Southwest Power Pool announced changes to its executive team Thursday.
Bruce Rew, a 35-year veteran of the nonprofit Little Rock-based power grid overseer, will retire as senior vice president of operations in December.
C.J. Brown will become vice president of operations on Oct. 1, reporting to SPP’s chief operating officer, Antoine Lucas. The overlap, the regional transmission organization said, will ensure a smooth transition.
The VP of operations oversees SPP’s regional operations center, which coordinates the bulk power grid across a 14-state footprint.
Operations include engineering, business support, and real-time grid operator functions, SPP said in a news release.
These functions ensure reliability and market-based services for SPP members and customers.
Rew’s Long Service
In a statement, Lucas praised and thanked Rew for his long service. “He is highly valued for his leadership and dedication,” Lucas said. “He has driven innovative services and projects for our members for years. C.J. will ensure the organization remains in excellent hands. He has a strong operational background, solid relationships, and has shown initiative in meeting future operational challenges.”
Rew, who joined SPP in 1990, served as vice president of engineering among other roles.
In addition, he helped SPP’s Regional State Committee develop a process for allocating transmission costs. Rew also developed tariff language for customer-funded transmission projects and implemented SPP’s first energy management and tariff billing system. Before SPP, Rew was a nuclear missile launch crew member in the U.S. Air Force.
“I am grateful for over 35 years working with SPP members,” Rew said in a statement. “We responsibly and economically improved our region’s electric grid. SPP’s services have changed significantly, but strong relationships remain a constant driving force.”
Facing Challenges
Brown is now the organization’s senior director of system operations policy and performance support. He has worked for SPP for 19 years, reporting directly to Rew for the past eight. Before joining SPP, Brown worked for electric cooperatives in Arkansas and Missouri.
He oversaw SPP’s grid operations during challenging times, the company said. And it cited winter storms Uri, Elliott, and Gerri, and summer seasons with record high temperatures and electricity demands. His current role includes overseeing real-time operations policy and supporting SPP’s operator training, market operations, balancing authority, and reliability coordination, the release said.
Brown called it an honor to inherit Rew’s job, calling him a “pillar” of SPP.
“I am grateful to work with such a talented team,” Brown said in the release. “I look forward to continuing this important work, addressing our generational challenge, and building on the strong foundation Bruce created.”
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