NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The PJM Board of Managers on Wednesday elected Ake Almgren as chairman and new member Neil H. Smith, the former CEO of generation developer InterGen.
Re-elected to three-year terms were John McNeely Foster, who joined the board in 2003, and Sarah Rogers, who began in 2012.
Almgren, a Ph.D. engineer, succeeds former Chairman Howard Schneider, who retired after 21 years on the board. Smith will fill the vacancy created by Schneider’s retirement. (See Retiring PJM Chair Schneider Reflects on 21 Years at the Helm.)
“Howard Schneider has led the PJM board by example, with a focus on integrity and the highest ethical standards,” PJM CEO Andy Ott said in a statement. “He has served on the board during a time of tremendous growth for PJM and unprecedented change in the industry.”
Almgren, who joined the board in 2003, is the former president of ABB Power T&D, former CEO of Capstone Turbine Corp. and a former member of the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Council. He is the owner of Orkas Inc., which provides consulting in electric transmission and distribution, distributed resources, renewable energy and hybrid electric vehicles.
Smith retired as InterGen’s CEO in 2016 after 25 years with the company. He also is a former board member for The Wood Group, which provides project, engineering and technical services to energy and industrial clients.
Foster, a certified public accountant, is a former member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and former vice president, treasurer and principal accounting officer of Compaq.
Rogers, an electrical engineer, served as CEO of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council from 2007 until 2012. Between 1984 and 2007, she worked in a variety of positions at Progress Energy and its predecessors, including vice president of transmission.
— Rich Heidorn Jr.
