PJM Board Elects New Chair, Welcomes New Member

Retiring Board Chair Howard Schneider commended

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May 16, 2018, 02:47 ET

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The PJM Board today elected Ake Almgren, Ph.D., as board chair to succeed the retiring chair, Howard Schneider, who served on the board since its inception in 1997.

Almgren has served on the PJM Board of Managers since 2003. He operates his own consulting company, Orkas Inc., which is focused on new energy technologies. Almgren was president of several ABB companies, including ABB Power T&D Co., which is involved in electric transmission and distribution worldwide. Previously, he served on the Department of Energy's Electricity Advisory Council.

Almgren succeeds retiring PJM Board Chair Howard Schneider, who has served as the chair since 2007 and has worked tirelessly for PJM and its members.

"Howard Schneider has led the PJM Board by example, with a focus on integrity and the highest ethical standards," said PJM President and CEO Andrew L. Ott. "He has served on the board during a time of tremendous growth for PJM and unprecedented change in the industry. I sincerely commend Howard for his dedication to PJM, our members and the 65 million people we serve."

Separately, PJM members elected Neil H. Smith as a new board member to fill the vacancy created by Schneider's retirement. John McNeely Foster and Sarah Rogers were re-elected to three-year terms on the board.

Smith retired as president and CEO of InterGen, Inc. in 2016. Having spent 25 years with the organization, he progressed from manager to director to vice president and ultimately served 10 years as president and chief executive officer of the global energy company. Smith was a board member for The Wood Group, PLC for nine years.

Foster, who was re-elected to the PJM Board, is a former member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, on which he served for 10 years. A certified public accountant, he previously was vice president, treasurer and principal accounting officer of the former Compaq Computer Corp., and senior audit manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He has served on the PJM Board since 2003.

Rogers, who also was re-elected today, served as president and CEO of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council from 2007 until her retirement in 2012. Prior to joining the reliability organization, she had served in a variety of positions with Progress Energy and its predecessors from 1984 to 2007. She has served on the PJM Board since 2012.

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 65 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid, which includes over 84,042 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. PJM's regional grid and market operations produce annual savings of $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion. For the latest news about PJM, visit PJM Inside Lines at insidelines.pjm.com.