NYISO Names Michael Bemis as Board Chair

RENSSELAER, NY (04/17/2014)(readMedia)-- The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) Board of Directors today announced Michael Bemis has been named board chair, taking over the role from Robert Hiney, whose term as board chair concluded April 15. Mr. Hiney will continue to serve as a member of the board. Erkie Kailbourne was named to succeed Mr. Bemis as board vice chair.

"The NYISO has been very fortunate to have had Bob Hiney bring his unmatched expertise to the job of board chair," said NYISO President and CEO Stephen G. Whitley. "His leadership has guided the NYISO to major achievements, including our Smart Grid Investment Grant project, deployment of Broader Regional Markets initiatives, initiation of vital gas-electric coordination activities and successful completion of our new state-of-the-art control center."

"We look forward to building on that success as Mike Bemis brings his decades of national and international experience in the electric industry to the role of NYISO board chair," Mr. Whitley said.

Michael Bemis

Mr. Bemis, of Madison, Miss., has been a member of the NYISO Board of Directors since 2009 and has served as vice chair since 2012. He has more than three decades of experience as an executive in the electric utility industry. He served as president of Exelon Power and president of energy delivery for Exelon Corp., responsible for the company's transmission, distribution and customer service functions. Exelon distributes electricity and gas to approximately 5.4 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining Exelon, Mr. Bemis worked nearly two decades with Entergy Corp. in a number of executive positions including executive vice president of international operations, serving as CEO of London Electricity, with responsibility for Entergy's international businesses in the United Kingdom, Australia and Argentina. He also served as executive vice president of customer and retail service; as president and chief operating officer for Mississippi Power & Light, Louisiana Power & Light and New Orleans Public Service; and as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Arkansas Power & Light.

Before entering the energy industry, Mr. Bemis was a partner with Deloitte, where he was a designated firm specialist in the electric utility industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi and attended a number of executive development programs, including Harvard's Advanced Management Program.

Erkie Kailbourne

Mr. Kailbourne has served as a member of the NYISO Board of Directors since 1999. He is the retired chairman and CEO of Fleet National Bank (New York Region). He served with the Fleet organization and its predecessors for 37 years prior to his retirement on December 31, 1998.

Currently the chairman of Albany International, Inc., a multinational enterprise serving the paper and aerospace industries, Mr. Kailbourne also is a member of the board of Financial Institutions, Inc. and Rand Capital Corporation. He previously served as vice chairman of the State University of New York (SUNY) system from 1994-1999.

Mr. Kailbourne is a native of Wellsville, N.Y. He graduated in 1961 from the State University College at Alfred with a degree in business administration, and in 1985 was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science by the State University of New York.

Robert Hiney

Mr. Hiney's distinguished career in the electric industry included 35 years with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), where he assumed increasing responsibility and worked in the areas of power system operations, power supply planning, marketing, electric rates, research and development and energy efficiency. As executive vice president for power generation, Mr. Hiney oversaw all aspects of NYPA's generating operations, including operation and maintenance, engineering, plant construction, fuels procurement and the Authority's wholesale electricity market transactions.

Mr. Hiney, who joined the NYISO Board of Directors in 2006, previously served as vice chairman of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council and as a trustee of the North American Electric Reliability Council. He also was chairman of the NYISO Management Committee. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Tufts University and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

NYISO Board of Directors

The NYISO's 10-member board of directors is a diverse body comprised of individuals with backgrounds in the electric industry, finance, information technology, public service and the law. Members of the board are required by the NYISO's federally approved tariffs to be independent and unaffiliated with market participants.