2026 FALL RELIABILITY
& SECURITY SUMMIT
You won't want to miss one of the premier electric grid reliability and security events of 2026.
Join ReliabilityFirst in Columbus from Sept. 14 to 16.
Expect:
- Discussions featuring some of the leading players in the energy space, including the Indiana state secretary of energy, speakers from Amazon Web Services, AEP, Talen Energy, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and more
- Presentations from experts in their fields, including speakers from BRITE Energy Innovations, the FBI, Artex Oil, WECC, EPRI, Duke Energy, RF, and more
- Insights on some of the most pressing topics surrounding the future of electric reliability, including data centers and load growth, natural gas and electric grid interdependence, transmission, cyber and physical security, inverter-based resources, supply chain, and more
Event venue:
The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center
100 Green Meadows Dr S
Lewis Center, Ohio 43035
REGISTER
Registration for this event has closed. If you are still interested in attending, please email Jody Tortora at jody.tortora@rfirst.org.
DAY 1
MONDAY, SEPT. 14
1:00 - 2:45 PM
Compliance User Group (CUG) meeting (industry meeting for members and invitees)
3:00 - 5:00 PM
Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee (CIPC) meeting (industry meeting for members and invitees)
DAY 2
Tuesday, Sept. 15
7:30 - 8:30 AM ET
Breakfast and registration
8:30 - 8:45 AM
Welcome to RF's Fall Reliability & Security Summit
Brian Thiry, Director, Strategic Engagement, RF
8:45 - 9:30 AM
Our energy future: Preserving reliability and affordability in the face of significant load growth, new technologies, and changing energy markets
Jade Davis, President & CEO, BRITE Energy Innovations
9:30 - 10:15 AM
State energy leadership outlook fireside chat: Policy reliability, and the future of the grid
- Suzanne Jaworowski, Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources, State of Indiana
- Tim Gallagher, President & CEO, RF
10:15 - 10:30 AM
Networking break
10:30 - 11:40 AM
Managing the AI era: Reliability challenges and opportunities related to large computational loads
- Stacey Burbure, Senior Vice President of Transmission Regulatory Engagement & Compliance, AEP
- Dennis Deters, Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
- Julie LaBella, Senior Vice President – External Affairs, Talen Energy
- Craig Sundstrom, Head of Energy and Sustainability Public Policy, Americas, Amazon Web Services
- Moderator: Michelle Cross, Manager, Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, RF
11:45 - 12:30 PM
Lunch
12:30 - 1:00 PM
Networking break
1:00 - 2:00 PM
The evolving threat landscape: Protecting critical energy infrastructure
Garris Ference, Intel Analyst, FBI
2:00 - 2:30 PM
Strengthening reliability through natural gas and electric system coordination
Jerry James, President, Artex Oil Company
2:30 - 2:45 PM
Networking break
2:45 - 3:20 PM
Data driven reliability: Leveraging analytics to identify and mitigate emerging risks
Greg Park, Manager, Risk Analysis & Data Services, WECC
3:20 - 4:00 PM
ReliabilityFirst Regional Risk Assessment: Risk priorities and mitigation strategies
Johnny Gest, Manager, Engineering & System Performance, RF
4:00 - 4:15 PM
Networking break
4:15 - 6:00 PM
Reliability Recognition Awards Ceremony & Reception
DAY 3
Wednesday, Sept. 16
8:00 - 9:00 AM ET
Breakfast
TRACK 1: Energy Policy
9:00 - 9:45 AM
Preparing for load growth: Insights from the Large Load Working Group
Wayman Smith, Director, Transmission Planning, AEP
10:00 - 10:45 AM
Energy assurance: Strengthening preparedness across the electricity sector
Tim Fryfogle, Principal Engineer – Resources, Engineering & System Performance, RF
11:00 - 11:45 AM
Flexible load as a reliability resource: Opportunities and challenges
Aidan Tuohy, Director, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
TRACK 2: Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
9:00 - 9:45 AM
Cloud adoption and reliability: Insights from the Standards Drafting Team
Lew Folkerth, Principal Reliability Consultant, External Affairs, RF
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Supply chain risk management: Updates from the CIP-013 project 2025-06 Standard Drafting Team
Natalie Fabian, Compliance Lead, Duke Energy
11:00 - 11:45 AM
CIP in practice: Lessons learned from real-world case studies
Bridget McLean, Counsel, Enforcement, RF
TRACK 3: Data Submittals
9:00 - 9:45 AM
xADS reporting: Best practices for accurate and effective submissions
Gerald Esteban, Senior Engineer – Resource Adequacy, Engineering & System Performance, RF
10:00 - 10:45 AM
Self-reports: Expectations and best practices
Marian Toney, Counsel, Enforcement, RF
11:00 - 11:45 AM
Event reporting: Best practices and expectations of effective event data
Tony Purgar, Senior Manager, Operational Analysis & Awareness, RF
12:00 PM
Lunch
SPEAKERS
Stacey Burbure
Senior Vice President of Transmission Regulatory Engagement & Compliance, AEP
Craig Sundstrom
Head of Energy and Sustainability Public Policy, Americas, Amazon Web Services
Garris Ference
Intel Analyst, FBI
Gerald Esteban
Senior Engineer – Resource Adequacy, Engineering & System Performance, RF
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center*
100 Green Meadows Dr. S.
Lewis Center, OH 43035
*Update – room block has sold out!
Alternative accommodations in the area include:
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