Transmission business unit at Xcel Energy. He has extensive legal experience in all phases of state utility regulation. |
TREASURER Gary Hickey is responsible for leading NextEra’s business growth in transmission opportunities through origination, development and construction of transmission projects, primarily in the Midwest. Hickey has more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in the electric and gas energy industry. He previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Horizon Wind Energy, where he was responsible for the negotiation of more than 1000MW of wind power purchase agreements in less than two years. He also held various positions with Illinois Power/Illinova/Dynegy Corporation during a 30-year period there. He holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, both from the University of Illinois, Urbana. |
COUNSEL, ADVISOR to WIRES 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. |
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