Manny Cancel assumed the role as NERC senior vice president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) in January 2020. He is responsible for the management and oversight of the E-ISAC and leading security operations and information sharing, threat intelligence and analysis, and stakeholder engagement initiatives designed to protect critical electricity infrastructure in North America. Mr. Cancel also serves as the E-ISAC’s key representative to important constituencies, such as the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), government partners, and key industry groups and leads the E-ISAC’s strategic planning initiatives.

Prior to joining NERC, Mr. Cancel served as Con Edison’s chief information officer (CIO), leading all aspects of information technology, including cyber security initiatives. In this capacity, he also supported various industry initiatives, serving as chair of the sector’s Cyber Mutual Assistance program and supporting the Member Executive Committee, an advisory group formed out of the ESCC that provides guidance to the E-ISAC. Mr. Cancel earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baruch College and a master’s degree in business administration from the Johnson School at Cornell University.

Mark Henry is the chief engineer and director of reliability outreach at Texas RE. He has experience in the electric power industry including generation, transmission, and control center assignments as an electrical engineer and engineering supervisor from the Lower Colorado River Authority where he worked for nearly 15 years. He has worked with the bulk power system compliance program since joining the ERCOT ISO in December 1999. Mark is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and holds a BSEE from the University of Texas at Austin.

Clint Ladd began his career as Houston's first bioterrorism epidemiologist, and from there, worked in emergency preparedness consulting at Witt O'Brien's (now Ambipar) for over 11 years. Since 2018, Clint has managed the Texas Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection, where he collaborates with partners in the 16 critical infrastructure sectors to respond appropriately to disasters; compile, review, and share threat information; facilitate infrastructure data collection and data protection efforts; and support critical infrastructure preparedness activities across the state. In 2019 the National Fusion Center Association awarded Clint the Michael Schooler Critical Infrastructure Award in recognition for his efforts. Clint also serves on the National Network of Fusion Centers Private Sector Engagement Committee and the Texas Cybersecurity Council. His academic degrees include a master of science in epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and a bachelor of arts in microbiology/anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Angela Haun is the executive director of the Oil and Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ONG-ISAC). Ms. Haun joined the ISAC after a 20-year career as a Special Agent with the FBI. She has extensive experience in cybersecurity and protecting critical assets, along with leadership skills developed at the Houston InfraGard Chapter, which became the largest in the country while she was the FBI coordinator. She has been a subject matter expert speaker, organizer and participant in numerous energy-related conferences, briefings, exercises, meetings, webinars and other events.

Mark Stewart is an engineer at the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC). He has been with the RRC for over six years, where he served as project engineer in the Commission’s oil and gas division prior to joining the Office of General Counsel. Before the RRC, Mark held multiple roles in private industry and at TCEQ. Mark holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Lamar University.

Joseph H. McClelland was appointed the first director of the Office of Energy Infrastructure Security (OEIS) in September 2012. OEIS is the new FERC office that provides leadership, expertise and assistance to identify, communicate, and seek comprehensive solutions to potential risks to FERC-jurisdictional facilities from cyber attacks and such physical threats as electromagnetic pulses.

Prior to directing OEIS, Mr. McClelland served as the first director of the Office of Electric Reliability, which was created in 2007. He joined the Commission in 2004 as director of the Division of Reliability within the Office of Energy Markets and Reliability. Mr. McClelland came to the Commission with more than 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Joe holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Ernesto Ballesteros serves as the Cybersecurity State Coordinator (CSC) for the State of Texas at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in Region 6. As the CSC for the State of Texas, he is the principal point of contact for non-Federal entities to engage with the Federal Government on cybersecurity matters. Previously, Ballesteros served as the Texas state cybersecurity coordinator and chair of the Texas Cybersecurity Council, at the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). During his tenure he contributed to the development and implementation of statewide initiatives, such as the Texas Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (TxISAO), the Statewide Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program, and more.

Mr. Ballesteros holds BS MS in CISS from Our Lady of the Lake University; an NSA/DHS-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), and a JD specializing in cyber and privacy law. Lastly, Ballesteros is an (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and CompTIA Security+ certified professional.

Darcie O’Sullivan has been a special agent with the FBI since March 2019, working on national security matters. She was chosen as the 2022 FBI Austin Agent of the Year. In appreciation of her collaboration with the private sector and state authorities addressing hostile nation threats to critical infrastructure, she has been nominated for the 2024 FBI Director’s Award for Innovation.

Prior to joining the FBI, Ms. O’Sullivan worked as an emergency medical technician and as a special investigator for the NYC Department of Investigation. Ms. O’Sullivan has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree of science in global crime, justice, and security from the University of Edinburgh.

Kaitlin Van Zee is the director of enforcement and registration at Texas RE. She joined the company as an enforcement attorney in November 2016. Prior to joining Texas RE, Katie spent six years as an attorney in the Oversight and Enforcement Division of the Public Utility Commission of Texas where she litigated and negotiated administrative penalties for violations of the Public Utility Regulatory Act, ERCOT Protocols, and the Texas Water Code. In 2014, Katie served as an expert for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Energy Regulatory Partnership Program with Mexico where she advised regulators at the Energy Regulatory Commission as they established new regulatory and compliance procedures. Katie holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and international studies from the University of South Carolina and a JD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jose Flores is the program manager of security at the North American Transmission Forum (NATF).  He has been at the NATF for six years and serves as the program manager for cyber security, physical security, and operational technology networks. Prior to joining the NATF, he worked in multiple security and compliance positions at Duke Energy, SERC Reliability Corporation, and the U.S. Air Force. Jose earned a bachelor’s of science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s of business administration degree from Charleston Southern University, and holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. 

Darin Dillon is the senior director of energy markets at LenelS2 and is a Certified Protection Professional® who has developed a reputation as a business development and sales leader during his 35+ years of experience in the electronic security and integrated systems industry. Darin possesses a comprehensive knowledge of computers and connectivity technologies utilized in cyber and integrated systems, design, planning, and program implementation, which allows him to consult with facility, security, information technology management, and executive leadership.

Darin participates in various councils of ASIS International and from 2012 to 2018, Darin served as board member of ASIS International’s Professional Certification Board. He is currently serving on the Energy Security Council (ESC) board of directors and is the chairman of the membership committee. He has a masters in security management from the University of Houston Downtown and a bachelor of science in organizational leadership from Southern Nazarene University.

Kristine Martz is the director of reliability with the Edison Electric Institute where she leads member engagement on cyber security related reliability topics, including NERC CIP Standards. Her prior experience includes leading the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Security Assurance Energy & Utilities Program for the United States supporting regulator, customer, and partner engagement on security and compliance topics relevant to the electric, oil & gas, and water industry segments. She also worked for Exelon performing, implementing, and managing NERC CIP compliance controls.

William Wenz is a senior manager in the AES US Security group and has been with the company for 13 years. His primary role is to maintain the CIP compliance program, along with physical, and cyber security for the control networks used for transmission, distribution, and renewable generation facilities.

Sofia Weir is a physical security analyst at the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), where she provides high-quality, timely, reliable analysis and context regarding physical security and industry trends; relevant threat actor behaviors; and serves as a subject matter expert on physical security risks facing the electric sector.

Prior to working at the E-ISAC, Sofia served as operations manager for a commercial construction firm. This work was followed by a year of service in the federal government during which she worked in facilities management at the National Agricultural Library (USDA) and the Supreme Court Building and Grounds (Architect of the Capitol). Sofia has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of North Texas and a MS in energy policy and climate from Johns Hopkins University with a focus on the power sector and the impacts of policy decisions on energy security and grid reliability.

Joshua Rowe is a physical and cyber security auditor at the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC). Prior to joining WECC, Mr. Rowe honorably served and retired from the United States Marine Corps. During his career he served as a military police officer, criminal investigator, and physical security specialist. His last military assignment was at Headquarters, Marine Corps as the physical security senior enlisted advisor. In this role he developed and published organizational policy, implementation guidance, physical security course curriculum and served as the focal point for physical security matters in the Marine Corps. Mr. Rowe has conducted over 100 physical security compliance audits, inspections, and validations globally. He is board certified in Security Management and holds the ASIS Physical Security Professional (PSP) designation as well as certifications in Electronic Security System Design, Professional Locksmithing, Anti-Terrorism, and Physical Security through the Department of Defense. He is journeyman police officer and physical security specialist credentialed through the Department of Labor. Mr. Rowe earned his degree in criminal justice from Park University.

Lonnie J Ratliff is the director of compliance assurance and certification at NERC. He has been with NERC for 7 years and prior to that spent 4 years at SERC Reliability. He has over 20 years of information technology experience and is proficient with a wide variety of system and network security solutions. Mr. Ratliff is a Certified Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and has held numerous other industry certifications.