DALLAS, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/
-- Independent electric transmission utility holding
company, GridLiance today announced the appointment of Mark S. Laufman as executive vice president,
chief legal officer and secretary, effective immediately. Laufman
succeeds N. Beth Emery, who
announced her retirement after more than 40 years of
practicing law in the energy industry. To ensure a smooth
transition until her retirement on December
31, 2020, Emery will serve as senior vice president, special
counsel, to GridLiance.
Laufman has more than 30 years of legal experience working on
energy and infrastructure transactions, including transmission and
renewable energy projects. Most recently, he served in private
practice working with clients on energy-related transactions.
Laufman has served as an advisor to GridLiance since December 2019. Before entering private practice,
Laufman was a partner at the international law firm Vinson &
Elkins LLP.
"Since joining the company in a consulting capacity in
December 2019, Mark has shown a
strong commitment to GridLiance and our business mission to invest
in and improve the reliability of the country's transmission
system," said Calvin Crowder,
president and CEO of GridLiance. "His deep ties in the energy
industry and keen understanding of the complex laws and regulations
affecting our business will be critical for us as we work to
strengthen our position in the marketplace."
Following her retirement, Emery will continue to serve
GridLiance as an advisor on legal and regulatory matters and pursue
opportunities to serve the energy industry and other philanthropic
interests on corporate or advisory boards.
"The Board of Directors, Executive Team and I thank Beth for her
leadership and service to GridLiance," said Crowder. "We are
grateful for her tremendous contributions to the company and are
pleased that she will continue to advise us during and after this
transition."
Emery was a founding member of GridLiance's leadership team in
2014. Prior to GridLiance, Emery was a national law firm partner
for almost two decades. Earlier in her career, Emery also served as
the first general counsel for the California Independent System
Operator Corporation, and as the first in-house general counsel for
CPS Energy, the nation's largest municipally-owned electric and gas
utility at the time.
Complete bios of Laufman and Emery can be found on
http://www.gridliance.com/leadership.
About GridLiance
GridLiance is an independent electric transmission utility
holding company. GridLiance collaborates with rural electric
cooperatives, municipal utilities, joint action agencies and others
to plan for the future of the grid, invest in necessary electric
infrastructure and implement strategies to improve system
reliability and resiliency and reduce overall costs to customers.
Based in Dallas, GridLiance
operates more than 700 miles of transmission lines and related
substation facilities in Illinois,
Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Oklahoma. GridLiance is a portfolio company of
Blackstone Energy Partners, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), a leading energy
infrastructure investor. For more information about GridLiance,
visit gridliance.com.
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SOURCE GridLiance