Biography

Mr. Brown is our Vice-Chairman and Presiding Independent Director. He retired in 2020 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Power Pool (“SPP”) in Little Rock, Arkansas. SPP is one of nine Regional Transmission Organizations mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale prices of electricity. In fulfilling these responsibilities, SPP relies on real-time acquisition of more than 100,000 data points across the highly interconnected 14-state power grid, feeding sophisticated computer modeling to ensure reliable and efficient delivery of bulk power. Cybersecurity, risk management, and regulatory compliance were primary responsibilities of Mr. Brown, and due in part to his staunch focus on human capital management, SPP received recognition as Arkansas’ Best Place to Work. He served SPP in multiple capacities from 1985 to 2020, including as Senior Engineer, Director of Engineering and Operations, Vice President, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Brown holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and a B.S. in Physics and Math from Ouachita Baptist University, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He served two four-year terms as a director of the Electric Power Research Institute and has been active in numerous civic groups, including the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and as a member of Fifty for the Future.