By Amanda Durish Cook

INDIANAPOLIS — MISO’s Board of Directors last week appointed Director Phyllis Currie to serve as its chair, replacing current Chairman Michael Curran.

The board voted unanimously to appoint Currie at its June 21 meeting after discussing her credentials and nomination in closed session a day earlier. As a rule, MISO considers all personnel-related matters to be confidential.

Currie is the second woman and first African-American woman to chair MISO’s board since it was established in 1998. Former Director Judy Walsh was the first woman to chair the board during her tenure from January 2016 to December 2017.

“I hope that I will perform in a manner that will bring continued pride in the MISO community,” Currie said upon accepting the position during a June 21 board meeting.

“I will be immediately instructing you on the Philadelphia sense of humor, and you can have my watch,” Curran joked.

Currie is one of three directors whose three-year term concludes at the end of this year. Along with Mark Johnson, she will be up for re-election for a second term. Curran will reach MISO’s three, three-year term limit at the end of 2018 and is not able to seek re-election.

Director Baljit Dail reported that the RTO’s Nominating Committee will begin vetting and interviewing candidates for the board starting in August.

MISO Expects Year-end Budget Overrun

MISO expects to end the year about 1% over its operating budget, the board heard. Chief Financial Officer Melissa Brown said the RTO is forecasting $267 million in spending this year, about $2 million more than its total budget.

Brown said the overrun would stem from spending on computer maintenance and reclassifying some outlays from its capital budget to its operating budget. MISO also expects to spend just $25.6 million of its $29.6 million capital budget by the end of 2018.

Year to date, MISO has spent $108 million of its $109 million operating budget and $11.4 million of its $15 million capital expense budget. Brown attributed the underspending mainly to delayed investment timing in the operating budget and delayed and decreased technology spending in the capital budget.