IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2021 - 100

guides and standards. After the 2003
North American blackout, he worked
with IEEE teams to provide support in
writing applicable regulatory standards
and helped engage the IEEE Power System
Relay Committee in oversight of
the emerging compliance requirements.
IEEE played a key role in introducing relevant
issues to regulators and the creation
of meaningful standards.
The electric grid relies on remedial
action schemes, and Sykes led IEEE
teams to write the design and testing
guidelines for these critical schemes.
Throughout his career, he has been an
advocate for PES and represented IEEE
as a Distinguished Lecturer in North
America and around the world, sharing
the Society's good work, knowledge,
and experience. His aim is to help elevate
IEEE's reputation and promote the
reliability, affordability, and safety of
this industry. As a leader in our industry,
he believes that it is vital to recruit
and cultivate diversity and inclusion in
our industry. Sykes is still in awe of and
humbled by the potential of PES and its
important role in shaping this industry.
Statement
The pandemic of 2020 created an urgent
priority for us all to find new ways to accomplish
our work. I am proud of how
we all collaborated at the local branches,
technical committees, and PES Board to
find solutions and continue the important
work of PES. Our industry was built on
longevity, where change was the exception,
and reliability was the priority. This
is no longer the situation-demands
for environmental protection, efficiency,
and continued reliability are pushing
the power and energy community to
leverage rapidly evolving technologies.
PES technical activities are the forum
through which this rapid change is tempered
by sound engineering processes.
My work with IEEE, EPRI, and many
of our industry leaders has been focused
on balancing new technology with existing
methods through carefully conceived
change. We must continue to
enhance the central role of IEEE with
activities and work products by expanding
the collaboration to include all
100
ieee power & energy magazine
stakeholders. I will work diligently to
serve you and those whose lives we impact
. . . our customers.
Candidates for Treasurer
Juan Carlos Montero
Juan Carlos Montero
is the former
PES vice president
of Membership
and Image.
He has previously
held several other
volunteer leadership roles within PES
at the local and international
levels.
He works on the Costa Rican Power
System Operator and has more than
20 years' experience at his company.
He is currently the electrical operational
planning coordinator at the Costa
Rican National Power Control Center.
He has also been a part-time professor
at the University of Costa Rica for
more than 10 years. He received the
bachelor and licentiate degree in electrical
engineering from the University
of Costa Rica. He is a Senior Member
of IEEE.
IEEE Activities and
Accomplishments
Mr. Montero has participated in several
IEEE and PES roles on an international
level:
✔ Current president-elect, IEEE
Central America and Panama
Council (2020-2021)
✔ Current IEEE spokesperson on
the Global Power System Transformation
Consortium
✔ IEEE PES vice president, Membership
and Image (2016-2020)
✔ IEEE PES Long-Range Planning
Committee member (2014-2020)
✔ IEEE PES Power System Operation,
Planning, and Economics
(PSOPE) Committee member
✔ IEEE PES Nominations and
Appoi ntment s Commi t t e e
member
✔ IEEE PES Social Media Committee
chair (2012-2015)
✔ IEEE PES Central America Chapters
representative (2011-2015)
✔ IEEE PES Costa Rica Outstanding
Engineer Award (2011)
✔ IEEE PES Costa Rica Chapter
chair (2007-2008)
✔ IEEE Costa Rica Section vicechair
and other board positions.
Statement
I am Juan Carlos Montero, and I work
at the System Operator in Costa Rica.
From my homeland, I have witnessed
the value of IEEE PES as a global organization.
For the last five years, I
have had the privilege to participate on
the identification of the hot topics for
IEEE PES and the energy industry as
an IEEE PES Governing Board member.
From my position, we were able
to promote IEEE PES a global organization,
and we were able to support
our members and volunteers to create
amazing activities that improved their
lives and those around them. My goal,
if elected as IEEE PES treasurer, will
be to seek growth of the support of our
volunteers worldwide. This includes
major participation on our conferences
outside USA, motivate and facilitate local
Chapter activities, and support the
role of our technical committees as a
big-impact stakeholder on relevant topics
on Industry. IEEE PES makes great
things through its volunteers, and we
should provide them the tools to make
their activities easier for them.
Nirmal K.C. Nair
Nirmal K.C. Nair
received the B.E.
degree in electrical
engineering from
Maharaja Sayajirao
University, Baroda,
in 1990 and the M.E.
degree in high voltage from the Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1996.
After a decade of professional engineering
in India, he moved to the United
States to earn a Ph.D. degree in electrical
engineering from Texas A&M in
2004, following which he relocated to
New Zealand (NZ). He has held various
industry, research, and academic positions
during his career. Currently, his
day job is as a tenured faculty member
july/august 2021
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