Speakers
Brian anderson
Director, Economic Development
Wabash Valley Power Alliance
Brian Anderson serves as the Economic Development Director for Wabash Valley Power Alliance, a position he has held since he joined WVPA in 2015. Brian and the Wabash Valley team work with cooperative members and local, regional, and state economic development entities across their territory in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. WVPA Economic Development’s primary goal is to support the economic health of member communities, and does so through the attraction and retention of commercial and industrial businesses. Prior to joining WVPA Brian was the President and CEO of Middle Michigan Development Corporation in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Urban Planning College with an MBA from Northwood University.
zachary anderson
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Wolverine Power Cooperative
Zach Anderson is the Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Wolverine Power Cooperative. Mr. Anderson’s background includes power supply portfolio management, financial planning, debt placement, cost of service analysis, and rate design. Additionally, Mr. Anderson’s primary responsibilities are oversight of Wolverine’s finance, accounting, and market operations in MISO and PJM.
Mr. Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern State University and an MBA from Western Michigan University. He has worked for Wolverine Power Cooperative since 2011.
Todd Bartling
Vice President of Renewables Development
National Renewables Cooperative Organization
Todd Bartling is currently the Vice President of Renewable Development for National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO). Todd joined NRCO in March of 2009. In his current role, Mr. Bartling is responsible for the development, project structuring, financial valuation, risk assessment, deal negotiation and origination as well as the on-going asset management of renewable projects for NRCO Members. At NRCO he created a community solar program allowing cooperatives to cost effectively own and operate small scale solar systems. To date he has been involved in over 2,000 MW of wind and solar projects. Mr. Bartling is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Dmitriy Borovik
Managing Director, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Dmitriy Borovik is a Managing Director in Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory business. He brings more than 25 years of experience assisting Power & Utilities clients with turning critical and complex business issues into opportunities for growth, cost efficiencies, resilience, and long-term advantages. He founded and facilitates Deloitte’s Enterprise Risk Management roundtable initiative for Power & Utilities companies. In addition, Dmitriy has facilitated a number of industry surveys, presented various topics, and has developed/published points of view on industry trends and leading practices, including ERM Value, Emerging Risks, Potential Disrupters, ERM Lifecycle, GRC/ERM tools selection and implementation practices, ERM Structure and Organization, and Leading Practices on Key Risk Indicators.
Jeff Conrad
President and CEO
Wabash Valley Power Alliance
Jeff Conrad came to Wabash Valley Power Alliance in 1999 and has served in various leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer, before being named President & Chief Executive Officer in 2022.
As CEO, Jeff is responsible for leading the organization and keeping the board informed related to all functions of the company including operations, legislation, regulations, future planning and provides recommendations to the board on policy matters. He is a member of the Wabash Valley Enterprise-Risk Management Committee and serves on the ACES and National Renewable Cooperative Organization Board of Directors.
Jeff came to Wabash Valley Power from Cinergy’s Energy Commodity Business Unit and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1990 and a Master of Business Administration in 1995, both from the University of Indianapolis.
Sonja Cox
President and CEO
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
Sonja Cox began employment with SMECO on January 11, 1999. She was named as SMECO’s fifth President and CEO effective March 1, 2020 and is responsible for all Cooperative operations, reporting directly to the Board of Directors. Prior to becoming the CEO, she served as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Sonja has a MBA in finance from The Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Accounting from the University of Maryland University College. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Maryland.
Cox serves as a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Human Resources and Benefits Committee for the College of Southern Maryland and is a member of the Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee for ACES Power Marketing.
She is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Maryland and was named one of the Daily Record’s Top 100 Women of Maryland in 2016.
MElissa Fischer
Vice President of Risk Management Services
ACES
Melissa Fischer is Vice President of Risk Management Services at ACES in Carmel, Indiana. Melissa joined ACES in November 1998. In her current role, Melissa oversees various risk management services provided to ACES’ Members and Customers, including Trading Control Services, Portfolio Valuation Services, and Risk Services.
Melissa plans, organizes, and hosts ACES’ annual Risk Managers Forum and also hosts quarterly Risk Managers Working Group meetings for the risk management personnel of ACES’ Members. She also serves on the internal risk management committee of one of ACES’ Members.
In addition to overseeing certain risk management services provided to ACES’ Members and Customers, Melissa also runs ACES’ internal risk management committee and oversees ACES’ internal enterprise risk management program.
Tara Givins
Vice President of Risk Management
Oglethorpe Power Corporation
Tara W. Givins currently serves as Vice President of Risk Management for Oglethorpe Power. In her current position, Tara manages the overall enterprise-wide risk management program and the strategic planning process. She provides leadership in the development of risk management strategies, policies, procedures, monitoring controls, and risk reports. Tara also manages Oglethorpe’s Business Continuity Program, assisting in the development, maintenance, and exercising of business continuity plans.
Tara received a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Georgia. In addition, she graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
lisa groff
Vice President and Chief Risk Officer
American Electric Power
Lisa R. Groff is Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for American Electric Power. She is responsible for all Enterprise Risk and Resiliency, Insurance and Risk Management, and Commercial Risk activities. Groff has more than 20 years of risk management experience. She joined AEP in 1999 as a Credit Manager. She also has held the roles of Managing Director, Enterprise Risk Oversight and Insurance and Managing Director, and Credit Risk Management, responsible for credit, commodity contracts, confirmations and enterprise risk oversight.
Groff holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from Mary Washington University, Fredericksburg, VA. She has an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) certification and also graduated from the Ohio State University/AEP Strategic Leadership Program.
rob horton
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative
Rob Horton serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Hoosier Energy. Rob is responsible for all electric generation and transmission functions of the business, including power supply and transmission planning, design, fuel procurement, and all generation and transmission asset management. He also oversees construction, operation and maintenance of Hoosier Energy’s numerous transmission and substation facilities.
Rob began his career with Hoosier Energy as an intern in the Safety & Training Department at Merom Generating Station in Sullivan, Indiana. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University and is a graduate of the Hoosier Energy Executive Leadership Development program.
Christopher jimenez
Director of Energy Services
Arizona G&T Cooperatives
Chris Jimenez is the Director of Energy Services and Planning at Arizona G&T Cooperatives, bringing to the position more than ten years of experience in all facets of energy management and resource planning. Chris is responsible for delivering a variety of services to Arizona G&T Cooperatives’ Members including energy management, fuel management, wholesale trading, energy billing, environmental allowances, forecasting, financial evaluations, data analytics, statistical modeling, resource planning, asset acquisition, resource development, and market implementation. Chris has been instrumental in improving and managing trading operations, optimizing existing Member portfolios, and implementing new portfolios for new Members and customers.
Prior to joining Arizona G&T Cooperatives, Chris was with the ACES West Regional Trading Center where he held numerous roles, including the Executive Director of Portfolio Management.
kirk johnson
Senior Vice President, Member Engagement
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
Kirk Johnson is Senior Vice President for Member Engagement at Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. He is responsible for developing and executing strategies to enhance ODEC’s engagement with external stakeholders and ODEC’s members. He oversees the communications, government relations, and member services departments at ODEC
Prior to joining ODEC, Kirk was Senior Vice President of Government Relations at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. In that role, Kirk directed NRECA’s legislative, regulatory, and political efforts on behalf of the association’s 900 members in 48 states. Kirk worked in the United States Senate for nine years prior to joining NRECA where he advised former Sen. Kent Conrad on energy, environment, and natural resource issues. For his work on water resource development and flood protection issues while in the Senate, former Gov. Ed Schafer awarded Kirk the rank of Commodore in North Dakota’s Mythical Navy.
eric laverty
Vice President of Regulatory and Reliability Services
ACES
Eric Laverty is Vice President of Regulatory and Reliability Services at ACES. He is responsible for leading the groups that support ACES’ Clients in areas of RTO policies and practices, transmission cost allocation, NERC Standard development, and compliance with NERC Standards. Eric joined ACES in April 2017 as the Director of Transmission Strategy, bringing extensive experience in transmission planning.
Prior to joining ACES, Eric spent more than 15 years at MISO in a variety of leadership roles, directing transmission planning engineering functions, IT service and compliance functions, and business operations functions in the planning division.
Eric holds a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, along wiht an MBA from Butler University. He is also registered as a Professional Engineer in Indiana and Michigan.
Patrick Maguire
Executive Director of Resource Planning
ACES
Patrick Maguire is Executive Director of Resource Planning at ACES in Carmel, Indiana. Patrick has over 13 years of power market experience in a variety of roles in modeling, congestion risk management, trading, resource planning, rate design, and stakeholder engagement. In his current role, Patrick is responsible for long-term power supply studies and request for proposal (RFP) bid evaluation.
Patrick has a B.A. in Economics from Wabash College and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University.
mike mcfarland
Director, Enterprise Risk Management
Great River Energy
Michael G. (Mike) McFarland is the Director of Enterprise Risk Management at Great River Energy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this position, Mike is responsible for oversight of Great River Energy’s risk management program, spanning strategic, large project, trading/marketing, operational, financial, and compliance risk. He also manages Great River Energy’s internal audit and insurance programs.
Mike has more than 30 years of experience in the utility industry, serving the last 12 years as Great River Energy’s risk manager. From 2002 to 2010, Mike operated a consulting company providing business strategy, project management, information technology, and risk consulting services to companies including Great River Energy. Prior to that, Mike was president of a small IT security services company and held executive positions with a global telecommunications firm.
Mike received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics in 1986 at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology, in Minneapolis, MN.
Narmada Nanjundan
Director of Risk
East Kentucky Power Cooperative
Narmada Nanjundan is currently Director of Risk for East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC). Ms. Nanjundan joined EKPC in November 2011. In her current capacity she is responsible for EKPC’s Enterprise Risk Management Program (ERM), business insurance and business continuity.
Ms. Nanjundan has over twenty years of experience in the energy industry and has worked for investor owned utilities, federal government and cooperatives. Ms. Nanjundan came to EKPC from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., where she was a Branch Chief for Surveillance, Energy Market Oversight at the Office of Enforcement.
Ms. Nanjundan holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from Illinois State University and a Bachelor Degree in Taxation from Bangalore University, India. Ms. Nanjundan holds certification from both Institute of Chartered accountants of India and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. Ms. Nanjundan also earned her Energy Risk Professional (ERP) certification from Global Association of Risk Professional (GARP) and serves as a Committee member on GARP Research Fellowship Advisory Board.
Soubhagya parija
Vice President and Chief Risk Officer
FirstEnergy
Soubhagya Parija currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at
FirstEnergy Corp., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. In this role, he is responsible for Enterprise Risk, Operational Risk and Corporate Insurance.
Soubhagya graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India with a master’s degree in Economics. He received his Master of Business Administration and Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He also completed the Harvard Business Analytics Program in 2019.
Roger tutterow
Professor of Economics
Kennesaw State University
Roger Tutterow is Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University where he holds the Henssler Financial Endowed Chair.
Dr. Tutterow has served as a consultant on financial economics and statistical modeling for corporate clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to closely held businesses. He has provided expert testimony on economic, financial and statistical matters in state and federal court, before the Georgia General Assembly and before the Georgia Public Service Commission. Dr. Tutterow has given several hundred speeches to professional groups in over 40 states and Canada on topics in the economic, business and political arenas.
jeff walker
Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer
ACES
Jeff Walker is the Senior Vice President & Chief Risk Officer of ACES headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. Mr. Walker leads ACES’ energy risk services in the middle office, including trading control, credit, contract administration, and regulatory and reliability services, with an emphasis on new regulations that impact the role of the middle office. Mr. Walker has led the design and development of the energy risk management capabilities to address the risk challenges facing ACES fast growing client base of Members and Customers.
Mr. Walker has over 30 years of experience in the energy markets focusing on risk management and the management of various power supply financial functions throughout his career, and has led the middle office of ACES since its inception in 1999.