WIRES appoints new executive director

WIRES, the international trade association promoting investment in all aspects of the high voltage grid, recently announced that Larry Gasteiger is its new executive director, effective Nov. 18.

Gasteiger succeeds Executive Director James J. “Jim” Hoecker, who founded WIRES in 2005.

“The WIRES board is delighted to name Larry as new Executive Director,” WIRES President Brian Gemmell said. “Larry’s extensive federal regulatory leadership with nearly two decades at FERC, and more recent utility experience at PSEG, make him uniquely qualified to lead WIRES’ priorities in the coming years.”

Gasteiger most recently served as chief of federal regulatory policy at Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG). Prior to his role at PSEG, he served for more than 19 years at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in several leadership roles, including chief of staff for Chairman Norman Bay.

“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to lead WIRES, which has been a strong voice on behalf of a robust electric transmission system in North America,” Gasteiger said. “The importance of the electric grid and the challenges in building and sustaining a reliable, efficient, and effective transmission system are ever-increasing. A major focus of WIRES’ efforts will be on educating and engaging decision-makers on policies and proposals to meet the transmission needs of a transforming economy that is increasingly dependent on a clean, reliable, and affordable supply of electricity. I look forward to working with the new officers, the Board, and the WIRES members to promote the benefits of transmission while working collaboratively with government, industry, and stakeholders in exploring and advancing solutions to meet North America’s growing transmission infrastructure needs.”