SPP’s longest-tenured employee, Senior Vice President of Operations Bruce Rew, will retire in December after 35 years with the grid operator.
Rew will be replaced by C.J. Brown, who will become vice president of operations on Oct. 1. SPP said the overlapping months will ensure a smooth transition.
“We can’t begin to thank Bruce adequately for his three-plus decades of service to SPP,” COO Antoine Lucas said in a press release. “He’s incredibly valued and well respected across the board for his leadership and dedication. For years, he’s driven successful development of innovative services and projects for our members.”
Rew joined SPP in 1990 after graduating from college and serving in the U.S. Air Force on a nuclear missile launch crew. He was one of the 14 staffers on hand — they are memorialized in a photo displayed inside its Little Rock, Ark., headquarters — when the organization officially became an RTO in 1994.
During his time with SPP, Rew helped the Regional State Committee develop a process for allocating transmission costs regionwide, drafted tariff language allowing customers to fund transmission projects, and implemented the grid operator’s first energy management and tariff-billing system.
“I retire with gratitude for the more than 35 years working together with SPP members,” Rew said. “The services SPP provide have changed dramatically over that time, but the power of relationships has remained a constant driving force for our region.”
The position oversees SPP’s regional operations center, from where staff coordinate the operation of the bulk power system across a 14-state region. The operations organization includes engineering, business support and real-time grid operator functions.
Lucas said the SPP “will remain in excellent hands” with Brown, who currently serves as senior director of system operations policy and performance support. The 19-year veteran has managed the RTO’s grid operations through some of the most challenging conditions in the region’s history. He has helped navigate three winter storms since 2021 and summer seasons with historically high temperatures and electricity use.
“It’s a true honor to be selected to step into the VP of operations role and follow Bruce, who has been a pillar at SPP,” Brown said.
He will report to Lucas after having reported to Rew for eight years.
