Speaker Biographies
Todd Curl Todd is currently responsible for managing the area of Risk Awareness & Oversight which contain the CMEP functions of Inherent Risk Assessments and Compliance Oversight Plans. Previously Todd managed the area of Compliance Monitoring (in both Operations & Planning and Critical Infrastructure Protection areas). Also he was Manager of Compliance Programs which included Registration & Certification, Compliance Investigations, and Compliance Outreach. Todd joined SERC as an O&P Compliance Auditor in 2010, with about 29 years in the electric utility industry. Before joining SERC, Todd was a Senior System Operator at Southern Company’s Power Coordination Center. Primary responsibilities included providing real-time monitoring and control decisions and direction for the 24/7 operation of the Southern Company bulk power system balancing area. He also was responsible for various aspects of reliably operating the bulk power system in a coordinated manner with the four Operating Company transmission control centers, generation operations, and neighboring utilities. He worked with a team of NERC certified operators balancing generation with load, keeping the transmission system reliable, and ensuring correct interchange power flows with neighbors. Todd also spent 10 years on Southern Company’s energy trading floor as an Energy Coordinator, providing economic evaluation and negotiation of next-hour power sales and purchases, and arranged for scheduling of transactions in a real time 24/7 operation. Todd also spent 17 years with Georgia Power Company as a Transmission Operator, and a Substation Maintenance electrician. Todd has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, and an Executive Certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame. Todd is also a NERC Certified System Operator with the Reliability Coordinator certification since 1999. Todd has also completed NERC Audit/Certification Team Leader training, and Compliance Investigations training. Brian Thumm Brian is the Vice President of Performance Improvement and Risk Mitigation. In this role, Brian leads SERC’s Risk Assessment & Mitigation, Training & Outreach, and Strategic Initiatives & Continuous Improvement departments. From an external perspective, this includes the oversight of SERC’s Entity Assistance function, which provides entities with Regional perspectives and best practices for myriad reliability and security risks; and oversight of the Risk Assessment and Mitigation function, which performs Inherent Risk Assessments for entities and risk/harm determinations for potential noncompliances. The combination of these roles provides a unique platform from which to communicate emerging and persistent risks to a broad stakeholder base, and to work with registered entities to resolve those risks in a collaborative manner. From an internal perspective, he oversees the strategic planning for the organization, which includes development of the strategic plan as well as development and monitoring of the corporate strategic initiatives. He is also responsible for several internal oversight functions, including quality assurance, internal controls, program readiness, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and the Project Management Office (PMO). Brian has previously provided oversight for SERC’s Compliance Monitoring functions, including audits, self-certifications, and compliance investigations, as well as the Reliability Assessment and Performance Analysis (RAPA) program, which uses data collection and analysis to identify reliability risks within the SERC footprint. Prior to joining SERC, Brian served as Director of Regional Planning for ITC Holdings Corp. There, he led a group of engineers engaged in economic planning analysis, load forecasting, stability analysis, technical studies, and NERC compliance, as well as ITC’s post-Order 1000 planning-related efforts across the country. Brian has over 25 years of electric industry experience, including holding positions in transmission planning, transmission operations, regulatory strategy, external affairs, project development, nuclear licensing, and computer services. H e received a Master’s in Business Administration from Michigan State University; a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University; and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Michigan and Louisiana and a certified Project Management Professional.
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