Lawrence named to NERC executive post

Bill Lawrence has been named the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) vice president and chief security officer.

NERC Board of Trustees officials said Lawrence, who will begin his new role Aug.16, will lead all of NERC’s security programs executed through the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) operations.

He will direct security risk assessments and mitigation initiatives to protect critical electricity infrastructure across North America while also leading coordination efforts with government agencies and stakeholders on cyber and physical security matters.

“I am excited to have Bill in this role leading NERC’s security programs,” Jim Robb, NERC president and CEO, who oversaw the nationwide search for the position, said. “Bill’s dedication to the security mission of the E-ISAC and his commitment to stakeholders factored heavily in our decision to name him as our top officer for the E-ISAC.”

Lawrence currently serves as senior director of the E-ISAC, leading the division in its mission to identify and mitigate cyber and physical security risks to the grid in North America. He joined NERC in July 2012 and has held a variety of positions with the E-ISAC, including overseeing the development of NERC’s grid security exercise and grid security conference, GridEx and GridSecCon, respectively.

“I am humbled to have this opportunity to make positive strides toward the security and resilience of the grid. Security across North America is a vital piece of our mission,” Lawrence said. “The threats are real, dynamic and extremely significant. The E-ISAC Long-Term Strategic Plan provides the framework to increasing the E-ISAC capability required to help stakeholders protect the grid. I look forward to leading that charge and working with our industry and government stakeholders toward that end.”