NARUC
Moderator Chris Womack is the CEO of Southern Company CEO. Michele O’Connell is the CEO of Orange & Rockland. Maria Pope is the CEO of Portland General Electric. Harry Sideris is the President of Duke Energy. Eliecer Viamontes is the CEO of Entergy Texas. Chris Harris is International Representative/Utility Department for IBEW.
Mutual assistance plays a critical role in keeping the lights on. Utility companies deploy tens of thousands of personnel and resources to ravaged areas, making mutual assistance a great example of the power of partnership and the recognition of energy as a necessity.
This panel at NARUC’s 2025 Winter Polict Summit, Mutual Assistance: The Power of Partnership, explored mutual assistance efforts and frameworks, and the organizations that support these efforts. Panelists discussed the industry's year-round planning and preparation efforts and explained the coordination required for effective system restoration.
On the panel were Southern Company CEO and moderator Chris Womack, Orange & Rockland CEO Michele O'Connell, Portland General Electric CEO Maria Pope, Duke Energy President Harry Sideris, Entergy Texas CEO Eliecer Viamontes, and IBEW International Representative/Utility Department Chris Harris.
Southern Company CEO and moderator Chris Womack: Touching on Hurricane Helene this past fall, the most destructive storm in Georgia Power's history, the sheer scale of the devastation was overwhelming with thousands of homes and businesses left without power and entire communities grappling with the aftermath.